Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 4 ½ cups (570g) whole wheat flour (plus extra for dusting and worktop)
  • 2 tsp rapid rise yeast (see notes if using dry active yeast)
  • 2 cups (500ml) lukewarm water ( or beer)
  • 2 tbsp sugar (, or maple syrup)
  • ½ tbsp salt

Instruction

  • Measure the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast, sugar and salt. Stir to combine dry ingredients.
  • Pour the water into the bowl and mix it in with a spoon or a dough hook until thoroughly combined. You should have a sticky, shaggy dough.
  • Cover your mixing bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place to prove for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. On a cold day it can take up to 90 minutes for the dough to rise.
  • Sprinkle the worktop with plenty of flour. Tip the dough on it and sprinkle with a little flour – it will be sticky (that's how it should be). Line a bowl or banneton basket with baking paper and dust with flour.
  • Use a pastry scraper to fold the edges over towards the centre to create a round loaf.
  • Carefully cup the loaf in your hands and transfer into the prepared bowl seam side down or the banneton seam side up. Loosely cover with a plastic bag.
  • Preheat the oven to 220°C (420°F) and place a cast iron pot on a lower shelf to preheat for 30 minutes while the bread is having its second rise.
  • Slice the bread using a sharp knife or lame. Carefully remove the pot from the oven (it will be very hot so use oven mitts or pot holders).
  • Lift the bread out of the bowl using the baking paper and drop into the pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pot – it should sound hollow if tapped on the underside. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing