Crust

Fold one side of the flattened dough into the middle (1) and press down quite firmly with the tips of your fingers. Bring the other side over to the middle and again press down firmly (2–3). Now fold the bottom edge into the middle and press down (4), then repeat with the top edge (5). You should be able to see clearly the indents of your fingertip

Then, with the help of your scraper, turn out your dough onto your (unfloured) surface, ready to work it.

simple and basic rule, whether you are using fresh commercial yeast or dried yeast, is that the less you use, the longer the dough will take to prove, but the flavour will be better developed and the bread will last longer. Conversely, the more yeast you use, the quicker the dough will rise, and as a result your loaf may be brick-like and yeasty ta

15. Baking cloths – I have a good stack of thick, natural fibre linen cloths for covering dough while it is resting. You can also use baking cloths for lining baking trays, if you don’t have a baker’s couche (see 20). Don’t use cotton tea towels, as the dough will stick to them. I simply shake or brush my cloths well after each breadmaking session and

fingers (3) and rotating the ball as you go (4–5). Finally turn the whole ball over and stretch and tuck the edges underneath (6).

When I work the dough, I don’t flour the work surface at all. When people who have been making bread for many years see how much water I use, then start to handle the sticky dough, they often struggle at first as it takes a bit of getting used to, but once they get the hang of the technique and feel the airiness and life in the dough they never loo

You will need 50g spelt flour 150g strong white flour 20g good honey, preferably organic (if set, mix with a little of the warm water) 150g warm water

Spelt – I love the flavour of spelt. It is an ancient grain of the wheat family that is even mentioned in the Bible. For a while it was out of favour, as the world opted instead for modern, more prolific and easier to grow varieties of wheat, but now its slightly nutty flavour is very much back in fashion. Although spelt flour contains gluten, it i

Folding – When a recipe calls for the dough to be rested more than once, you need to re-shape the dough in between each resting to reinforce it and help the flavour to develop. This is the point where an English recipe would call for the dough to be ‘knocked back’, which roughly translates as punching the living daylights out of it. I prefer to use