Ingredients for two loaves
- 500 g strong wholemeal bread flour
- 500 g plain flour
- 600 ml water
- 2-4 g brewer’s yeast
- 25 g olive oil
- 25 g salt
- 1 tsp honey
- 30 g mixed seeds
Method
- Pour half the water into a jug until the yeast has dissolved
- Mix the flours, place half the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the water with the yeast.
- Add the rest of the flour.
- Add the salt to the remaining water and stir until it dissolves completely.
- Add the salt water and keep kneading.
- Add the seeds, the honey and the olive oil.
- Leave the dough rise for about 16 hours at room temperature covered with a tea towel.
- Divide the dough into two parts and shape it into two loaves.
- Wait for them to double in volume and bake them at 250°C (medium-low heat).
Cook with
The wood-fired oven:
Light the fire in the centre of the oven using some sticks of kindling. Once the fire gets going, add some small pieces of wood. After 20 minutes, spread the fire all over the cooking floor so that the firebricks heat up more quickly. After 10 minutes, move the fire to the left side of the oven, keeping a low flame and bake the bread. The temperature should be around 250°C. Cook the bread with the oven door closed, checking the temperature time and again and, if need be, add some logs.
The gas-fired oven:
Preheat the oven at least one hour before cooking. In the first half hour, set it to full whack with the door closed so that the bricks store as much heat as possible. Then, turn to low heat to bring the temperature down to 250°C. Bake the bread keeping the door closed.
Maybe you need some tips
- Mix only the flour to incorporate more air and cause bread to rise. If you don’t have a stand mixer, it’s no big deal! Just knead by hand following the instructions.
- You can opt for a pizza or a strong bread flour and mix it with a wholemeal or grain flour.
- Never add salt to yeast. Salt retards the work of the yeast and slows down fermentation.
- This dough has a 60% hydration level.
- Add the olive oil in the final stage.
- You can add between 2 and 4 grams of yeast depending on the rising time.
- Honey and malt help dough to rise.
- Which seeds? The choice is up to you! Give your home-made bread a tangy flavour.
- Let the dough ferment for at least 12 to 20 hours. We recommend making bread dough the day before baking it. In cold season, you can keep the covered dough at room temperature. Instead, in warm weather you’d better use ice water to make dough and keep it away from heat sources, spraying some water on it every now and then.
