In honour of bread week on Great British Bake Off, here’s our recipe for a classic white loaf if you’re feeling the “knead” to try your hand at bread making!
Ingredients
- 500g strong white flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- Up to 350ml lukewarm water
- A little sunflower oil for greasing
Method
- Tip the flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle
- Pour in most of the water and use your fingers or a wooden spoon to mix together until combined to a slightly wet, pillowy, workable dough – if necessary add a splash more water
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes until smooth and elastic
- Alternatively, you can use a tabletop mixer with a dough hook
- Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl, then cover with cling film and leave to rise until it has doubled in size
- Preheat the oven to 200C fan
- Knock back the dough by tipping it back onto a floured surface and pushing the air out
- Shape the dough into an oval and place in a 900g loaf tin
- Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 30 minutes
- Dust the top of the loaf with a little flour and slash the top with a sharp knife for decoration
- Bake the bread for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 170C fan
- Continue baking for 30 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when removed from the tin and tapped on the base
- Leave the bread on a wire rack to cool completely before serving with proper butter and your favourite jam