Dough

Plastic scraper – this cheap little gadget is like an extension of my hand. I use it all the time: the rounded end to mix the dough, to help turn it out from the mixing bowl so that it comes out easily in one piece, without stretching, and to scrape up and lift pieces of dough from the work surface. The straight edge can be used for cutting and div

There is a bread for every occasion: a ficelle for breakfast, a baguette for lunch, a pain de mie for croque monsieur, a bigger pain de campagne or sourdough to put on the table or to keep and toast through the whole week.

Resting – this is the time when the worked dough is left, usually for about 1 hour, covered with a tea towel, in a warm, draught-free place, during which time it will rise to around double its volume and develop its structure, while the flavour matures. ‘Where is this warm, draught-free place?’ ‘Warm’ is after all quite a loose term which might sug

As you work the dough it will start to come together and feel alive and elastic in your hands8. Keep on working it until it comes cleanly away from the work surface9, begins to look silky and feels smooth, firm-butwobbly and responsive – you’ll understand what I mean, when you feel it for yourself. I promise you the fascination with dough starts he

Begin to work the dough. The idea is to stretch it and get as much air into it as possible. Forget the way you have probably been taught to knead the dough, by pummelling it with the heel of your hands and rotating it.

Ferment – some bakers use the term ‘levain’, which means the same thing – a piece of dough that has been left at least 4–6 hours to ‘ferment’ and which adds character and flavour and lightens the finished bread. A few of the breads use a ‘poolish’, which is just the name for a particular style of ferment.

Just try making some small baguettes first, and when you mould the bread do it as tightly as you can; then, just before you put the bread into the oven, spray it with water to create steam – these details will help you to create the fantastic thick crust that a good baguette should have.

Yeast – I am tempted to say only use fresh yeast and avoid dried, but it is worth having some dried yeast in the cupboard for that moment when you have an overwhelming urge to bake and you find you are out of fresh. One of the things that seems to amaze people is how easy it is to use fresh yeast. I don’t believe in adding sugar and warm water to y

People are always amazed when I tell them that I work the dough by hand without flouring the work surface. Sometimes when I am giving breadmaking classes, to prove the point that you don’t need any flour, I put some extra water into the dough, to make it really sticky. No one believes that it will really come together without flour, yet it does, si