Richard Bertinet's White Bread Masterclass
Published on Mar 13, 2025
Join master baker Richard Bertinet as he teaches you the essentials of making the perfect white bread at home, including a unique leaf-shaped fougasse. Discover the joy of baking with this detailed masterclass!
Baking bread is a timeless skill that can be incredibly rewarding, and there's no better guide than master baker Richard Bertinet. In this comprehensive white bread masterclass featured on the Waitrose & Partners channel, Richard demonstrates how to create the ultimate home-baked staple—a beautiful white loaf and an exquisite leaf-shaped fougasse.
In this video, Richard emphasizes the importance of sticking to the recipe, offering insightful tips on working with the dough to harness its potential. He uses a simple combination of strong bread flour, fine sea salt, yeast, and water to create a base dough that serves as the foundation for both the traditional tin loaf and the versatile fougasse greeting.
One of the highlights of the lesson is Richard’s unique methodology, encouraging bakers to get involved physically with the dough—tactile engagement that helps you understand the dough's transformation through your hands.
Engaging with the Dough
- Molding and Shaping: Richard teaches how to mold the dough into a tin loaf and a fougasse, sharing techniques that help the bread rise beautifully.
- Proofing: He emphasizes a gentle proofing process, advising against exposure to overly dry air to prevent crusting.
- Baking to Perfection: Richard notes the importance of steam in the oven to achieve the desired crust texture, demonstrating how timing is crucial to perfect the bake.
Whether you’re an experienced baker or a curious novice, Richard's masterclass breaks down each step of the process into manageable, enjoyable parts, making it accessible for all.
Don't miss the chance to learn from one of the best in the business. If you're inspired to bake your own delicious loaves at home, check out the full video on the Waitrose & Partners YouTube channel.
Happy baking, and remember, you can save this fantastic bread recipe into your favorite recipe app, ClipDish, for easy access!
Richard Bertinet's White Bread Masterclass
Master baker Richard Bertinet offers a masterclass in making the ultimate home baking staple - white bread, including how to make a beautiful leaf-shaped fougasse.
Ingredients
- 1 kg strong white flour
- 20 g fine sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh yeast (or quick yeast)
- 730 g water
Directions
- Measure out the flour, salt, yeast, and water.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast, making sure to cover the salt with flour.
- Slowly add the water to the dry ingredients using a plastic scraper, mixing until no dry bits remain.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead by pushing and folding until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- Dust the dough lightly with flour and place it upside down to rest for 1 hour in a draft-free area.
- After resting, dust the work surface and gently tip the dough over. Divide the dough into roughly 450 g portions.
- For each portion, gently flatten and fold the dough to form a tin loaf. Place it in a lightly greased loaf tin.
- From the leftover dough, shape into a leaf form for fougasse, making incisions for decoration.
- Cover the shaped loaves with a cloth and let them prove for about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 250°C (482°F).
- Place the shaped fougasse in the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden.
- Transfer the loaf tins into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 250°C, then lower the temperature to 220°C (428°F) and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- If a harder crust is desired, leave the loaves in the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Once baked, let the bread cool before slicing and serve.
Mise en Place
Mixing Dough
First Proofing
Shaping Dough
Second Proofing
Baking
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