Miche traditionnelle aux noix et aux raisins

( Traditional walnut and raisin loaf )

This is a great recipe to start with. This basic method is ideal if you haven’t prepared a poolish the day before and want to bake a loaf or small bread rolls for dinner or a picnic at short notice. In a few hours you will have a beautifully crusty loaf with a soft, airy crumb that is just as delicious toasted with butter and jam as it is served with cheeses or liver parfaits.

Makes 1 loaf

800 g (1 lb 12 oz) Bread Dough, direct method

100 g (3½ oz) walnuts, lightly roasted

100 g (3½ oz) raisins or sultanas (golden raisins)

spray bottle filled with warm water

L Prepare the dough following the method, to the end of the ‘windowpane’ test. With the dough still in the bowl of the electric mixer (fitted with a dough hook attachment), add the walnuts and raisins and mix on low speed for 2 minutes, or until evenly dispersed. Follow the method, to the end of the first prove.

L Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and proceed with the balling process. Line a large bowl, about 25 cm (10 in) in diameter, with a lightly floured cloth. Gently tip the dough upside down into the lined bowl so that the bottom of the loaf faces up. Cover with another lightly floured cloth and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1–1½ hours, or until doubled in size. To check if the dough is ready, gently push it with the palm of your hand; it should feel soft but the dough should still spring back to its original shape. If the dough feels hard and dense, it is not ready.

L Preheat the oven to 240°C (465°F) at least 30 minutes before baking the bread. Hold the bowl with one hand and rest the other hand gently on top of the dough with your fingers spread apart, then carefully tip the dough onto a lightly floured baking tray. Dust a little flour over the top of the dough. Using a sharp paring knife, cut a cross in the top of the loaf.

L Place on the bottom shelf of the oven and spray water into the oven for 5 seconds (see tip), then quickly close the oven door. Bake for 20–25 minutes. To check if the bread is ready, open the oven door and tap the crust with your index finger. The bread is ready when the crust feels hard and the loaf sounds hollow and dry. Remove from the oven and set aside for at least 5 minutes before slicing, or the steam that is trapped inside the loaf may burn you.

scoring the loaves

Traditionally bread is baked directly on the bricks on the base of the oven and the intense heat generated from the bottom forms a thick skin, forcing the steam upwards through the thinner skin on the top (there is less heat in the top of the oven). In convection (fan-forced) and static ovens the heat is dispersed evenly around the oven, so the skin thickens uniformly around the loaf, trapping the steam and turning it into the shape of a football. Scoring the loaf prior to baking weakens the skin and allows the steam to escape so the bread retains its shape during baking.