You can’t beat a freshly home baked loaf, and this is so simple you can make it every day. You’ll feel like you’re winning at life, and not a plastic bag in sight. Makes 3 baguettes.

Ingredients: 500g strong bread flour (white or a 50:50 mix with wholemeal); 2 tsp dried yeast; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tsp salt; 300ml warm water; 2 tbsp olive oil.

Weigh out the flour in a large bowl. Add the yeast and sugar to one side of the bowl, and the salt to the other – the salt will kill the yeast so it’s important to keep them separate at this stage. Add the warm water and mix everything together roughly with your hands, finally adding the oil. It will be a sticky mess, but it will come together with kneading. Tip the mess onto the kitchen surface and knead hard for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and springs back when you press a finger into it. This is the hard work over. Pop the dough back into the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave in a warm place until it’s doubled in size (usually about an hour). You can also leave the dough to rise in the fridge, but it will take longer – perfect if you’re going out for the day or if you want to leave it overnight.

Knock the dough back by prodding it with your fingers until it’s deflated. You can then shape it into any form you like from a large loaf to a batch of rolls, or you can use it as a pizza base. We like to make baguettes, so we divide the dough into 3 balls and then roll each into a sausage shape. Leave them on a baking tray, under a damp kitchen towel, in a warm place until they have doubled in size. Be careful not to over-prove here. It normally takes about an hour to prove, but if you can’t wait around you can pop them in the fridge to slow this down.

Heat your oven to 200°C (fan ovens). Slash the bread with a very sharp knife (careful not to squash your beautifully risen loaves) and scatter with water to ensure a moist surface as this helps them rise further. Cook for 10-20 mins (for baguettes or rolls – larger loaves will need longer), turning down the heat a little if they are browning very quickly. Tap the bottoms and if they sound hollow, they’re ready. Enjoy them while they’re fresh!