Simple, full of flavour and gluten free too
THE SCIENCE BEHIND YEAST-RISEN BREAD
HOW WARM IS 'WARM WATER'?
■ Yeast is activated or brought back to life at 37C/100F (just above blood temperature). Most breads need water at this temperature to get the yeast going (except sourdoughs, which require long, cool fermentation). If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, the water should feel just warm, not hot - if the temperature is too high, it will kill the yeast.
KNEADING KNOW-HOW
■ Most breads require kneading (the process of stretching the dough) to develop the gluten and mix the ingredients. An easy way is to hold the dough with one hand and stretch it out over the worksurface with the other, then bring it back to a ball and repeat with the other hand. Keep kneading until it's smooth and can be stretched without tearing (about 10 minutes). If you're using a tabletop mixer, be careful not to over-knead - the gluten can be stretched too far and start to 'shatter', resulting in a flat and heavy bread. If you're worried, stop the machine after three minutes and finish kneading by hand.
SUCCESSFUL RISING
■ Coat your dough with oil or use oiled cling film while proving so the surface doesn't dry. 'Doubling' can take one to three hours, depending on dough moisture, temperature, gluten development, and ingredients used. A warm, humid climate is often best, but for deep flavour, most
