Basic Hearth Bread: Rose's Bread Bible Bakers

Basic Hearth Bread 'The Bread Bible'

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Yup, I'm running late with everything this month but I still had time to make this rustic bread from Rose Levy Beranbaum's 'The Bread Bible'. 

A few simple ingredients are put together in a bowl....

white bread flour, wholemeal flour, instant yeast and *honey 

Warm water is added and the mixture is whisked to incorporate air. That's the dough starter (sponge) ready to be topped with more flour and a little more yeast. Off to ferment now, that's the sponge not me. 

Love this bit, the bubbles coming through the flour blanket.

Mixed altogether to form a rough dough. Salt is added, looks a lot in pic but it's only 10 grams. 

After seven more minutes mixing in the *KitchenAid the dough is smooth. 

There is rising time at this point, then business turning/folding going on and then more rising. 

After the rise and tying into the "running late" I was rushing and didn't take photos of the shaping/slashing bit, the instructions in the book are precise and detailed.  

The loaves went to rise for around an hour, before slashing and pattern making on the tops.

a lame: double sided blade used to slash loaves

I used a slightly concaved bread lame for the single cross slash and used round metal cookie cutters to cut a graduating circular pattern, I sprinkled flour on the circular pattern before baking. I also used a plastic Mickey mouse cookie cutter to "indent" a pattern in the smaller loaves I made.  Then they were all baked in hot oven on slipats, with trays and ice ... it's all explained in the book. 

And now the eating bit.

Fresh is good, Vegemite toast is better!! 

Vegemite on toasted hearth bread

I like the pretty edge that the circular cookie cutters created on the hearth bread, here topped with a Greek yoghurt beet and mint dip, pickled beet, feta and cashews.  

Would I change anything? No, this bread is a great all rounder everyday bread. I do want to bake this bread in a loaf pan as Rose suggests it would make a great sandwich bread. 

Notes

*Rose does include instructions for making the bread by hand. 

*Subsitute the honey for golden syrup for a vegan loaf of bread. 

Happy Baking :)  

Today has been one of the 'Rose's Bread Bible Bakers' bakes where a group of fabulous bakers get together and bake from the pages of 'The Bread Bible'.

The Bread Bibleby Rose Levy Beranbaum is available from Amazon and all discerning book stores. 

You might also be interested in quick and easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Spiders