Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Warning: this is a ridiculously long tutorial!  Once I got started, it was hard to stop…

Baking your own bread is one of the most rewarding things you can do.  If you’ve never tried before, or you’re daunted by the prospect of it, please let me assure you that it’s a relatively simple process.  You can make a decent loaf of bread from start to finish in two to three hours (depending on the ambient temperature) and for most of that time the bread is simply rising or baking on its own while you get on with other things.  We’ve been making all our own bread for years now, and this is where we started (although we’ve since moved to sourdough rather than yeast).

The most important thing to know is this – the quality of your bread and how much it rises is almost completely contingent upon the flour you use.  If you can’t get a decent high-protein bread flour, then wait until you can, because if you make bread with plain flour, you’ll be disillusioned and won’t try again.  The gluten protein in the flour must be high enough for the yeast to make the bread rise.  Fortunately, bread flour, also known as bakers flour, is now readily available in most supermarkets.  Here, with lots of photos and videos, is how I make basic yeasted bread.  The recipe is based on Richard Bertinet’s olive dough and it’s very versatile – you can shape it into rolls, loaves, epi, stuff it with interesting fillings, or spread it out flat and make pizza (it actually works brilliantly as pizza dough).

• 500g bread or bakers flour
• 10g dried yeast (or one sachet)
• 8g fine sea salt
• 320g water (weigh it if you can, as you’ll get a more accurate result. If not, use 320ml)
• 50g olive oil (I use extra virgin)

1. Pour flour into a mixing bowl. Whisk in yeast. Then whisk in salt.

2. Add water and olive oil. Mix first with a spatula, then get your clean hand in and scrunch all the dough together. Scrape your hand off, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes (trust me, this little resting time makes kneading much easier!).

3. Turn the shaggy mass onto a lightly oiled bench and knead until smooth. This is a high hydration dough (ie. it’s quite wet).  I knead it using Richard Bertinet’s method  which involves slapping the dough down and folding it over, rather than pushing it with the palm of your hand. I’ve included some photos and a couple of short videos so you can see the technique I use.  You’ll be surprised how quick and easy this method of kneading is!

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Scoop the bread up with your fingertips…

Slap the bottom of the dough onto the bench…

…and lift the top up and over.

Give the dough a quarter turn each time. Repeat until the dough is smooth and elastic – it should take you about five minutes of kneading.

4. Oil the bowl you mixed in, then turn the dough into it to rest for about an hour, or doubled in size .  Cover the bowl with clingfilm to stop the dough forming a skin.

5. Turn the risen dough out onto an oiled bench and fold it in on itself a few times to knock the air out.

Now you’ve got lots of options.  I turned this batch of dough into a round loaf and a small focaccia.  I’ve just included the shaping instructions for the loaf – focaccia instructions to follow.

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Basic loaf

Preheat the oven to 250C (480F).

Shape the dough into a round shape by folding the edges into the middle.  Turn the dough over and shape it into a ball by twirling it around on the bench between your cupped hands.

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I’ve placed my loaf right side down into a plastic wicker basket to rise, but if you don’t have one of these, you could easily use a loaf tin, providing you place the dough in right side up if you’re planning to bake it in the tin.

Or just place the  shaped dough onto a sheet of parchment paper, lightly spray the top with oil and cover with a piece of cling film (see photo below).

Allow to rise, covered with oiled clingfilm, for half an hour, or until doubled in size.  The loaf I’ve made uses half the dough, but you could easily use the full amount if you wanted it larger.

Before and after rising photos:

Or you could shape the loaf and let it rise under oiled clingfilm on a baking tray:

Once your shaped dough has had a second rise, drop the oven temperature to 220C (430F). Remove the cling film and turn the risen dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife or lame (razor blade), spray the dough with a light mist of water, then slide the tray into the oven.

Allow to bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting.

© copyright 2009 by Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. All rights reserved.

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Using the basic dough to make other breads :

• Epi
• Focaccia
• Nutella Scrolls
• Potato Pizza
• Parbaked Pizza Bases