Bread Recipes: Foolish Bread Recipe

Just why this bread is called Foolish Bread, no-one seems to know. It is similar to a Tuscan pane sciocco which is a lovely, chewy, unsalted bread perfect for making Tuscan Bruschetta. Unsalted bread is not to British taste, so you will find salt in this recipe, but not too much.

The bread uses a starter dough which I make the evening before.

The resulting bread is a dense, slightly chewy bread that is ideal with soups, makes a lovely tasty sandwich bread, and after a few days, perfect toast. A good all-rounder.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Plus rising time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 5 minutes

Yield: 1 large loaf

Ingredients:

• Starter
• 1 ½ cups/180g strong bread flour, white or wholewheat*
• ¼ teaspoon dried yeast
• 2/3 cup/160ml warm water
• Bread
• 1 lb/ 450g strong bread flour*
• 1 pint/ 250ml hand-warm water
• 1 1/4 tsp dried yeast
• 2 tsp salt

Preparation:

Prepare the starter the night before:

• Place the flour and yeast into a large mixing bowl, add the water, stirring until a wet dough is formed. Cover loosely with clingfilm and leave overnight or until very puffy.
Make the Bread
• Place the flour in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a food mixer. Add the water and yeast and sprinkle the salt around the edge of the flour.
• Add the starter dough. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients. If using a mixer, mix using the dough hook for approx 10 minutes or until a smooth, glossy dough is formed. If making by hand, tip onto a floured work surface and knead until as above.
• Once the kneading is complete, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm but not hot place for one hour.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and, on the worktop, shape into a round, flat disc. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm, but not hot place for another hour. The dough should have doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 450°F/ 230°C/gas 8.
• Once the dough is doubled, take a very sharp knife and lightly slash the surface of the dough two or three times diagonally (make sure you only slash the surface, not cutting down into the dough). Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 425°F/220°C/Gas 7 and bake for a further 25 minutes until golden brown. The bread is ready when it sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Place onto a cooling rack.

* Use plain, whole wheat or seeded flour, the results are the same.