Making bread at home is laborious, we cannot deny it, but it is also one of the tasks in the kitchen that provides the most personal satisfaction. Therefore, today we tell you their secrets so that you know how to face the challenge. The result is this step-by-step recipe, with advice on kneading and refining the dough, its fermentation and subsequent baking. The traditional ovens with which the best results are obtained for making bread are wood-fired ovens, but at home we can also obtain very good results with a domestic one if the following steps are followed:
Mixing and first kneading
First of all, we need a bowl of good capacity. In it we place the flour forming a kind of mountain. We open a hole in the center and add the water and baker’s yeast. In the outer zone, we add the salt, so that it does not come into contact with the yeast and Mix until you get a slightly sticky dough.. If we see that it is too liquid, we can add a little flour and if we see that it is too thick, we add a little more water.
Once the dough is mixed, we sprinkle the table with a little flour and turn the dough over it. We begin to knead, squeezing with the palm of the hand and sliding until the dough begins to tear. So fold the dough on itself and repeat the operation.
We continue extending, folding and twisting the pasta with a rhythmic and regular movement, for approximately 15 minutes. Then we form a ball and let it rest in a bowl until it doubles its volume.
second kneading
Remove the dough from the bowl and put it back on the floured counter. We press to eliminate the gas inside and we knead spreading the dough as if we were going to make a pizza. Let’s go, then, folding the edges towards the center and press until we get a ball again. We will know that it is ready for the second kneading when we can press with one finger and see that the dough recovers its shape quickly.
We close all the folds and leave them at the bottom of the ball, which we will put back in the bowl for a second fermentation, leaving the dough covered with a kitchen towel. We wait for it to rest for 15 minutes and we knead again giving it the same shape.
We cover the dough again, letting it ferment a second time and giving it time to double its volume again. It will take about 40 minutes, approximately. It will depend on the humidity and temperature of the room.
Homemade bread baking
Preheat the oven to 230ºC with the steam function. However, if your oven does not have this function, you can put a tray with water in the bottom part so that an ideal humid atmosphere is formed for baking the bread.
Sprinkle our bread dough with flour and make some cuts or tufts to form the crust. We put in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. After that time, we lower the temperature to 200ºC and bake another 30 minutes until, when hitting the bread, it sounds hollow.
Chilled and tasting
One of the most common mistakes when making homemade bread is wanting to eat it hot. The bread should cool slowly, placed on a rack so that it finishes cooking inside and forms a crumb full of alveoli. Until it is cold, the bread should not be cut into slices.
Bowl mixer El Corte Inglés
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Cover photo | Tetiana Padurets
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