Easy enough anyhow for me to replicate the exercise at home the next day. And what can I say: it went really well! It might sound pathetic, but when I saw my two loaves rising and baking to develop a golden brown crust, tears dwelled to my eyes and I called my mum and my best friends to tell them “I did it, I did bake my own bread” (and I decided not to be insulted by the giggles with which they responded. We will see who will laugh in the long term, when I am indulging in all different kinds of yummy breads, while they are munching away on pre-packed bunny toast….)
And you can bake your own bread, too:
2 ¼ cups of lukewarm water
½ cake of active fresh yeast
2.2 lb. of flour (I used durum whole wheat, experiment with the grain varieties you like!)
3 tbsp. olive oil
you can add salt, if you like
Dissolve yeast in water and mix the flour under. Knead (preferably by hand) until the though has a good consistency and does not stick to sides of your mixing bowl – about five minutes in my case. Let sit covered in a warm place for two hours, knead again and let stand to rise overnight. The next morning knead one last time, mix in herbs, seeds and/or nuts if you wish (I added oregano and ¼ lb. of hazelnuts to mine), shape into two loaves and put on a cookie sheet for final rise. After another hour you can finally put your loaves in to the (preheated) oven: bake for 20 min. at 430°F and 40 min. at 375°F. Once your loaves sound hollow when you knock on them they are done!
Enjoy the spirit of bread baking! As one delicious San Francisco Bakery puts it: make loaves, not war!
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