A Basic White Loaf Recipe
When I feel like baking something this will create a decent loaf without too much faff.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Baker’s Percentage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Strong white bread flour | 100% | 500 g |
| Tepid water | 60% | 300 ml |
| A sachet of dried yeast | 1.4% | 7 g |
| Fine salt | 2% | 10 g |
| Olive oil | 2% | 10 ml |
You’ll also need a little extra olive oil for coating the proofing vessel.
Method
- Chuck everything into a stand mixer set up with a dough hook and knead on medium speed for two minutes. Increase the speed by a notch and continue kneading for three minutes.
- Take the dough out, lightly oil the stand mixer bowl, and plop the dough back in. Use the oil to coat the dough to prevent it from drying out. Cover the bowl with cling film or a towel and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size (if time allows, this can be done overnight in the fridge).
- Empty the bowl onto a lightly-dusted surface and knead the dough for a minute.
- Put the dough in a lightly-floured loaf tin and cover with a tea towel. Let the dough prove again until it has doubled in size.
- While the dough is proving for a second time, whack the oven on as high it’ll go with a pizza stone, if you have one, and an empty loaf tin on the middle shelf.
- When the dough is ready to be baked, add your toppings and make a few cuts on the top with a bread knife. Boil some water.
- Working quickly, place your dough onto the pizza stone and pour the boiling water into the empty loaf tin. Close the oven and let the bread bake for 10 minutes before turning the oven temperature down to 180 °C (assuming a fan-assisted oven) and continuing to bake for another 35 minutes.
- Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool.