How to Bake Bread at Home

Weigh everything on a digital scale, including the water. Cups vary by up to twenty percent, which is enough to turn a good dough into a sticky mess.^[1]

• If the dough feels too wet to handle, wet your hands instead of adding more flour. Adding flour late makes a dense loaf.
• Howcompass Kitchen Team notes that checking your progress before moving on to Step 2 prevents the most common beginner mistakes.[2]✓

Warm the water to lukewarm — about 25°C. Too hot kills the yeast, too cold slows it to a crawl.^[2]

• A dough that is slow to rise is not dead. Move it somewhere warmer and give it another hour before you consider fresh yeast.
• Have your strong white bread flour (and wholemeal if you want it) within reach before starting this step so you do not have to pause mid-process.[3]✓

Mix the flour and water first and leave it for twenty minutes. This rest, called autolyse, hydrates the flour and gives a softer, easier dough.^[3]

• The pot you bake in should have a lid that can take high heat — a cast-iron Dutch oven is the cheapest way to get bakery-style steam at home.
• Do not taste raw dough. Raw flour can carry bacteria, and it is a genuine risk, not a formality.[4]✓

Sprinkle the yeast over the rested dough, add the salt on the opposite side, and mix until no dry flour remains. Take your time with this stage of weighing and mixing so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[4]

• If the dough feels too wet to handle, wet your hands instead of adding more flour. Adding flour late makes a dense loaf.
• Have your fine salt within reach before starting this step so you do not have to pause mid-process.[5]✓

Knead or fold until the dough is smooth and springs back when poked. With a stand mixer that takes about six minutes; by hand, closer to ten.^[5]

• A dough that is slow to rise is not dead. Move it somewhere warmer and give it another hour before you consider fresh yeast.
• Howcompass Kitchen Team notes that checking your progress before moving on to Step 6 prevents the most common beginner mistakes.[1]✓

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and leave it somewhere warm and draught-free until it has roughly doubled. Take your time with this stage of the first rise so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[1]

• The pot you bake in should have a lid that can take high heat — a cast-iron Dutch oven is the cheapest way to get bakery-style steam at home.
• Do not taste raw dough. Raw flour can carry bacteria, and it is a genuine risk, not a formality.[2]✓

Judge the rise by feel, not the clock. A dough at 20°C may take two hours; the same dough at 26°C may take seventy minutes.^[2]

• If the dough feels too wet to handle, wet your hands instead of adding more flour. Adding flour late makes a dense loaf.
• Howcompass Kitchen Team notes that checking your progress before moving on to Step 8 prevents the most common beginner mistakes.[3]✓

Press a floured finger into the dough. If the dent fills slowly, it is ready; if it springs straight back, give it more time; if it collapses, it has over-proofed.^[3]

• A dough that is slow to rise is not dead. Move it somewhere warmer and give it another hour before you consider fresh yeast.
• Have your digital kitchen scale within reach before starting this step so you do not have to pause mid-process.[4]✓

For a deeper flavour, let the covered dough rise slowly in the fridge overnight instead of at room temperature. Take your time with this stage of the first rise so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[4]

• The pot you bake in should have a lid that can take high heat — a cast-iron Dutch oven is the cheapest way to get bakery-style steam at home.
• Do not taste raw dough. Raw flour can carry bacteria, and it is a genuine risk, not a formality.[5]✓

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press it gently into a rough rectangle, knocking out the largest gas bubbles. Take your time with this stage of shaping and the second rise so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[5]

• If the dough feels too wet to handle, wet your hands instead of adding more flour. Adding flour late makes a dense loaf.
• Have your dried instant yeast within reach before starting this step so you do not have to pause mid-process.[1]✓

Fold the dough over itself into a tight ball, pulling the surface taut. A tight skin is what gives the loaf height in the oven.^[1]

• A dough that is slow to rise is not dead. Move it somewhere warmer and give it another hour before you consider fresh yeast.
• Howcompass Kitchen Team notes that checking your progress before moving on to Step 12 prevents the most common beginner mistakes.[2]✓

Rest the shaped dough seam-side down in a floured proving basket or a bowl lined with a clean tea towel. Take your time with this stage of shaping and the second rise so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[2]

