Bread

Rustic Spanish Bread





I saw this receipe on one of the Hairy Bikers program's when they were traveling around Spain, thought I would give it a go and was surprised how easy and how delicious it was.

We eat this bread with Soups or sliced, toasted and topped with Garlic Mushrooms, also I top this with Tomato, Olive and Basil, making my own Brushetta for a lightish Starter.


You first have to make a Starter Dough, and leave to prove for 24hrs. 

Ingredients for Starter Dough:-
150ml Warm Water, not too hot and not too cold or you will kill the yeast.
1 Tsp Caster Sugar
3 Tsp Fast-Action Dried Yeast ( I used 3 Tsp of Easy Bake Dried Yeast - from 11gr pkt)
125g Strong White Flour ( I used Allinsons Strong White Bread Flour)

Method for Starter Dough:-
Pour the Warm Water into a Large Mixing Bowl and Stir in the Sugar.
Gently Stir in the Yeast and leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes, until a beige foam floats on the surface.
Stir in the Flour until it becomes a thickish paste. Cover with Cling Film and leave at room temperature for 24hrs. the paste will then smell yeasty and slightly fermented.

Ingredients for the Bread Dough:-
200ml Warm Water
1Tsp Caster Sugar
1 Tsp Fast-Action Dried Yeast ( I used the remaining yeast from my 11gr pkt)
225g Strong White Flour (Again I used Allinson)
100g Strong Wholemeal Flour ( I used Wholemeal Wheat Flour, from a make here in Cyprus)
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Olive Oil - plus a little extra for greasing

Method for the remaining Bread Receipe:-
Pour the Warm Water into a jug and stir in the Sugar. Lightly stir in the Yeast and leave in a warm place for about 10 minutes until a beige foam floats on the surface.
Stir both Flours together along with the Salt in a Large Mixing Bowl. (Make sure you mix the salt in well with the Flours as you don't want the salt to come in direct contact with the Yeast).
Make a well in the center of the Flour, add the Yeast and Water Mixture, the Starter Dough and your Olive Oil.
Mix well with a Wooden Spoon, then bring it all together with your hands, until it forms a slightly lumpy and sticky dough. If the Dough feels a little dry add a little more water, but not too much.

Tip:- Because this is such a sticky dough to work with, have some hot soapy water ready to wash your hands, or you wont be able to touch anything without getting in a mess. Also when you have transferred your dough onto a lightly floured surface, wash out your Mixing Bowl and Oil it with a little Olive Oil.

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and kneed for 10 - 15 minutes or so until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Kneed the dough quite roughly with the palm of your hand, stretching it outwards as much as possible then folding it back, this will put air inside the dough. Dont put to much extra flour in when kneeding as it will make your bread dry. You should feel your dough change as you work with it. Poke your finger into the dough, if it springs back, then you are done.
Put the dough back into your Oiled Mixing Bowl, cover it loosely with Cling Film and leave it to prove for about an hour or so, until it has doubled in size.

Line a Baking Tray or Meat Tin with Baking Paper and Dust Lightly with Flour.

Loosen the dough from the Mixing Bowl with a Spatula and tip it onto the Tray.
Stretch the dough into a long loaf shape about 30cm/12in long, then fold it in half and stretch again.
Do this twice more. This helps give the dough a more holey texture.

After the 3rd stretch, shape the dough into a long loaf shape and slash the top two or 3 times with a sharp knife. Dust lightly with flour and leave to prove again for 45-60minutes, until it has risen again and feels light and fluffy.

Preheat Oven to 240C/450F/Gas8

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until Golden Brown and Crusty.
Turn out onto a wired rack to cool.
The base should sound hollow when tapped.

This Bread keeps very well for a few days its also very good to slice and freeze once cooled.