For the past few months, I’ve developed a new passion: making my own bread at home! As a French woman, especially with a last name like mine, Moulin (which literally means “mill” in French), it seemed only natural that one day I’d give it a go. It’s so much simpler than I imagined, absolutely delicious, and a lovely quiet moment for yourself. Grab your apron, your Dutch oven and your flour, let’s get baking!
What do you need to make homemade bread?
- 500 g bread flour
- 350 ml lukewarm water
- 8-9 g active dry yeast, well dissolved
- 10 g salt
- Sunflower seeds (optional)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- Flax seeds (optional)
- Rolled oats (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- Dissolve the yeast in the water.
- Mix everything together with a fork, then knead by hand for 5 minutes until it forms a ball.
- If too sticky, coat your hands with olive oil and gently shape the dough (no need to knead, just enough to make it less sticky).
First rise
- Cover with a damp cloth (soaked and wrung out, placed on top).
- Let rest for 1h30.
Shaping and long rest
- Degas and reshape into a ball.
- Cover and leave for 12+ hours.
- Let the magic happen overnight!
Baking
- Preheat your Dutch oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- Crumple a piece of parchment paper (easier to spread out).
- Place the dough on top, careful, it sticks!
- Try to shape it into a ball.
- For the seeds, sometimes I roll the dough in them, sometimes I sprinkle them on top, it can be a bit tricky but the result is worth it! The main thing is that they stick to the top.
- Once everything is ready, place the bread in the hot Dutch oven.
- Score the top. You can make a simple slash from one side to the other, or get creative with patterns.
- Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on, then uncover for 15 minutes.
Cooling and enjoying
- Place on a rack to prevent the bottom from going soft.
- Let cool, then enjoy!
- I eat it fresh for 2 days, then slice and freeze the rest.
- Every morning I take a slice out of the freezer and pop it in the toaster for my daily avocado toast (yes, I know, not very original, but so practical and delicious!).
Bon appétit !
