This recipe by Bonnie Ohara will provide you with the simplest, most basic way to get a loaf of bread onto your table. If you have any issues, the handy guide on page 88 will help!

MASTERCLASS

TEMPERATURE CALCULATION

Use this example to find your desired water temperature.

Take the desired dough temperature:

75°F

Multiply that number by 3:

75 × 3 = 225

(This is because there are three factors: flour temperature, air temperature, and water temperature.) Determine the temperature of the flour and the air:

Flour temperature: 65°F

Air temperature: 65°F

Friction factor: 5 (This number will always be 5 for handmixed doughs.)

Take 225 and subtract the other factors to arrive at the desired water temperature:

225 – (65 + 65 + 5) = 90, meaning you will use 90°F water on this day. The dough should always be 75°F or above, so 225 will always be the number for the overall dough temperature factor, and the friction factor will always be 5, so it’s easy to take the temperature of flour and air and then calculate to get the desired water temperature. Usually, the air and flour will be the same temperature, but sometimes they can vary, which is why I suggest checking both temperatures before doing your calculations. I know that doing maths before baking seems like a lot, but when you invest the ingredients, time and effort into creating something wonderful, those

2 minutes of calculations are truly worth the effort!

You can use this chart as a shortcut, assuming that your flour and air temperatures are the same. Making your own calculations is more accurate, but this is a good starting place.