Bake My First Yeasted Loaf of Bread
If you’ve already baked a loaf in a breadmaker, this is the perfect next step. Making a yeasted loaf by hand gives you more control over the process and a chance to really get to know your dough. You’ll learn how it feels as it changes, practice shaping it and gain confidence handling it yourself.
One of the joys of baking bread at home is its simplicity: flour, water, yeast and salt are all you need. Compare that to many supermarket loaves, which come with a long list of additives and preservatives. With homemade bread, you know exactly what goes into it and the taste and texture are far more rewarding.
Because your loaf is made without preservatives, it won’t keep for as long as shop-bought bread. But that’s easy to work around, simply slice it, pop it in the freezer and enjoy fresh slices as you need them.
This simple, reliable recipe will guide you through the essentials, like mixing, kneading, proving and baking so you can enjoy the satisfaction of pulling a golden, homemade loaf from the oven.
Equipment:
To keep it simple, this is a suggested list of what will help you bake bread, without breaking the bank or filling your kitchen cupboards.
Dough Whisk - The best value for money tool for making bread! It is superior to a spoon; it mixes the ingredients very effectively without the clumps like you can get with a spoon.
A large bowl - Give yourself space, you don’t want flour flying out when mixing and its handy to have a bowl bigger than the dough capacity so you can leave it in the bowl to proof and double in size.
Dough scraper – A tool designed for moving your dough from bowl to worktop and back again with ease. Great for wiping around the bowl to incorporate all ingredients. Top tip, flour your scraper for a less sticky situation! These are also great for clearing up excess flour on your worktop instead of a wet cloth at the end of baking. We recommend a bean scraper for work in the bowl and a flat scraper for bench work.
Loaf Tin - We recommend starting with a tin, as it supports your dough in the oven and helps prevent your loaf from baking flatter on a tray.
Scales – Bread baking is a bit of a science. Use digital scales to weigh your ingredients, especially the flour salt and water for consistency.
Lame - A great little tool to slash the dough just before it goes into the oven, this helps the loaf expand, letting out excess moisture and controlling the rise. The razor thin blade cuts smoothly rather than dragging the dough, unlike even your sharpest knife would. To start with we recommend a simple line across the top of the dough, cutting at a 45° angle to the dough. Once you have mastered this you can get creative with the patterns and give the loaf your own look.
