Dan Lepard and his bread

by Andrew Barrow, Posted May 14th 2006 @ 4:36PM

One of my fave bread making books is by Dan Lepard; a baker I have mentioned several times here on Slashfood.

There is a new article over on the BBC's food section by him that details some basic steps to take when baking bread at home. It boils down to six simple rules:

Water is the key to making a good dough. Careful measuring is important.
Don't throw in handfuls of flour to stop the dough from sticking. Flour takes time to fully absorb moisture, so leaving the dough for ten to 15 minutes.
A baked loaf placed in the refrigerator will stale much more quickly than one left at room temperature.
Don't just use the oven. Try rolling your favourite dough thinly on a floured surface and flip it onto a hot heavy-based frying pan.
Make your own bread improver by creating a natural leaven.
If your bread comes out a bit pale and soft on the base, use an oven stone to increase the heat at the bottom.

[Photo Andrew Barrow]

Source

Filed Under: Methods
Tags: baking, bread making, bread making tops, BreadMaking, BreadMakingTops, british isles, dan lepard, DanLepard, food and drink, FoodAndDrink, rules for making bread, RulesForMakingBread