I have become irritatingly obsessed with bread lately. Most likely because I've always assumed it was so difficult to make, and have now become somewhat of an expert (and becoming the unofficial focaccia coach in my family). Since my newfound love of bread I've been wanting to try trickier recipes with longer proofs - because I can actually PLAN my baking now, rather than deciding I want to make bread at 4 in the afternoon.
As someone who has previously been very weary of baking with yeast, I highly recommend trying my super easy focaccia a few times to build your confidence. Once you make bread a few times, you'll notice all recipes have the same core ingredients and methods - and you'll build up some killer muscles from all that kneading! Once you've made this bread, you can play around with baking it in different shapes, adding new flavours, and really making this your own.
This recipe is incredibly satisfying, because each rise is HUGE and you can see the yeast in full action. As always, proofing time depends on the temperature of your room; so if it's a cold Winter day, don't be afraid to crank the heater and snuggle your dough on the couch (from experience, it WORKS!). You can definitely make this in a stand mixer with a hook attachment - just add all the flour in rather than saving some for kneading. Honestly, I love kitchen appliances, but you'll never get the full satisfaction of baking if you're always relying on a mixer and are afraid to get your hands dirty.
Ingredients:
1 Sachet (7g) Dry Active Yeast
1 1/3 Warm Water
3 1/4 Cup Plain Flour
3 Tbs Rice Bran Oil (plus extra for greasing)
1 Tbs Caster Sugar
1 Tbs Salt
Let's Make This Bread:
In a large mixing bowl, mix water and sugar. Sprinkle over yeast and let stand for 5 minutes. The yeast will expand and start to froth. Add oil and mix.
Gradually sift in 3 cups of flour and mix well with a metal spoon. Once a sticky dough has come together, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 7 minutes. This is where you can use the extra 1/4 cup of flour to add until the dough is easily kneaded without sticking too much. If you can get to a smooth consistency without using all the extra flour, leave it out.
Once kneaded, add the dough to a well greased bowl and cover tightly with cling film. Allow dough to rest for an hour and a half. The dough will triple in size. During this time, line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
Punch dough down to let the air escape, and turn out onto your bench and divide it into 12 even pieces. Gently roll the pieces into 9 inch ropes and lay them on the baking tray. Leave a good 5-10cm between each rope to allow room for the second rise.
Cover trays with cling film and allow to rest for another hour. Make sure the cling film is sealed at the bottom, but not stretched too tightly across the top to give the dough room to rise. After about 45 minutes, pre heat the oven to 180 degrees fan forced.
Once doubled in size, bake dough for around 10 minutes. The bread will be golden on the top and sound hollow when you lightly tap it.
Allow bread to cool slightly before serving.
Storage:
Store bread in an airtight container, or place in a zip lock bag and freeze.
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