Easy Bread from Scratch

The fastest & easiest bread without mixer is here for you!

Bread is sanctuary for every family, accompanies the meals of all people and all ages. Also it is the basis of our food pyramid. I adore it. Why? Because, every time i make dough from scratch, i feel like child. Although, it is nothing more than WATER – YEAST – FLOUR, for me is LOVE – CARE – PATIENCE.

Ingredients:

500 gr. flour (i used 250 gr. all purpose flour and 250 gr. flour for traditional bread)
8 gr. dry yeast or 25 gr fresh yeast
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons olive oil
380 ml water (26-28 degrees)

Instructions:

In a bowl, you put flour, salt, sugar and whisk them well.
If you use dry yeast, you put it with other powders. If you choose to use fresh yeast, first of all, you should put it into lukewarm water, stir it well and then put it with other powders.
Moreover, add slowly 380 ml water and the oil to the dry ingredients and mix it with a wooden spoon.
When the dough becomes more smooth elastic, mix it with your hands. After 3-4 minutes, you are ready. Place it in a bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, until doubled.
After 45 minutes, punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, shape your dough and place it at an oven pan with baking paper. Again, let rise until doubled, throw water on the surface of dough and bake at 180 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes.

Tips:

Yeast can be tricky sometimes. The trick is to make sure the water is not too hot but not to cold. Don’t go higher than about 28 degrees.

To proof bread, place the bread in a greased bowl and let rest in a warm, humid environment until it doubles in size.
Kneading bread is simple. Flour your worktop, then push, pull and stretch the dough until it’s nice and smooth. When it’s properly kneaded, the dough should be stretchy and smooth.
Why should you throw water on the surface of dough before baking? In the first few minutes of baking, loaves of bread will rise rapidly as the gases trapped inside expand and the yeast has a final burst of activity. The water helps keep the crust soft. This allows the bread to continue expanding freely. This is really only useful during the first 5-10 minutes of baking while the yeast is still active and the internal structure hasn’t set. After this time, the crust needs its own time to set and dry out.