Brown Bread healthy and tasty

Bread is always on the table in an Italian family. It just goes with the meal.

In Italy, although some bakeries now seem to sell a small amount of  brown bread, the demand is mainly for white.
Whilst bakeries in northern countries seem to sell more brown bread. Since living in England I got more of a taste for brown loaves. I like its density, the rich, nutty and intense taste of the whole grain.  Brown flour has all the nutrients of the wheat and all the vitamins, (which have been stripped in white flour) and it makes you feel fuller for longer. A healthier choice.

White bread, of course, is delicious too. When it has just been baked, the crunchiness and smell of a freshly baked baguette is irresistible.
They are both nice in their own way, they are just different and I often have a mixture of both.

This bread is so easy to make and you don’t need to be an experienced baker to make it.
Just buy a good quality flour, possibly organic stone-ground and you’ll be feeling so proud to eat your own baked bread + your house will smell delicious.

• Prep Time : 3 hours 20 minutes
• Cook Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients

• organic brown flour – 800 g (ideally stone-ground)
• fresh yeast – 25 g (or a sacket of dry yeast)
• sugar – 1 tsp
• lukewarm water – 450 ml
• olive oil – 3 tbsp
• salt – 10 g

Instructions

In a bowl dissolve the yeast with a tsp of sugar and a glass of tepid water.

Add the flour, olive oil and salt and mix it well. Work it on the table, with your hands and make it into a smooth dough.
Put it back in the bowl, cover it with a cloth and let it rest in a warm place for an hour.

Work it with your hands for 10 minutes, you can add some extra flour if the dough it is too sticky or some extra water if too dry.
Shape it into two long logs and lay them alongside each other on a greased baking tray. Cover with the cloth again and let it rest for a couple of hours.

Preheat the oven at 180C and cook the loaves for 30 minutes.
Wait for them to cool down completely before enjoying them.