The Fool-Proof Loaf

My Mum is a fantastic cook. When I'd ask what was for dinner she'd say "I dunno" as she tossed spices and vegetables into a frying pan. No matter what she'd come up with the dish was 97% a delicious result. However that tactic doesn't work with baking.

Some of the best cooks I know are terrible bakers. Because they add "a pinch" instead of "a teaspoon" of baking soda, or "some flour" instead of "2 cups." This made baking a revered feat in my household and I spent most of my life intimidated by baking bread or pie crusts.

Luckily for me I'm a mediocre cook, which means I'm an alright baker. I follow the recipe to a T because most of the time I'm not sure what I'm doing. For people who are intimidated by bread I give you my prized possession. The Basic Artisan Loaf Recipe. You don't pound it, don't kneed it, don't even stare at it too long because you're putting in too much effort.

It's also dang cheap because you don't need milk, butter or eggs (it's technically vegan for those interested but doesn't taste like it for those not).

Most importantly it's forgiving. Since moving abroad I was unable to take my full set of measuring spoons and cups, I also had trouble finding the right store that sells them cheap (two months in Austria and I've yet to find a good set of measuring spoons within my starving-student price range). By this point I'd practiced this recipe enough to do it the forbidden "cook" style. I measured by eyeball, I estimated the yeast I needed and whatever looked right. I placed the bread bowl in random places around my teeny apartment until I found a spot where it bubbled and rose the way I was used to seeing. The result? It turned out great!

Even if you're like the Mothership, who can't resist altering the recipe in some way, you will still get a tasty edible loaf (even if the organic flax flour leaves the bread too wet and it doesn't rise. Turns out yeast doesn't like eating healthy and would rather chew on some regular full-gluten flour).

But thanks to her experimenting I was able to take notes and give them to you! Hopefully this recipe gives you the confidence to get baking, try new styles and have fun!

Ingredients

• 3 cups of flour

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp yeast

• 1 and ½ warm water

Preparation

1. Mix all ingredients until just combined in a bowl. Cover with saran wrap and leave at room temperature for 8-24 hours.
2. Turn out dough onto well-floured surface and form into ball.
3. Rest for 30 mins. In the meantime place your baking dish into oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
4. Slash X onto bread, transfer to hot baking dish and cover.
5. Cook for 30 mins, then uncover and bake for another 10-15 mins or until golden brown.
6. Let rest until cooled before slicing.

Tips

Keeps well wrapped in cloth.

Can add caraway and other spices to preference (my favourite is topping it with rosemary and rock salt before throwing into the oven).

You can split the loaf before doing step 3 and make multiple smaller loaves. Just be sure to lessen the cooking time a bit.

If you want to change up the flour, I recommend doing half new flour and half regular wheat flour. Results with coconut flour, flax flour and almond flour had good taste results but didn’t rise, creating a dense brick loaf.