Basic Recipe: Savoury Yeast Dough

Savoury Yeast dough is the perfect base for white bread, buns, rolls and bagels. The golden rule when working with yeast dough: the dough loves it warm! All ingredients should have at least room temperature. Let the dough rest in a warm place. The top of the fridge works best for this - it is always warm there. Also keep in mind to kneat the dough properly.

Ingredients

500g all purpose flour

1,5 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

250ml lukewarm water

7g dry yeast

some oil

Method

Mix flour, salt, sugar and dry yeast in a large bowl.

Now add in the lukewarm water and work into a smooth and elastic dough. Kneat for about 10 minutes - you can use a kitchen machine or a handheld mixer. It is important to kneat the dough for 10 minutes, to add tension to the dough. The dough should come off the bowl easly by now. Form the dough into a ball and brush it with some oil. Cover and let rest for 40-60 minutes.

Now remove the dough from the bowl and transfer to a flour dusted surface. Punch down to remove the air bubbles.

If you are baking white bread, the dough is now ready to be formed into a loaf. Line a baking tray with parchment paper & place the loaf on the baking tray. Let the loaf rest for another 30-40 mintes.

When baking bagels or rolls, let the dough rest for another 15 minutes, then divide into 8 pieces. Form each of them into rounds. Take one of the dough balls, press it gently to the surface, moving your hands in circles. Reduce the pressuer on top of the dough slightly - this allows the dough to become a perfectly round ball. Repeat with the rest. Place the dough balls on a flour dusted surface. Bagels should rest 15 minutes (before cooking), bread rolls and buns should rest for 25 minutes.

Keep in mind, the higher the temperature, the crispier the crust. So bagels, buns and soft white bread should be baked at 180°C. Bread rolls and tuscany bread come into the oven at 230°C.

The most important thing with yeast dough is time. And - you might not believe - a good mood. The dough seems to notice a bad mood and doesn't rise properly. Yeast dough and a bad mood don't go well together. So treat your dough well - with love, warmth and a good mood - and it will thank you by becoming some delcious bread rolls!