Sprinkle the yeast into the water in a bowl and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes.
Add the oil, barley malt syrup and half the flour and blend well.
Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
Stir in the rest of the flour and salt and knead to a smooth dough, adding a little more flour if necessary (the dough should not be too sticky).
Leave to rise again for 45-60 minutes, until doubled in size.
Punch down the risen dough to knock out any large air bubbles, shape into two loaves and place in two lightly oiled 900g (2lb) loaf tins.
Leave to prove until the top of the centre of the dough is level with the top of the tins.
Do not let it over rise or the dough will crack.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas mark 8.
Bake in the oven on the top shelf for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5 and bake for a further 1 hour.
Leave to cool before serving hot bread tastes great but it is hard to digest.