Shaping

The bread is then shaped into loaves or rolls. I prefer loaves as their longer cooking time helps the bread develop a good crust. To make loaves, weigh the dough into 400-600g/1-1¾lb portions and form them into rounds (or cylinders for placing in bread tins). Alternatively, to make rolls, weigh the dough out into 30-40g/1-1½oz portions. Place the molded dough on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, or in a bread tin, and cover with a thin damp towel. Leave the dough to prove again until it has risen by around two-thirds and the texture is the same as that achieved during the first proving.