How do I make bread?

Bread is four ingredients and a set of judgements about time. The judgements are what take practice: dough is ready when it passes the windowpane test, not after a set number of minutes, and it's proved when it's doubled, not after an hour. Kitchen temperature changes everything, which is why timings in recipes are only ever approximate.

What you'll need

• 500g strong white bread flour
• 7g fast-action dried yeast
• 10g salt
• 320ml warm water
• Large bowl and a loaf tin or baking tray
• Digital scales (optional)

Step by step

1. Weigh the flour into a bowl, and add the yeast to one side and the salt to the other.Direct contact between salt and yeast can inhibit it. Once flour is mixed in it doesn't matter.
2. Add most of the warm water and mix to a shaggy dough, adding the rest as needed.Hold back about 30ml. Flour absorbency varies considerably by brand and by season.
3. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.Push away with the heel of your hand, fold back, turn 90°. It goes from sticky to smooth — that transition is what you're waiting for.
4. Test with the windowpane test: stretch a piece thin enough to see light through without tearing.If it tears immediately, keep kneading. This test is more reliable than any timing.
5. Cover and leave to prove until roughly doubled — 1–2 hours depending on room temperature.Warm kitchen, faster; cold kitchen, slower. Judge by size, not by clock.
6. Knock back gently, shape into a loaf, and place in a tin or on a tray.Knocking back redistributes the yeast and the gas. Shape with some tension across the surface.
7. Prove again until nearly doubled — usually 45–60 minutes.Test by pressing lightly: the dent should spring back slowly. Springing back fast means it needs longer; not springing back at all means it's over-proved.
8. Bake at 220°C for 30–35 minutes.A tray of water in the oven for the first 10 minutes helps the crust. Turn the loaf halfway if your oven is uneven.
9. Check it's done: hollow when tapped underneath, or about 95°C internally.Underbaked bread is dense and gummy in the middle and there's no fixing it afterwards.
10. Cool completely on a rack before cutting.The interior is still setting. Cutting hot bread gives a gummy texture — this is genuinely worth the wait.

Tips

• Weigh the water as well as the flour. 320ml is 320g, and weighing is faster and more accurate than a jug.
• A slow cold prove in the fridge overnight develops far more flavour than a fast warm one. It's the single easiest improvement.
• If the dough is sticky, resist adding lots of flour — wetter dough gives a better crumb, and it becomes manageable as the gluten develops.
• Strong bread flour has more protein than plain flour, which is what makes the structure. Plain flour gives a denser, flatter loaf.

Common mistakes

• Killing the yeast with hot water — Water much above 40°C damages yeast. Warm to the touch, not hot.
• Under-kneading — Insufficient gluten means the loaf can't hold gas and comes out dense. Use the windowpane test.
• Over-proving — The structure collapses and the loaf sinks in the oven. The dent test tells you when it's ready.
• Cutting while hot — The crumb is still setting and compresses into a gummy texture.

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