Buttermilk country bread

1

Prepare buttermilk: Add lemon juice (I used apple cider vinegar instead) to the milk, mix well, and leave for 10 minutes. The milk will turn into flocculent or lumps.

2

Pour buttermilk, water, olive oil, sugar, and eggs in order into a larger container and stir well. Mix about 60 grams of flour with baking soda and salt, then sieve into the above mixture, mix well, add yeast, stir, and open for 15 minutes.

3

Sift in about 30 grams of flour each time, stir well, and repeat the process. If you sift in too much flour at one time, it will easily cake. When the dough becomes difficult to stir, use hand kneading instead. If the container you used at the beginning is not big enough, replace it on the chopping board.

4

The amount of flour used is not fixed, as long as it is kneaded until the surface of the dough is smooth and a little sticky. Pour a little olive oil along the edge of the bowl and turn the dough down until the surface is covered with oil so that it can be easily removed when cooked. Cover with plastic wrap and stretch to double size.

5

Transfer the dough to a floured chopping board, tap to squeeze out the air, and make it into a rectangle with short sides about the length of the mold. Roll it up from one side along the long axis. I sprinkled raisins before rolling it, or you don't have to use it. It is best to gently push both ends towards the middle while rolling, otherwise it will easily be longer than the mold.

6

Hold the joint tightly with your fingers and place it face down in the mold. If you are worried that you won't be able to take it out after baking, you can wipe the mold with a paper towel dipped in a little olive oil, or use spray-type oil. Cover with plastic wrap and stretch to twice the size. If the dough is moist, it will stick to the plastic wrap after it is done, so I usually just put it in the oven to grow.

7

Place it in the lower layer of the oven, select the lower part and heat it at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. This step is very different depending on the size and power of the oven. As long as the surface of the bread is evenly colored and inserted with a knife or bamboo stick, it will be baked if it does not stick to the surface after pulling out. Remove from the mold and place on a grill to cool.

Variations for this recipe: 1. If you don't have baking soda, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 100ml of milk, just enough to make the milk curdle. 2. The toast tin I used is about 21*11cm, yet the bread still rises excessively high. Therefore, I had to bake it on the lower rack, which runs the risk of burning the bottom. If your oven is large enough, definitely place it on the middle rack and extend the baking time accordingly; you can also switch to top heating before finishing to brown the crust. 3. If you don't have a tin, making two long loaves works just as well. Divide the risen dough equally, flatten it, roll it into an olive shape, score the surface with a sharp knife, and reduce the baking time accordingly. 4. The amount of sugar and salt can be adjusted to taste; this recipe is not very sweet.