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‘Keep calm and bake bread’ appears to be the motto of the nation right now, with flour and yeast in short supply at supermarkets.
If you’re one of the lucky ones who already has the ingredients in the cupboard, though, and you’re craving the taste of some freshly-baked bread, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and make your own.
Bread Ahead bakery has been sharing daily tutorials on Instagram, which have proven popular, reaching four million views in two weeks. The London-based baking school has now launched an online recipe book, available to buy and download online for a fiver.
In it, there are 18 recipes including their signature doughnuts, focaccia, cinnamon buns and chocolate brownies. Here are two recipes to get you started.
Ciabatta bread
Ingredients:
- 400g strong white flour
- 8g salt
- 6g fresh yeast (or a sachet of yeast will do the trick)
- 350g cold water
- 20g of olive oil for folding.
Iona Kong
Method:
- Place the flour and salt in a bowl and combine.
- In another bowl, add the yeast to the water, then mix until dissolved.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the liquid. Bring the mixture together to form a loose dough.
- Tip the dough onto your work surface, ensuring you scrape all of the dough out to leave a clean bowl.
- With the palm of your hand, mix the dough on your work surface for about a minute, then bring it back together with your scraper.
- Now you need to slap the dough. Pull the centre of the dough up and slap it down onto the table – you need to do this for about 8 minutes. Keep bringing the dough together with your scraper to ensure that the whole of the dough is developed evenly.
- Line your bowl with the olive oil and place the dough in the bowl.
- You now need to fold the dough. Place your hands under one side of the dough, pull it up and stretch over to the other side. Do this from the bottom, the top and each of the two sides (this is considered a single fold). This will laminate air between the dough.
- Leave to rest for half an hour. Give your dough 3 more folds resting for 30 minutes each time. After the final fold, move to the fridge and leave for 10 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 250°C/fan 230°C/gas mark 9 or as hot as your oven will go.
- Heavily flour the top of the dough and your work surface, then press your scraper round the sides of the bowl to ensure it’s not sticking. Turn the bowl upside down to release the dough.
- Line a tray with baking paper and sprinkle with polenta.
- Cut your dough into two slipper shapes, turn each over once on the floured surface, then transfer to the tray. Cover with a cloth and leave for 15 minutes.
- Place your tray in the oven and lightly spritz the oven chamber with a water spray.
- Bake for 16 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Cool and enjoy a real taste of Italy.
Focaccia bread
Ingredients:
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 10g salt
- 6g fresh yeast (or 3g instant/quick/fast-acting dried yeast)
- 400g cold water
- 80g olive oil for folding and topping
- Sea salt flakes and seasonal produce (rosemary and olives) for topping.
Jason Bailey
Method:
- Place the flour and salt in a bowl and combine.
- In another bowl, add the yeast to the water, then mix until dissolved (if using instant/quick/fast-acting dried yeast, mix the yeast through the dry mixture instead).
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the liquid. Bring the mixture together to form a loose dough.
- Tip the dough onto your work surface, ensuring you scrape all of the dough out to leave a clean bowl.
- With the heel of your hand, push the dough into the table and stretch and tear for 5 minutes, making sure you scrape your dough to the centre throughout the mix.
- Pour ¾ of the oil into the bottom of your bowl and place the dough back in the bowl.
- Spread the oil from the bowl over the top of the dough, then give your dough a fold. To do so, place your hands under one side of the dough, pull it up and stretch over to the other side. Do this from the bottom, the top and each of the two sides (this is considered a single fold). This will help to merge the oil with the dough.
- Leave to rest for half an hour. Give your dough 3 more folds resting for 30minutes each time. After the final fold, move to the fridge and leave for 10 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 220°C/fan 230°C/gas mark 7 or as hot as your oven will go.
- Gently slide your dough onto a lightly oiled tray, fold in half (like a giant Cornish pasty) and massage the rest of the oil into the surface of the dough making sure it is evenly covered.
- Press your fingers into the top of the dough to spread out into the tray. Make sure you press the whole surface (this will give your focaccia its dimpled appearance).
- Top with your desired toppings and leave your dough for 30 minutes. If you choose, you can now hold your focaccia for up to 6 hours in the fridge.
- Sprinkle with salt, then place your tray in the oven and lightly spritz the oven chamber with a water spray.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Take out, glaze with olive oil, cool and serve.