My country bread

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 kg wheat flour type 550
• 700 g water
• 1 packet of dry yeast or 1/2 cube of fresh yeast
• 24 g sea salt
• Flour for the work surface
• Olive oil for the bowl

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 5 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 5 days 1 hour 35 minutes

1 week fermentation in the refrigerator

Dissolve the yeast in 500g warm water and mix with 500g flour. It doesn’t need to be smooth. Let it rise for 2 hours in a warm place. Now add the remaining ingredients and knead in the stand mixer for about 10 minutes on speed 2, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Now it’s time to stretch and fold the dough. There are good instructions on YouTube about how to do this (stretch and fold). Place the folded dough in a plastic container greased with good olive oil (I use a square one), cover, and refrigerate for at least 5 days. Fold it 3-4 times a day for 4 days. Leave it alone for 1 day before using. Preheat the oven to 250°C (top/bottom heat) with a baking sheet on the bottom and, if you have one, a pizza stone. Slowly and carefully slide the dough onto a floured work surface. Don’t force it, be patient; it will fall out of the container on its own! Carefully divide it in half using a dough scraper. The dough will now have lots of bubbles, which is exactly what we want. Gently fold the dough again to give it tautness and shape it. Let it rise in a warm place for another 1.5-2 hours. You can use a proving basket for this, but it’s not necessary. Place it in the oven and pour about 200 ml of water onto the baking sheet. Close the oven and bake the bread for 15 minutes. Open the oven door. Caution: hot steam!!! Let the steam escape and bake the bread for 15-20 minutes at 200°C. Do the tap test! You don’t have to use the dough all at once. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This actually only improves it and develops even more flavor. It can also be made into baguettes. The dough can be used for many things, including pizza!