Farmhouse Loaf

There aren't many better smells than that of freshly baked bread, so why not try this simple farmhouse loaf recipe at home!

There are now more people than ever baking their own bread at home. One reason being it is a lot cheaper and it goes further in your household. Another reason, and we think this is the best one of all, is that it gives you a sense of satisfaction knowing you have made a delicious farmhouse loaf for yourself at home. This BBC Good Food recipe is very simply as it is made up of just 5 ingredients, so it is definitely one you can try at home! Our 3lb loaf tin is perfect for this recipe, as it allows you to bake a delicious deep farmhouse loaf.

Ingredients:

500g of strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
1 tsp of salt
7g packet of dried yeast
Sunflower oil
350ml of warm water

Instructions:

Step 1- Start by making the dough. Take the 500g of white flour, 7g of yeast and 1 tsp of salt and pour them in to a large bowl. Make a well in the middle before pouring most of the 350ml of water in and mix it together with a wooden spoon or your hands. The dough should resemble a slightly damp and workable dough.

Step 2- Once you are happy with the dough, dust a work surface in your kitchen with flour and tip the dough on to it. You should now knead the dough until it becomes a lot smoother and develops more of an elastic and stringy consistency. This should take no more than 10 minutes. Then place the dough in an oiled bowl and leave for it to rise and roughly double in size.

Step 3- Heat your oven to around 220 degrees celcius/200 degrees for a fan oven/gas mark 7. Knock the dough out of the bowl back on to the floured kitchen surface. Shape the dough in to an oval shape and place in to a 3lb loaf tin. Cover with a towel or kitchen paper and allow it to prove for around 30 minutes.

Step 4-Take some of the remaining flour and dust the top of the dough with it. Also score the top of the dough with a knife. Place in the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for around 15 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature of your oven to 190 degrees celcius/170 degrees for a fan oven, gas mark 5 and bake for a further 30 minutes. You will know the loaf is done when you tap the bottom of the farmhouse loaf and it sounds hollow. Allow the loaf to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Source: BBC Good Food