This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
Ocean bread
The idea for this bread was inspired by an amusing coincidence: the proportion of salt needed for good bread is 35 g of salt per litre of water, which just happens to be the exact concentration of salt in the Atlantic Ocean. So it's possible to make bread using sea water to provide all the salt needed, rather than normal fresh water. Not only does it work, the resulting bread is excellent!
5 hours 7 min.
Easy
1.05 €
1 Ocean bread
4 IngredientsLast modified on: October 24th 2017
For 1 Ocean bread, you will need:
- 1
300 ml sea water - 2
125 g leaven - 3
500 g plain white flour (French Type 65) - 4
½ teaspoon yeast - Total weight: 930 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 20 min.
Resting: 4 hours 10 min.
Cooking: 40 min.
All in all: 5 hours 7 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 1 min.
Filter 300 ml sea water to strain out any little impurities it might contain.
Stage 2 - ⌛ 3 min.
Pour the sea water into the food processor bowl, add 125 g leaven and mix briefly.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 10 min.
Add 500 g plain white flour (French Type 65) then ½ teaspoon yeast and knead for 5 minutes on minimum speed (1), then for a further 5 minutes on speed 2.
You could also chech the dough by trying the window-pane test.
Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home.
You could also chech the dough by trying the window-pane test.
Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 10 min.
Tip the dough into a large clean bowl and cover with a plastic sheet. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Stage 5
At the end of this resting time, take a wooden spatula or a dough cutter and lift the dough, stretching it upwards...
Stage 6 - ⌛ 2 hours
...then fold it over on itself.
Give a quarter turn to the bowl and repeat the operation. Continue like this until the bowl has made at least one complete turn. In French this kneading manœuvre is called a "rabat".
Cover the bowl again and leave to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.
This sequence of "rabat" + 20 minutes resting should be done 3 times.
Note: The "rabat" technique is rather hard to describe, so you can watch it in the video on the right.
Give a quarter turn to the bowl and repeat the operation. Continue like this until the bowl has made at least one complete turn. In French this kneading manœuvre is called a "rabat".
Cover the bowl again and leave to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.
This sequence of "rabat" + 20 minutes resting should be done 3 times.
Note: The "rabat" technique is rather hard to describe, so you can watch it in the video on the right.
Stage 7 - ⌛ 1 min.
Cover the bowl and leave to rest in a warm place for 2 hours.
After resting, tip the dough out onto your worktop.
After resting, tip the dough out onto your worktop.
Stage 8 - ⌛ 2 min.
Shape it into a nice round ball by folding the edge under until the top becomes a smooth dome.
Stage 9 - ⌛ 2 hours
Stage 10 - ⌛ 40 min.
Preheat the oven to 240°C (460°F).
Turn the loaf out of the basket, slash the top and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
Note: As when baking any bread, you should ensure that the oven is filled with steam for the first 15 minutes of baking. This page shows you how; it really is the secret of golden-brown, crusty loaves..
Turn the loaf out of the basket, slash the top and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
Note: As when baking any bread, you should ensure that the oven is filled with steam for the first 15 minutes of baking. This page shows you how; it really is the secret of golden-brown, crusty loaves..
Stage 11
When the loaf comes out of the oven, see how crunchy the crust is and how light the loaf is inside.
Remarks
This recipe only works well with ocean water (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian); the water from the Mediterranean is too salty, so needs to be diluted with a little fresh water.
In spite of the name, there's no "sea" flavour to this bread. Delicious as it is, you'll not find any trace of the slight iodine taste of the sea (no doubt this disappears during cooking). To get this flavour, you would need to add seaweed extract or other seafood.
In spite of the name, there's no "sea" flavour to this bread. Delicious as it is, you'll not find any trace of the slight iodine taste of the sea (no doubt this disappears during cooking). To get this flavour, you would need to add seaweed extract or other seafood.
Keeping: Several days in a towel bag.
Source: Home-made, but warmly dedicated to Clairette and Tom-Tom who are sailing somewhere between the Azores and the Canary Isles.
How much will it cost?
- For 1 Ocean bread : 1.05 €
Change currency:
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Plain white flour (French Type 65)
Like these other recipes: Pizza dough, Benoîton, Classic French white bread, Seeded loaf, Roscoff loaf, ... See them all 19
Sea water
Like these other recipes: How to make fleur de sel (salt flakes), ... See them all 1
Leaven
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Old style brioche, Cretan Bread, Ali Baba bread, Saucipain, Panettone, ... See them all 21
Yeast
Like these other recipes: Bacon rolls, Old style brioche, Rolled chestnut and apple brioche, Two-olive ciabatta, Jura bread, ... See them all 56
Other recipes you may also like
Praline
Praline is a preparation of caramelized nuts (in this case almonds), with a very characteristic flavour. Either crushed or as a paste, it is used to fill or flavour all manner of things like creams, chocolates, biscuits, etc. August 3rd 2012281 K3.5 55 min.
Upside-down Parmentier
Parmentier is a French version of shepherd's pie. This variation has slow-cooked meat on top of the mashed potato (purée), instead of underneath. A red-wine sauce adds the finishing touch. November 6th 2011123 K4.2 6 hours 7 min.
Larded pork tenderloin
Tenderloin of pork stuffed with mustard and parsley, then wrapped in thin slices of bacon and oven roasted. November 3rd 2011271 K 14.7 1 hour 30 min.
Beetroot and cream cheese verrines
Diced beetroot, marinated in lemon juice and walnut oil, between layers of cream cheese with herbs. May 29th 2013124 K5 2 hours 50 min.
Chicken pie
Apart from the obvious chicken, this pie's puff pastry "lid" also conceals mushrooms, bacon, hard-boiled eggs and leeks. May 10th 2023132 K4.3 2 hours 30 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-01-25)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 6 comments already posted on this recipe