Easy home made bread

Very tasty and not complicated recipe for home made bread! Enjoy the aroma and the taste of a freshly baked loaf any time in the year. Family and friends will appreciate it for sure!

Recipe of Kostas Tsigas & Nicki Mytarea
"Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 1 large loaf):
4 tea-cups of white bread flour (hard flour)
1 tsp of dried yeast
2 tsp of salt
1 ½ tea-cup of lukewarm water
some extra flour for dusting

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a large bowl, dust your hands with some flour and work the ingredients well until a dough is formed. Cover the bowl with some cling film and leave in a warm place for 3 hours to rise and double in volume.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C. Lay a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the oven rack in the middle position.

Transfer the dough on a clean surface dusted with some flour. Give to the dough the shape of an oval or round loaf and transfer onto the baking sheet.

Using a pointy knife score the bread in 3 places (see photo). Put the baking sheet on the oven rack and at the bottom of the oven place a small pan full with water.

Bake the bread, initially, for 15 minutes and then turn the temperature down to 170°C and continue baking for another 35 minutes.