Artisan Bread

Artisan bread is bread that is crafted, rather than mass produced. It will have little more than the basic ingredients of flour, water, yeast, oil, milk and salt unlike preservative-laden commercial breads. Some varieties may have eggs and /or sugar.

Ingredients:

Plain flour or maida- 250 gms

Oil- 4 tbsp

Salt- 1 tsp

Active dry yeast-1 tsp (double if fresh yeast)

Sugar- 3 tsp

Water- 50 ml

Milk- 50 ml

Method:

Warm milk and water together. Take care not to heat too much; or the heat will kill the yeast. Add sugar and yeast. Cover and keep aside in a warm place for 15 minutes. Once yeast is fully dissolved and frothy, it is ready.

Take flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre and add a tbsp of oil. Add the yeast mixture and knead well into a soft dough. Knead for about 10 minutes until it is not sticky. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover and keep aside for 2 hours.

Apply 1 tbsp oil and punch the dough for about 5 minutes.

Grease the baking sheet or bread tin well. Shape the dough in desired shapes using the remaining oil. Let it rest covered for an hour. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C for 10-15 minutes or till golden. A couple of minutes prior to removing, brush the top with a little milk.

Allow to cool a bit before transferring to wire racks for cooling.