Method

•  Pour the water into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle over the yeast
• Leave it for about 10 minutes or until the yeast froths
• Add the flour and salt and using a dough hook, mix slowly until the dough comes together
• Knead for another couple of minutes until the dough is smooth
• Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl and leave it to stand for 45 minutes or until it doubles in size
• Punch down the dough and then use a scraper to knead the dough using the lift and fold method - lift the bread at 12o'clock and fold it back over the dough
• Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you have folded in all 4 'sides
• ' Cover it again and leave it to rise for 30 minutes
• Divide the dough into as many pieces as you like and shape them into long loaves
• Lay them out on a baking sheet sprinkled with polenta
• Cover them and leave them to relax for 15 minutes
• Pre-heat the oven to 250C fan-forced and place a dish of water in the bottom (if using)
• Use your fingers to poke holes in the top of the dough and then brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds
• Bake the bread for 8-9 minutes or until golden
• If you want the crust to be harder, bake it at 220C for 14-16 minutes
• I baked mine for 9 minutes at 250C using steam
• Let the baked bread cool on a wire rack before serving