Making homemade bread

Chef Ben Baker, from Travaasa, popped into the Good Day kitchen to whip us up some homemade bread.

Recipe: Chef Ben Baker's bread

• 1 1/2 cups of filtered water
• 2 cups of unbleached high gluten flour
• 2 cups Richardson's Farms Fresh milled wheat berry flour
• 1 cup Sourdough Starter (this is my 168 year old starter)
• 1 tablespoon salt

Ingredients

1. Mix ingredients 3 minutes.
2. Let rest covered for 1 hour.
3. Mix 3 minutes.
4. Let rest covered for 1 hour.
5. Place dough on lightly floured bench and separate into two pieces.
6. Ball up each piece and rest 5 minutes.
7. Shape into loaves and allow to rise.
8. The rising process will take hours. I start them at room temperature, and finish overnight in the refrigerator to develop the flavor.
9. Pull loaves from refrigerator and allow to come up to room temp. 
10. Score lengthwise at a 20 degree angle. 
11. Drizzle a little melted butter in scored mark. Allow this mark to bloom slightly for about ten minutes. 
12. Bake for 10 mins at 400 degrees, then lower temp to 350, and finish of for 25 minutes. 
    

Tip: It is best to keep a cast iron pan in the oven while baking. This help retain an even heating, and allows the creation of steam. Pour about a cup of water into the pan, once the loaves are in.