Ingredients:

500g of flour

350g of water

10g of yeast

10g of salt

This will make either one big loaf or two small one.

You can interchange the type of flour as you want (white, wholemeal, rye...) and try different combination knowing that the more white flour the softer and lighter your bread will be.

Also whole grain retains more moisture so you can add a bit more water if you use low proportion of white flour in your bread.

The quantity of yeast depends of how quickly you want you bread to be ready. Avoid to exceed the proportion given above as too much yeast makes the bread harder to digest but you can reduce this proportion by twice the amount. When only a little yeast is used the dough will take longer to ferment allowing enzymes to work and acids to develop which enhance the flavour, the nutritional goodness of your bread and increase the time you can keep it.

Things you need:

A mixing bowl

A plastic scraper

One or two tea towel

A scale or measuring jug

A baking tray

A sharp knife

How to proceed:

Put the flour in bowl and add the yeast by scrambling it with your finger prints as small as possible and use your hand to distribute it evenly with the flour. Then add the salt and mix following by the water. Use your scraper (or hands if not afraid to sticky dough) to mix until all the ingredients are combine and no dried bits remaining. It should have a fairly wet consistency. Using your scraper, place the dough on the working surface (with no added flour).

Start the kneading by stretching and folding the dough on itself in order to incorporate air and enable gluten formation. It should feel sticky at first but as you go along the dough will acquire coherence and strength. After about 10min your dough should be supple and uniform and unstuck easily from the surface. Form the dough into a bowl by folding each side of the dough into the middle and put ir back in the bowl

Let it rise until it double in volume (about 2h if room temperature is 18°C).

put it back gently on the working surface using your scraper to help the dough unstuck from the bottom of the bowl. Line one (or two if doing two loaves) bowl with a tea towel and flour thoroughly. Shape the dough back into a bowl. If doing two small loaf then use your scraper to divide the dough in two equal pieces and shape each into a bowl.

Put the bowl(s) (seem side down) on the tea towel inside the bowl(s). Let it rise again until it has nearly double in volume.

Turn your oven on with the tray inside at the very least one hour before baking.

Flour a wooden chopping board or a metal tray and put the dough on it (seem side down). Slightly flour the top of the dough and using a sharp knife slash the dough on the top in order to guide the air coming out during the baking. Open your oven door and spray some water inside. Slide the bread in as quickly as possible to keep the warms.

Bake for 30min if one loaf or 20MIN if two small ones.

Let it cool down and enjoy!