Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
Mix the salt into the flour.
Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water and add it to the flour mixture.
Pour in the lukewarm water and mix until the dough is stiff and not sticky.
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place overnight.
Shape and bake
Knead the dough again in the morning and shape it into loaves.
Let the loaves rise for 30 minutes or until nearly doubled in size.
Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) until golden brown.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Good flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the bread its structure.
- Compressed yeast
- Produces gas as it ferments, making the dough rise and become airy.
- Lukewarm water
- Hydrates the flour and activates the yeast, forming a workable dough.
- Coarse sea salt
- Controls yeast activity and strengthens the dough while adding flavor.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise overnight in a warm place. Yeast needs time and warmth to ferment; too little rising leaves the bread dense, while the gas produced builds the open crumb and flavor.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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