Bread is a true institution in our country. In rounds, baguettes, or loaves, it accompanies almost every meal, whatever the season. With a barbecue or a beef bourguignon, it's the essential element. Friends of the Maximus wood-fired oven , today you'll learn how to make delicious bread from just four ingredients. Be careful, for a successful loaf, remember to allow two days.

THE RECIPE IN VIDEO

INGREDIENTS

• 2 kg of bread flour
• 1.3 kg of water
• 36g of salt
• 12g of fresh baker's yeast

PREPARATION OF THE RECIPE

1. Day 1
2. Today, you'll be kneading your dough, using a mixer or by hand, whichever you prefer. First, we'll perform the autolysis* process to save kneading time. Pour the flour and water into the mixer bowl or a mixing bowl.
3. Mix for 5 minutes, by hand or with a mixer at low speed with a hook.
4. Let your mixture stand for 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature.
5. After the resting time, you will move on to the kneading machine. Add the yeast and salt to the bowl.
6. Knead for 15 to 20 minutes at low speed or by hand.
7. At the end of kneading, check your gluten network*. To do this, take a small piece of dough and stretch it to create a membrane. If it tears, the gluten network is not strong enough; knead again for a few minutes. If the piece forms a nice membrane, let your dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to let the yeast begin to activate.
8. After 30 minutes of resting, you can divide your total dough into pieces, ideally of the same weight to standardize the baking time. We recommend making balls of 500g to 750g. Next, it's time to shape your bread. For this first recipe, we'll be making balls. To shape your bread, avoid over-flouring your work surface, otherwise your dough will slip. Instead, flour the palm of your hand.
9. Take a piece of dough and place the smoothest side on the work surface.
10. Bring the sides towards the center of the dough to form a sort of purse.
11. Turn your piece of dough over, then place your hands on each side, forming a circle.
12. Make circular movements with your hands to form a nice ball with the dough.
13. Once you have made all your balls, place them on a baking sheet or rack covered with linen or a tea towel.
14. Lightly flour the tops of the balls before covering with another cloth or folding the linen cloth over them.
15. Let it rise* for about 1 hour. After 1 hour of resting, you can place your balls in the refrigerator and leave them overnight.
16. Day 2
17. It's the day of truth! You're about to bake and enjoy your bread in a wood-fired oven. Start by turning on your oven about an hour before baking so it has time to heat up to over 300°C. Place your burner in the center to thoroughly heat the oven floor.
18. When the oven is hot, move the embers to the side and continue to add fuel to maintain a temperature between 270 and 300°C.
19. When the oven is at the right temperature, place an empty earthenware dish in the oven to heat it.
20. While the dish is heating, you will score your bread. Using a razor blade, score your bread about 1 cm deep to allow for proper evaporation of water and promote baking. You can form a cross on smaller loaves and a grid on larger loaves.
21. You can now put your breads in the oven.
22. Pour hot water into the earthenware dish to create steam in the oven, and you will get shiny, golden bread.
23. Close the oven.
24. After about 35 minutes of baking, your loaves are ready to be removed from the oven. To check if they are cooked through, tap underneath; if it sounds hollow, it's done! All you have to do is let them cool for a few moments to taste them. Our advice? Try pairing it with our recipe for smoked filet mignon made in the Maximus wood-fired oven ; it's delicious!

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• MAXIMUS Accessories
• MAXIMUS PRIME Accessories