I have mixed feeling about sharing this recipe. I have honed and toned it over the years, and it is my baby that I want to keep all to myself, but then, its too good not to share, so finally, here it is.
Makes 1 lovely loaf. A Dutch Oven or heavy casserole dish with lid is needed.
Ingredients
500ml Lukewarm Water
15g Dried Yeast
500g Bread Flour - you can use any combination of any flavour you like
2tsp Salt
1tsp Sugar
2tbsp Olive Oil
Method
1. Add the dried yeast to the warm water in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. To a large bowl, add the flour, salt and sugar giving them a brief mix. Pour in the yeast mixture, making sure you scrape out all the yeast that has sunk to the bottom, and give it all a good mix. Add the olive oil and stir through.
3. Cover and leave for an hour. I leave mine at room temperature in the kitchen but you could give it some help in the airing cupboard or similar.
4. After an hour, using a wooden spoon, fold the edges of the dough into the middle, moving around the outside of the bowl. Cover and leave for another hour.
5. Repeat this step, but as you cover, set your oven to 230º fan. Add a couple of tbsp of semolina or similar to the bottom of your baking vessel of choice and pop into the oven to heat up.
6. When you are ready, pour the dough into the now piping hot dish - please be incredibly careful, theres a real urge to hold on to help the process...
7. The lid goes back on and into the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and give it another 5-10 minutes if you prefer a darker crust.
8. Move to a wire rack to cool and try not to eat it all in one sitting.
9. Enjoy!
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