Breadmaking does not need to be intimidating. Because of that, this recipe is perfect for bread-making beginners. All you need is a few handy kitchen tools!
Once the dry ingredients are mixed, slowly add warm water and oil and continue mixing until you have nice and soft dough. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Mixing it for that long is a very important step, so make sure you let it mix for at least 10 minutes. The dough will stop sticking to the sides of the bowl as it mixes.
1½ cups warm water, 2 Tbsp oil
Take the dough out, remove the hook, shape it into a ball, and leave on the counter top for 10 minutes. Just cover it with the mixing bowl.
In ten minutes, place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1.5-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
After it’s done rising, place the dough on a greased baking sheet or dish. The dough should be oval shaped with rounded edges. Let it stand for 45 more minutes (it’s very important to let it rise for that long because you want to achieve good results).
Next step, take about 1 tsp of olive oil and coat the dough with it. This will make the bread crunchy on the outside.
1 tsp oil
Take a sharp knife and make a few strips on the top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
Bake at 390 F for 30-35 minutes.
Take it out of the oven, transfer onto a wooden board, cover with a clean towel and let it cool down for 10 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
It’s easier to make this bread if you have an electric mixer with a hook attachment since it requires a lot of mixing.