Fresh Homemade Bread Without the Stress: A Foolproof Guide to the Perfect Loaf

The world’s food industry made sure there’s no need for us to make our own bread to really enjoy it, though sometimes we do crave for something this complicated to be made at home.

In recent years, many people and even A-list celebrities like Taylor Swift have mastered the bread baking skill, reassuring everyone that it’s not something to be afraid of. This bread recipe is one more proof of this point, almost guaranteeing you’ll be down for home bread every week.

Ingredients: 375 ml of milk, 220 ml of yogurt, 10 g of dry yeast, 10 g of sugar, at least 600 g of flour, a pinch of salt, olive oil.

Start by preparing the yeast. Heat the milk and yogurt to a temperature of 30-35 degrees (when you dip your finger in the milk, it should feel warm but not hot). Add the dry yeast and sugar. Stir with a whisk, cover the bowl with plastic wrap (to make a greenhouse effect), and put it in a warm place for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, measure out the flour and salt. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook, or spiral attachment on a hand mixer.

Find a large bowl (3-4 liters) and grease it with a thin layer of vegetable oil using a paper towel. Set the bowl aside.

In 10-15 minutes, the yeast will start to work, and you will see the mixture beginning to foam. Pour the yeast mixture onto the flour. Start mixing the dough until all the flour is combined with the liquid. The strength of the flour and other parameters will greatly affect the amount of flour you need to use. The dough should be smooth and the sides of the bowl should be clean.

Place the dough, formed into a ball, in a large bowl with oiled sides. Cover with a towel (you can wet it with hot water and squeeze it well), put it in a warm place (near a heater) for an hour and a half.

Meanwhile, prepare the baking pan (cover it with parchment paper).

After a while, the dough will grow to about twice its size. At this point, you can put the dough in the fridge for 5-10 hours.

Gently scoop the dough into a bowl; it will decrease slightly in size. Roll it into a new ball (try to keep all the folds and cracks on the bottom). Cover again with a towel for an hour.

You can use a sharp blade to make cuts in the loaf for aesthetic appeal. Brush the top of the loaf lightly with egg yolk and sprinkle with sunflower, sesame, or poppy seeds, etc.

Cover the loaf with a lid and place it in an oven preheated to 250 degrees (top and bottom heat). Bake the bread under the lid for the first 20 minutes.

Then remove the lid and bake for another 25-30 minutes. In the first place, the top should brown nicely. Also, if you tap the bread, it should make a hollow sound, as if it were empty inside. This means that the bread is fully baked.