The Ingredients

• Wheat flour - the base of the bread is always the flour, and it should be T65 (although it can also be made with T55) that has a higher protein and fiber content and is, therefore, more suitable for home baking.
• Whole wheat flour - optional, as the original recipe is made only with white wheat flour, but as I like bread with some whole flour I decided to substitute it. I have also tried a version with rye flour (100gr), and another with whole flour (50gr) along with rye (50gr).
• Yeast - although twice as much yeast is used in the original recipe, 1 teaspoon of granulated dry baker's yeast is perfect for leavening this dough.
• Water - it is very important to have a temperature of around 37ºC (I measure with a thermometer) because if it is too hot it will cancel the yeast function, and if it is cold it will not activate the yeast; if you don't have a thermometer, just test the water temperature by placing a few drops on your wrist.
• Sugar - the presence of sugar serves essentially to assist the leavening action of the yeast.
• Salt - when I make bread I prefer to use fleur de sel, as it dilutes more quickly when in contact with water and disperses better in the dough.

How to make

• We start by warming the water until it reaches a temperature between 37ºC to 43ºC.
• In a large bowl where the bread will rise, place the yeast along with the sugar, then add the water, stirring so that the yeast and sugar dissolve.
• Leave to stand for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast. In case the yeast is out of date or has not been well stored (in the case of previously opened packages) it will not have the characteristic bubbles that form on the surface of the water and that are indicative of the beginning of fermentation.
• Weigh the flours (wheat + whole wheat) and mix the salt.
• Mix the flours with the water, wrapping well with the help of a spatula or wooden spoon.
• Using a mixer with the spiral blades, beat the dough (at low speed) for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle with a little flour and shape the dough more or less, by hand or using a spatula, forming a ball.
• Cover the bowl with a cloth, or with cling film (but leaving a slightly uncovered tip).
• Let it rise for about 1 hour in a place where the temperature is mild (avoid very hot places - above 30ºC).
• The next step is to knead, with the help of a spatula or even by hand, pulling the edges of the dough towards the center, then re-forming a ball with the smoothest part facing downwards, sprinkling again with a little flour.
• Place the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper, and grabbing the paper, place the dough in the same bowl or another container of a similar size to the pot or pan with a lid (preferably a cast iron or clay pot, or that has thick walls to accumulate heat).
• Allow rising again for 1 hour.
• When there are 30 minutes to finish rising, place the pot or pan with a lid in the oven previously heated to 180ºC so that its surfaces accumulate heat and allow better and more uniform baking of the bread.
• Grabbing by the parchment paper, place the dough in the pot or pan and cover, baking for 35 minutes.
• After this time, the lid is removed and returned to the oven to gain color for another 15 to 20 minutes. At this time, you can raise the oven temperature to 200ºC or 220ºC, depending on whether you want a more toasted crust or not.
• Remove from the oven and immediately cool on a grid, discarding the parchment paper. This way, and since the bread is still steaming, the crust (especially from the one in the bottom) will remain crispy.

Wheat bread recipe

1. Warm the water until it reaches a temperature of about 37ºC (lukewarm water).
2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar with the yeast and slowly add the water, dissolving well.
3. Leave to stand for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
4. In a bowl, mix the wheat flour with the whole wheat flour and salt.
5. The flour mixture is then poured into the bowl and mixed well.
6. Beat this dough well with the help of a food processor or mixer with the spiral blades for 5 minutes.
7. With the help of a spatula, it is shaped like a ball, and sprinkled with a little flour.
8. Cover the bowl with a cloth or cling film (but leave a slightly uncovered tip).
9. Leave to rise for 1 hour.
10. After that time, with the help of a spatula or even by hand, knead by pulling the outer part of the dough to the center several times, then forming a ball again and sprinkling again with a some flour.
11. Place the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper, and grabbing the paper, place the dough in the same bowl or in a container of similar size to the pot/pan with a lid where it will be baked in the oven.
12. Let it rise again for 1 hour (when 30 minutes remain to finish rising, place the pot/pan with lid in the oven previously heated to 180ºC).
13. Grabing the parchment paper, place the dough in the pot/pan and cover, taking to bake for 35 minutes.
14. After this time, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
15. Remove from the oven and immediately cool on a grid, discarding the parchment paper.