Pain d'Epi: Bread Recipe

Pain d'Epi

I can't think of anything better than the smell of freshly baked bread. Well, apart from eating a chunk with butter when it is straight out of the oven. This is an easy bread recipe with impressive results. 

Ingredients

275g Strong white flour

1 tbsp Olive oil

175ml Warm water

1 sachet Yeast

1 tsp Salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Mix the flour, olive oil, water, yeast and salt together. When adding the salt do not put directly over the yeast, put to the side of the bowl as salt can stop the effectiveness of the yeast. You may need to add some water if the consistency isn't soft enough. 

2. Dust the worktop with flour and knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is a soft dough. 

3. Make the dough into a ball, ensuring that you fold in all of the edges and shape in your hand. Roll into a long and even sausage shape. 

4. Then cover with oiled cling film on a baking sheet and leave to rise in a warm place, until it has doubled in size, roughly around 35 minutes. 

5. Then using scissors create a wheat stalk effect by cutting the dough from one end at a 45 degree angle but not cutting straight through. Angle the first cut to the left and the next cut to the right and continue.

6. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt then flour. 

7. Spray the inside of the oven with water, to help the bread to rise then bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Lipstick & Marzipan *Tip*: Cutting the bread into the shape sounds tricky, but it really isn't, feel free to message/comment and I will guide you through it : ) 

Recipe: Lorraine Pascale 

Home Cooking Made Easy