Crusty Cob Loaf

I just love the smell of freshly baked bread especially on a lovely sunny day like today. All I need now is somebutter and a slab of strong cheddar to make the perfect snack. Yum!

Crusty Cob

500g Strong White Flour

1tbsp Salt

30g Fresh Yeast

40g Butter (softened)

300ml Water (warmed)

Very small handful of flour for dusting

• In a large bowl put flour, salt, yeast (keep separate from the salt) and butter.
• Add 200ml of the water and mix the ingredients to start to combine.
• Add the last 100ml of water and mix thoroughly to form a dough.
• Lightly flour your surface and pop the dough onto it.
• Knead well for a good 5-8 minutes to work the gluten.
• Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rest in a warm place for 2 hours.
• Line a baking tray
• After 2 hours take the dough out of the bowl and shape into a ball.
• Place the ball of dough on the prepared baking tray and leave to rise for 1 hour with a damp tea towel loosely covering it.
• Preheat the oven to Gas7/220 C/425 F
• With a sharp knife, slash the dough a couple of times and dust the top with a little flour.
• Bake for 30 minutes until golden then transfer to a cooling rack.