I love to bake bread, however my first few loaf’s didn’t come out perfect. So I read a bunch of books and these simple steps actually helped me a lot.

1. Kneading: For the yeasty dough to become smooth and soft, you’ll have to knead it. If with your hands or a machine, both is fine!

2. Rest your dough: The dough likes it warm and without a draft, covered it with a cloth for best results. Your dough should double in size.

3. Cut into your dough: If you don’t want your bread to crack apart, make sure you cut into it with a sharp knife right before baking time.

4. Knock test: After the baking and cooling, you can check your bread with the knock test if it’s done or not! If your bread sounds hollow, your bread is done.

Tips adapted from the book “Brote fuer Geniesser”