• The pot you bake in should have a lid that can take high heat — a cast-iron Dutch oven is the cheapest way to get bakery-style steam at home.
• Do not taste raw dough. Raw flour can carry bacteria, and it is a genuine risk, not a formality.[3]✓

Let it prove a second time until it looks puffy and a light poke leaves a shallow dent that springs back slowly. Take your time with this stage of shaping and the second rise so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[3]

• If the dough feels too wet to handle, wet your hands instead of adding more flour. Adding flour late makes a dense loaf.
• Howcompass Kitchen Team notes that checking your progress before moving on to Step 14 prevents the most common beginner mistakes.[4]✓

Preheat the oven with a heavy pot or a baking stone inside for at least thirty minutes. Bread needs a fully hot oven from the first second.^[4]

• A dough that is slow to rise is not dead. Move it somewhere warmer and give it another hour before you consider fresh yeast.
• Have your a wire cooling rack within reach before starting this step so you do not have to pause mid-process.[5]✓

Score the top with a sharp blade in one confident slash. The cut gives the loaf a place to expand instead of splitting at random.^[5]

• The pot you bake in should have a lid that can take high heat — a cast-iron Dutch oven is the cheapest way to get bakery-style steam at home.
• Do not taste raw dough. Raw flour can carry bacteria, and it is a genuine risk, not a formality.[1]✓

Slide the loaf into the hot pot or onto the stone, and add a splash of water to the oven floor for steam. Take your time with this stage of baking so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[1]

• If the dough feels too wet to handle, wet your hands instead of adding more flour. Adding flour late makes a dense loaf.
• Have your strong white bread flour (and wholemeal if you want it) within reach before starting this step so you do not have to pause mid-process.[2]✓

Bake covered or with steam for the first twenty minutes, then uncover so the crust can brown and crisp. Take your time with this stage of baking so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[2]

• A dough that is slow to rise is not dead. Move it somewhere warmer and give it another hour before you consider fresh yeast.
• Howcompass Kitchen Team notes that checking your progress before moving on to Step 18 prevents the most common beginner mistakes.[3]✓

Check the colour and the internal temperature: around 95°C in the centre means the crumb is set. Take your time with this stage of baking so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[3]

• The pot you bake in should have a lid that can take high heat — a cast-iron Dutch oven is the cheapest way to get bakery-style steam at home.
• Do not taste raw dough. Raw flour can carry bacteria, and it is a genuine risk, not a formality.[4]✓

Lift the loaf out of the pot and tap the base. A hollow sound means it is done; a dull thud means it needs ten more minutes.^[4]

• If the dough feels too wet to handle, wet your hands instead of adding more flour. Adding flour late makes a dense loaf.
• Howcompass Kitchen Team notes that checking your progress before moving on to Step 20 prevents the most common beginner mistakes.[5]✓

Cool the loaf on a wire rack for at least an hour. Cutting it hot lets the steam escape and leaves a gummy centre.^[5]

• A dough that is slow to rise is not dead. Move it somewhere warmer and give it another hour before you consider fresh yeast.
• Have your a cast-iron pot with a lid, or a baking stone within reach before starting this step so you do not have to pause mid-process.[1]✓

Store the cooled loaf cut-side down on a board, or in a paper bag. Plastic makes the crust soft and leathery.^[1]

• The pot you bake in should have a lid that can take high heat — a cast-iron Dutch oven is the cheapest way to get bakery-style steam at home.
• Do not taste raw dough. Raw flour can carry bacteria, and it is a genuine risk, not a formality.[2]✓

Freeze what you will not eat within two days, sliced, so you can toast single pieces straight from the freezer. Take your time with this stage of cooling and storing so your setup stays consistent from start to finish.^[2]

• If the dough feels too wet to handle, wet your hands instead of adding more flour. Adding flour late makes a dense loaf.
• Have your digital kitchen scale within reach before starting this step so you do not have to pause mid-process.[3]✓

Keep a small notebook of dates, room temperature and timings. Bread is repeatable only if you record what you actually did.^[3]

• A dough that is slow to rise is not dead. Move it somewhere warmer and give it another hour before you consider fresh yeast.
• Howcompass Kitchen Team notes that checking your progress before moving on to Step 24 prevents the most common beginner mistakes.[4]✓