Sonntagsbrot (Sunday Bread)

Ingredients

• 525g / 19oz of plain wheat flour
• 315g / 11oz of whole milk (3.5% fat)
• 10g / 0.4 oz of salt
• 0.7g / 0.02oz of fresh yeast  (hazelnut-sized ball of fresh yeast)
• 40g / 1oz of soft butter
• 50g / 2oz of sugar
• 1 large egg

Equipment

• cast-iron or ceramic pot with a lid

Method

1. Prepare the dough: Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add butter and egg. From the milk set aside a dram (about 3 – 4 tbsps). Dissolve the yeast in it. Add the rest of the milk to the mixture. Finally, add the dissolved yeast. Using your hand knead the dough until it is smooth and slightly sticky. Cover the dough airtight with a lid or aluminum foil. The surface of the dough shouldn’t get dry. Set the dough aside to rest and mature for 24 hours at room temperature (at least 20°C / 68°F).

2. Stretch and fold the dough: During those 24 hours stretch and fold your dough every 8 hours (first time after 8 hours of resting and again after 16 hours of resting). To stretch and fold your dough first dip your hand in water. It will prevent the dough from sticking to your hand. Then push your hand deep under the dough, pull the dough to you and fold it over the rest of the dough. Repeat the process from all sides until the whole dough is folded and lies round and tight in the bowl. My little amateur video might give you a better idea of what I mean.

3. Form a loaf: Depending on what kind of a pot you are using form a round or an oblong loaf. Using a bench knife, gently transfer the shaped loaf to a proofing basket, seam side down. Cover the basket with a clean kitchen towel and set aside for 1 hour to proof.

4. Preheat the oven, with the pot in it, to 220°C / 428°F.

5. Take the hot pot out of the oven, let the dough fall out of the basket directly into the pot (you don’t need baking parchment), cover the pot with the lid and put it back in the oven. Reduce the heat to 200°C / 400°F and bake for 55 – 60 minutes.