Småland Loaf

Here's how:

• 1

  Heat the liquid until it reaches about 20 °C. Crumble the yeast and dissolve it in the liquid. Add the salt. Dissolve the honey in the yeast mixture as well, and add almost all of the flour.

• 2

  Knead until the dough is smooth. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and the bottom is covered, cover it and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.

• 3

  Place the dough on a work surface and knead it with the remaining flour.

• 4

  Divide it into 4 equal parts and shape each piece into a large round bun. Place them on a baking sheet or in bread pans and let the buns rise until they double in size, 20–30 minutes.

• 5

  Bake them on the first rack from the bottom in a 250 °C oven for 10 minutes.

• 6

  Reduce the heat to 180 °C and bake for another 15 minutes.

• 7

  Let the loaves cool under a kitchen towel if you want a soft crust, or without a towel if you want a hard crust.