Crusty sea salt cottage loaf
This pretty loaf tastes the best when it's been just taken out of the oven. It's extremely crispy, perfect for sandwiches.
Ingredients
675g strong white bread flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
7g easy-bake instant yeast
400ml water
1 medium egg (for brushing)
a large baking tray, greased with butter (like this)
Instructions
- in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast
- add the water and mix until it comes together
- turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic
- return to the bowl, cover and leave to rise for around 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size
- punch down to deflate and turn out on a lightly floured surface
- knead for around 1 minute
- divide the dough into two pieces (one smaller than the other)
- knead and shape each piece into a ball
- cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for around 40 minutes
- put the small piece on top of the large one and punch your thumb through the middle to connect the two pieces
- leave to rise for 10 minutes
- with a very sharp knife or a bread scorer, make small cuts around the two balls
- brush the tops with a beaten egg and sprinkle with some sea salt
- put a tray of water in the oven (this will make the bread crispy) and preheat to 230 C
- bake the bread for around 15 minutes than reduce the overn temperature to 200 C
- bake for furter 20 minutes