Basic Breads
Farmhouse bread loaf
If you want to stop buying bread from the shops but don’t know where to start this is the recipe for you. Without a doubt my most popular bread recipe to date. I’ve had an overwhelming amount of success stories from people who’ve tried the sandwich loaf as total beginners but also from people who’ve tried other recipes with lack lustre results. I hope you give it a try, it’s a brilliant beginners bread
Farmhouse Bread Loaf
Prep time
20 min
Resting time
3 hours
Cooking time
35 min
Ingredients
- 7 g instant yeast
- 250 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp honey (approx.)
- 350 g white bread flour
- ½ tbsp salt
Instructions
Mix yeast & water together. Add honey and mix again. Add the flour and then the salt and mix until it’s fully combined and shaggy.
Cover and rest for 30 minutes (set a timer on your phone so you can chill).
After 30 min, wet your hand (so dough doesn’t stick), stretch and fold 4 times, turning the bowl after each fold; cover and rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 min, repeat the stretch-and-fold process and cover and rest for 1–1.5 hours.
Grease a small loaf tin (like a cake loaf tin) with butter generously—this gives a lovely crust and prevents sticking.
When the dough is ready, sprinkle flour on top and on your work surface, then turn the dough out. Be patient—it should come out easily.
Flour your hands and gently stretch the dough from underneath into a square shape (keep your hands floured).
Fold the dough into thirds to form a rectangle and roll it up. Seal the seams along the top and sides, smoothing any lumps; flip it over and place seam-side down in the tin. Cover and rest for 45 min.
30 min before baking (15 min into rest time), preheat oven to 210°C and place a small dish of water at the bottom to create steam (optional but yields a soft interior). Bake with steam for 10 min, then remove the water dish and reduce oven to 190°C; bake another 20–23 min.
Turn the bread out of the tin onto a wire rack and let cool at least 20 min before slicing. I often cool overnight; if not, store wrapped in parchment.
Enjoy D 🫶
Basic Breads
Farmhouse Bread LoaF
Cooking time
35 min
Prep
time
20 min
Resting time
3 hours
Ingredients
7g instant yeast
250ml lukewarm water
1 tbs honey (approx.)
350g white bread flour
1/2 tbs salt
InstruCtions
Mix yeast & water together. Add honey and mix again. Add the flour and then the salt and mix until it’s fully combined and shaggy.
Cover and rest for 30 minutes (set timer on the phone so you can chill)
After 30 min wet your hand (so dough doesn’t stick) stretch and fold 4 times turning the bowl after each fold) cover and rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 min Repeat the stretch and fold process and cover and rest for 1 to 1.5 hours.
Grease a small loaf tin (like a cake loaf tin) with butter fairly generously, this will give a lovely crust and stop it sticking.
Once the dough is ready; Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and onto your work surface and turn the dough out. Be patient, wait and it should come out easily.
Flour your hands and gently stretch it out slightly from the underside into a squarish shape as shown in the video. (Keep your hands floured while handling the dough)
Fold the dough across in 3rds as shown into a rectangle and roll it up. Seal the seams up along the top and sides pushing in any lumps and bumps, flip the dough over and place in tin seam side down. Cover and rest for 45 min.
30 min before the bread is ready to go in (15 min into rest time) preheat your oven to 210C and add another little dish like a loaf tin with water inside to the bottom (this creates some steam for the first part of the bake) not essential but the bread will be soft and fluffy inside if you do.
Bake for 10 min with the steam then turn the oven down to 190C and take out the water, bake for another 20 -23 min. Turn the bread out of the tin when it’s done onto a wire rack and let it cool for at least 20 min before eating. I normally make this in the evening and let it cool on the rack all night while I sleep but if not once cooled store wrapped in parchment paper.
Enjoy D