I don’t know about you, but I love carbs. Just thinking about pasta, pastries, bread, cookies, and cakes makes my mouth water. If I’m not eating any of these delicious delicacies, I am most certainly watching other people make them on The Great British Baking Show. Ironically, however, I myself am one of the most novice bakers out there. I’ve never had any training and, if I’m being completely honest, I always feel a little bit lost when I step into the kitchen.
Often, I find myself making excesses as to why I won’t be able to make that moist chocolate cake, those fluffy cinnamon rolls, or a batch of flaky pasties. Usually, my excuses stem from the fear of me ending up with a batch of charred hors d'oeuvres and a kitchen full of smoke. |
STEP 1: GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS
This recipe is surprisingly simple. In fact, you’ll need five – yes, just five – ingredients to make this delicious fluffy loaf: 1. The first ingredient you will need is flour. For maximum-fluff it is best to use strong white bread flour. However, if you, like me, don’t have that you can use all-purpose flour. 2. The second element you’ll need is yeast. I've always had an irrational and somewhat unusual fear of yeast. I think it has something to do with it 'being alive.' Nevertheless it will help make our loaf light and bouncy. I didn't expect to be conquering my fears while baking bread, but hey... I'll take it! |
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STEP 2: MEASURE OUT INGREDIENTS
I know you want to jump straight into making this bread, but there is one more very important step that you must take before diving in: measure out your ingredients and make the necessary conversions. If you have a kitchen scale, then you’re ahead of the game. Go ahead and weigh out each ingredient. On the other hand, if you don’t have a scale (like me), you can simply pray that Google provides you with some guidance. |
STEP 3: READY, SET, DOUGH
Now that you have your measurements in order, it’s time to start making the dough. Plop the flour into a good-sized bowl and add in the salt and yeast. Make sure to add these on opposite sides of the bowl. Paul Hollywood’s recipe was very specific about this step. If you're feeling brave, I dare you to mix the salt and yeast together and let me know hat happens; I'm not responsible for the results that follow, but I am very curious. Add the water and begin stirring (with your hands of course!) I started with a little less than ½ a cup of water and slowly added more until the dough came to a very cloggy texture. Your hands should look a bit like the paws of a bear who just destroyed a fresh beehive – if it’s not messy, you’ve definitely done something wrong. Do your best to scrape the sticky dough off your hands and then drizzle some olive oil across your work area. Do not use flour! Adding flour to your work area will cause your dough to dry out and your final loaf to be dry and dense. Begin kneading the dough and continue kneading for 10-15 minutes. Who said baking wasn't a workout? Also, I recommend putting on some good music and setting your timer before you begin kneading – I cannot stress enough how sticky and messy this step can get. Once your dough begins to smooth out you can stop kneading. Roll your dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. I repeat: oiled bowl! Cover the bread with a towel or plastic wrap, though I used a plastic crock pot liner, and let it sit in a warm spot for at least an hour. If this recipe taught me anything it is the value of patience. |
STEP 6: SCORE THE TOP
Grab a sharp knife and get ready to embrace your inner-Wolverine. Now that your dough has expanded, dust it with a light coat of flour and score the top. Don’t skip this step! If you don’t score the top of your loaf, the sides of the loaf will crack during the bake. Your cuts on top should be between 2-3 centimeters deep and although I stuck with a basic straight-line pattern, as Paul Hollywood suggested, there is no reason for you to hold back on getting creative with a fun pattern or fancy design. Just be aware that while the score marks hold their shape well, fine details will be lost during the bake. In other words, if you create a Leonardo DaVinci artwork you should expect to receive a Picasso bread loaf after the bake. Substance over style any day! |
STEP 8: COOL DOWN HOT STUFF
Remove the bread from the oven, but do not chow down quite yet. You must let your loaf cool! If you try and cut into your bread before its entirely cooled, you will destroy the loaf’s lovely round shape and damage the internal crumb structure. I know it’s hard but refrain from snacking. The wait will make it taste even more delicious in the end; I promise! STEP 9: CHOW DOWN... FINALLY The time has come - chow down! With no one to share my bread with, I chose to take a bite right out of the side… But if you plan to share with others, or simply possess more manners than I do, you can do the “normal” thing and slice it up. While this bread is delicious on its own, you can jazz up your consumption by toasting it, adding some jam, making a sandwich, or frying up some French Toast. There really isn't a wrong way to eat carbs; they are truly serendipitous. |
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