Easy Homemade Bread Recipe

Directions

• Place the flour in a bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and mix a little to incorporate with the flour now add the yeast to the opposite side and mix a little to incorporate with the flour. This prevents the salt and yeast coming in direct contact with each other.
• Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the oil and 240ml of water.
• Using your hands, mix the ingredients together.
• Gradually add the more water as necessary, until all the flour leaves the side of the bowl and you have a soft, rough dough.
• Pour a little oil onto a clean work surface. Place the dough on the oil and begin to knead.
• This could take up to 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and silky.
• Once you have a nice silky dough, oil a clean bowl with a very small drop of oil and place the dough in the bowl.
• Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place until the dough has tripled in size.
• When the dough has risen, flour the worktop and turn the dough out onto the surface and knock the dough back using your fists and by folding it in on itself repeatedly.
• Do this until all the air is knocked out and the dough is smooth.
• To shape into the bloomer, flatten the dough into a rectangle. With the long side facing you fold in the sides and then from the top, start by just folding the dough slightly over and then roll it up.
• Gently press each end flat and tuck under so as to end up with a smooth cylindrical shape with the seam underneath.
• Place on a flat baking tray lined with parchment paper, cover with lightly oiled clingfilm and leave to prove for 1 hour or so at room temperature, or until doubled in size.
• Once the dough has proved to double its size, remove the clingfilm, lightly spray the top with water and dust with a little flour.
• Using a very sharp knife or even a razor blade, make four diagonal slashes across the top.
• Preheat the oven to 220/425F/Gas 7 and place a baking tray ¾ filled with water on the bottom of the oven – this will create steam when the loaf is baking.
• Place the loaf on the middle shelf and bake for 25 minutes.
• After 25 mins lower the heat to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and bake for a further 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack