Bread Loaves (Basic Dough)

The bread rolls have a crispy crust and a tender interior, made with flour and water and enriched with sourdough or fresh Parisian yeast for an authentic flavor.
baked
bread
side dish
traditional
vegan
vegetarian
Ingredients
Servings
4
Measurement units

Ingredients

  • 400 grsflour
  • 260 mlwater (between 240 ml / 60% and 280 ml / 70%, according to hydration)
  • 180 grsstarter (or 20 g fresh Paris yeast)
  • 7 grssalt
  • 1 culleradesoil (optional; 1 or 2 tablespoons; may be omitted)
Nutritional Information

Per 100 g

Calories
186 kcal
Protein
6.6 g
Fat
1.1 g
Carbohydrates
38.5 g

Calculated from reviewed ingredient weights and pinned USDA FoodData Central records.

Step-by-step Guide

Bread Dough (Basic Dough)

Bread Dough (Basic Dough)
  1. Work the dough in a warm environment, ensuring the temperature is between 20ºC and 22ºC, to ensure proper fermentation.
  2. Knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
  3. Let the dough ferment twice. For the first fermentation, let it rest for 1-2 hours until it doubles in volume. Gently knead it again to release the air and let it ferment a second time for about 30-60 minutes before shaping.

Optional

Optional (1/2)
Optional (2/2)
  1. If we make the recipe with sourdough starter: pour the water and flour into a large bowl. With one hand, knead the dough while rotating the bowl with the other hand to facilitate the integration process. If there are lumps, break them up with your fingers until you get a homogeneous dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. After these 30 minutes, add the sourdough starter and knead again in the bowl until all the ingredients are well integrated.
  2. If using fresh compressed yeast: in a bowl, crumble the compressed yeast by mixing it with the flour. Ensure the yeast is well broken down with your fingers until it's fully integrated with the flour, with no visible lumps.
  3. Pour in the water and, with one hand, knead the mixture while rotating the bowl with the other hand to ensure an even mix. If lumps remain in the dough, break them down with your fingers to achieve a smooth and homogeneous texture.

In both cases

  1. Once we have a homogeneous dough, add the salt and the oil (optional) and knead again. Take a portion of the dough from underneath and fold it over itself, while rotating the bowl with the other hand. With each fold of the dough, give the bowl a quarter turn to work the entire dough until it gains some body. Note: If the dough is highly hydrated, it may be necessary to knead it for a considerable amount of time by aerating it, which is best done in a large rectangular container, previously greased with a bit of oil.
  2. When the dough has gained some body, turn it out onto the countertop. Do not flour or oil it to avoid altering the initial proportions, and work it thoroughly until it is smooth and elastic, approximately 10 minutes.
  3. For less hydrated doughs (between 50% and 60% water), it is better to perform continuous kneading:
  4. Starting with a rounded dough, stretch and lengthen the dough with the palm of your hand until it is approximately 30 cm in length.
  5. Fold it over itself, rolling back until it has a well-formed compact ball shape.
  6. Turn the dough a quarter turn and stretch it out again, folding it over itself, repeating these steps.
  7. Knead like this for about 15 to 20 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  8. With more hydrated doughs (between 60% and 90% water), it is better to use a kneading method that combines simple folds and a resting time (Reinhart method):
  9. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is well integrated.
  10. Let rest for 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.
  11. Roll out the dough and make simple folds in one direction, folding it over itself.
  12. Turn the dough a quarter turn and make simple folds again (following the indicated method).
  13. Let rest for another 30 minutes (this will be the second rest, totaling 1 hour).
  14. Roll out the dough and repeat the two sets of folds indicated previously.
  15. Let rest for an additional 30 minutes (in total, it will have rested for 1 and a half hours).
  16. Roll out the dough and repeat the two sets of folds as previously indicated.
  17. Let rest for an additional 30 minutes (in total, it will have rested for 2 hours).
  18. Gently roll out the dough and let it rest for another 60 minutes (totaling 3 hours of rest).
  19. Roll out the dough and repeat the two sets of folds as indicated earlier.
  20. Let rest for an additional 60 minutes (in total it will have rested for 4 hours).
  21. Roll out the dough and repeat the two sets of folds mentioned previously.
  22. Shape the dough into a ball to create surface tension, forming a smooth ball.
  23. When we finish kneading, whether using the continuous method or the folding and resting method, we must shape the dough into a ball to create surface tension, forming a compact ball.
  24. Lightly flour the ball and let it rest for 1.5 to 2 hours in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, allowing it to double in volume.
  25. After the resting time, lightly flour the countertop and turn out the dough onto it. Roll it out carefully to prevent it from losing too much gas and make a simple fold to give it structure.
Recommendations & Tricks
  • If the dough is very hydrated, knead it in a large rectangular box lightly oiled.
  • Once it has some body, turn it onto the marble without flouring or oiling, so the original proportions stay.
  • For drier doughs (50–60% water) knead continuously 15–20 minutes: stretch, fold, quarter-turn.
  • For wetter doughs (60–90%) use rested stretch-and-fold.
Original recipe
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    Bread Loaves (Basic Dough) | The Catalan Table