Taberna
Ingredients
Makes one loaf
560g strong flour
2 tsp salt
20ml vegetable oil
7g dried yeast
300ml water (approximately)
Basic White Loaf
Well, no great surprises here, just a simple white loaf recipe. You put the ingredients in a bowl, wiggle them about a bit, heat them up and get some bread at the end of the process. Marvellous. There is something very satisfying about making your own bread, so try it.
I use a mixer with a dough hook to knead my dough but you can do it by hand if it pleases you. I'd actually recommend learning to knead by hand before moving on to a mixer as it gives you a much better feel for the process.
Method
Add the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix for a few seconds to combine.
Add the oil and water and then form into a dough. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Cover the bowl with cling-film or a damp towel and leave to double in size. This should take one to two hours. Traditionally people will always tell you this has to be in a warm place but it will still work in a cooler area, it just might take a bit longer. Mine just gets proven at whatever temperature the kitchen happens to be at when I make it.
Once doubled in size, gently push the dough back, knocking some of the air out of it. We are now ready to prove it for a second, final time. This will give the bread much more flavour. Shape the dough so it will fit into your large, greased loaf tin and then leave to double up in size again, as before.
About halfway through this final proving, start to get your oven up to temperature - 200C. This will ensure you can whip it in as soon as it's ready. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, you'll know it's done if it sounds hollow when tapped underneath.
Leave to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.