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Seeded loaf

Ingredients

300g Shipton Mill organic white flour (No. 4)

250g Shipton Mill Seeded White organic flour

384g cold water

6g active dried or instant yeast

20g olive oil

1tsp table salt

Choice of seeds for the top of the bread

Method

Using a spatula or whisk mix the flours and salt togther, add the year and mix again. Then add the oil followed by the water.

Mix together using a spatula to incorporate all the dry ingredients, until it forms a shaggy dough.

Cover with a light cloth or plastic wrap and leave for 45 minutes

At this point the dough won't look much different. Turn the dough out on to a slightly wet surface and with wet hands perform a few slap and folds until the dough becomes a little smoother.

Put back in the bowl and cover again and leave for 45 minutes.

While the dough is proofing prepare a dish/pan for the final rise where the seeds are also added. I use a glass casserole dish, but anything that's about the right size will work, such as small wok. Grease the pan well , I use butter and then a little olive oil, and sprinkle with the seeds (as many or as few as you like).

At the end of the 45 minutes the dough should have doubled in size. Again turn the dough out on to a slightly wet surface and with wet hands perform a few slap and folds to de-gas the dough. It should look very different from the shaggy dough at the beginning, it should be nice and smooth now. At this point we are going to be putting the dough into the prepared dish/pan for the final proof. Shape into a boule then to put it into the prepared dish/pan you are going to turn it upside down, so the top goes into the pan first, with the base of the loaf facing up. This means the seeds you have added to the dish/pan will stick to the top of the loaf.

Lightly cover the dough once again and set your timer for 30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 230c or 210c for a fan assisted oven, and put in the vessel to pre-heat you are going to use to cook the bread.

At the end of the 30 minutes the dough should have risen again. Being very careful, take the cooking pot out of the oven and take off the lid. Carefully flip the risen dough into the pot so the seeded side is now on the top. Put the lid on and put in the oven, set the timer for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes take the lid off but give the bread another 7 or 8 minutes cooking without the lid.

Take the bread out and put on a wire rack to cool. Don't cut your loaf until it's cool otherwise it will be a bit 'gummy' instead of nice and light and fluffy.