Bread

Simple, homemade bread.

Ingredients

• 150 mL water
• 150 mL milk
• 450g all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon of yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt (~13g)
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

Equipment

• Large (preferably not plastic) bowl for the dough
• Bread pan. Can be (oven safe) glass or metal
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• Oven

Proofing the dough

1. Heat the water in a pot or kettle. If the milk is cold and straight from the fridge, you can boil the water; the milk will cool it down. Otherwise, take care not to overheat the water, otherwise you will need to wait for it to cool down.
2. Add milk and water to the bowl. Make sure that the mixture is not too hot. It should be warm / hot to the touch, but not scalding hot to the point of causing pain. 40 °C is a good reference.
3. After letting the contents cool, add sugar, yeast and a tablespoon of flour to the bowl. Whisk until the flour is dissolved and no chunks remain.
4. Cover the top of the bowl with a towel, and let it stand for 15-20 minutes.

Making the dough

1. Add all of the flour to the bowl, as well as the salt and olive oil, and stir until the dough starts forming and it becomes difficult to keep going.
2. Prepare a working surface (countertop, or other flat surface) and lightly dust it with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Apply some flour to your hands as well. Keep some flour nearby in case more is needed.
3. Knead the dough. You will know that you’re done when the dough stops sticking to your hands, and is more-or-less of a uniform consistency.
4. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover the top of the bowl with a towel, and let the dough rise for about 1 hour.

Baking

1. Grease the bread pan with olive oil. Make sure that the base and sides are well greased to prevent the bread from sticking. Alternatively, you can use baking / parchment paper, but I prefer just using the oil.
2. Gently push the dough in the bowl down a little, but make sure not to press too hard.
3. Transfer the dough from the bowl to the bread pan, taking care not to deform it too much in the process.
4. Cover with a towel and let it rise for about 20 minutes.
5. While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 180 °C
6. Place in the oven and bake for at least 50 minutes. The top should be a slightly dark golden brown.
7. Once baked, take the bread out of the oven and let it cool before slicing. This can take about 30 minutes.
8. Enjoy!