The Best Homemade Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
- 750 g of strong flour
- ½ tablespoon of salt
- 15 g fresh yeast
- 450 ml of lukewarm water
- Flour for the table
Preparation Homemade Bread
Anyone has the ingredients to make bread at home, but the trick is to choose the quantities well and follow the preparation process step by step. The idea is to make easy homemade bread, but we want to obtain a quality final result.
First of all, it is necessary to clarify the difference between yeasts. The pressed (fresh) is the one we keep in the fridge, while the dried one is powdered. As a general rule, dry yeast is one-third of the pressed yeast. In this case, you can replace the 15 g of fresh yeast with 5 g of dry yeast.
To make homemade bread dough, the first thing is to activate the yeast. The water must be heated beforehand, taking care not to exceed 40 °C, since a higher temperature could damage the ferment. It is advisable to crumble the yeast in a bowl and add the warm water, mixing gently with a spoon to dissolve completely. Next, the mixture must be left to rest for a period of 5 to 10 minutes in a warm place without drafts, until it acquires a foamy appearance.
Then, on a flat and smooth table, you must mix the wheat flour with the salt and build a volcano. In the center, you can start adding the activated yeast, to gradually integrate all the ingredients into a compact mass. It is important to put a little flour on the table to be able to knead thoroughly for 20 minutes or until the dough does not stick to your hands and feels soft to the touch.
In another bowl previously greased with oil, you must place the dough in a single portion and cover the container with transparent film, to let it rest for a period of 90 minutes. Subsequently, you must knead again on the table and make a round shape, to let it rest for 50 minutes. On this occasion, you can leave it on the table well covered with a dry cloth.
Reading Suggestion: 5 Porridges Recipe Old-Fashioned
If you’ve done all the steps above, it’s time to bake bread. This process is divided into two stages; First, you must preheat the convection, electric, or gas oven to a temperature of 230 °C and place a container with water on the base to guarantee the necessary humidity inside. Next, in a previously greased tray, you can place the dough in the shape you want and put it in the oven for a period of 20 minutes. You will notice that the bread will rise quickly.
Then, you just have to lower the temperature to 200 °C and continue cooking for another 20 minutes or until it acquires a golden hue. At this point it will be ready, so you just have to turn off the oven and let it cool.