An easy homemade bread recipe which is sure to be a hit! Ready in just a few hours as there is no need to let it rise overnight. Bake it in a dutch oven for a crispy crust on the outside and soft, airy bread on the inside.
INGREDIENTS
- 2.25 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1.25 cups warm water (if you pop a finger it’s warm!)
- 1.5 tsp. salt
- 2.5 cups All-Purpose Flour, plus extra for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or you could also mix this dough by hand – just use a large mixing bowl instead.
- Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, until the mixture looks nice and foamy.
- Add salt to bowl.
- Add flour to bowl a bit at a time, mixing well until ingredients have just come together and form a smooth dough.
- Lightly flour all sides of your dough (don’t mix the flour in – it’s just to keep the dough from sticking!) and turn it over inside the mixing bowl to coat with flour on all sides. Cover with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for about 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, lightly flour a large cutting board.
- Tip the dough out of the bowl and onto the cutting board. DO NOT PUNCH THE DOUGH DOWN – you need to keep all those nice air bubbles intact so you have an airy, delicious loaf of bread. (Note: If the dough is sticking to the bowl a little bit, just wet your hand with a bit of water and gently separate the dough from the bowl to get it all out).
- Sprinkle a bit of flour across the top of the dough, then begin shaping it into a round loaf. Pull each corner of the dough in towards the center (like folding an envelope) a few times, then flip the dough over and tap it into a nice round loaf.
- Flour a small mixing bowl and place your loaf into it seam-side down. Cover with a tea towel and let rise another 30 minutes or so.
- Whilst the bread proofs, place an empty dutch oven (with the lid on) in your oven and heat to 220 degrees C.
- Once the oven is hot (the light has gone off), you’re ready to go!
- Take dutch oven out and remove the lid.
- Tip your bread dough gently out of the bowl back onto your floured cutting board, and carefully place it – seam side up this time – into the hot dutch oven.
- Put the lid back on the pot, and slide back into the oven.
- Cook the bread for 30 minutes and remove the lid from your dutch oven. The bread should be crusty and lightly browned.
- Continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 10-20 minutes until the bread has deepened in color and you have a beautiful brown crust.
- Once the bread is done, take the pot out of the oven and using a long spatula, carefully lift the bread out of the dutch oven onto a cooling rack.
- Let it cool for about 20 minutes then slice, slather with butter, and enjoy!
Hey Judes 