Easy Homemade Bread

There is something about the smell of homemade bread wafting throughout the home that lifts my mood. Since I was a child I absolutely delighted in the scent and taste of homemade bread (thanks, Mami!) and now that I am an adult and not home as often I need to make it myself. I also decided to approach 2018 from a more sustainable angle. Some of my sustainable solutions which I already utilise are reusable grocery and produce bags, making my own oat milk and rarely eat meat but I want to take it even further. Step one? Homemade bread.

Why did it take me this long to make homemade bread? I already bake and cook for myself but somehow bread just never happened outside of a professional environment.  Until now. Now is the time for bread made by me in my own kitchen. I went to the grocery store, bought some instant yeast and went to work.

Homemade Bread Recipe

500g all purpose flour

1 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

325 ml tepid water

1 tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and stir together. Mix in the water and add the oil as dough comes together. Kneed vigorously to form a smooth ball of dough. Shape the dough and put onto a parchment linked baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place. Bake in a 200c preheated oven for 55 minutes. The bread is ready when you knock on the bottom and it makes a hollow sound.

A couple of tips:

My place is quite cool (18-20c) and as I live in Dubai I do not have heating. To negate this and help the dough rise I turned on the heat of one of the stove top elements made some tea and when the water was boiled I turned off the element, placed four equally sides cups (ceramic) around it and placed the baking sheet with the dough over top of it. Then I covered the dough with a large bowl. Et voila a warm place.