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Simple Crusty White Bread Recipe
MAX BERNSTEIN
Baking a crusty loaf of country-style white bread at home is made simple with a dutch oven and digital scale.
Published: August 13, 2014
Last Updated: April 3, 2020
This all-purpose bread recipe produces a crusty plain white loaf that's classic and delicious.
The quantities given here yield two crusty hearth loaves with an open crumb, and is a great
starting point for learning to bake bread at home.
Why It Works
• Spraying the bread and keeping it covered for the Qrst part of the bake has a twofold eRect,
both keeping the crust from forming too early in the process and ensuring that once it does
form, it's as crisp and burnished as can be.
• ProoQng the bread in Tour-dusted, cloth-lined baskets or bowls protects against sticking
and keeps the dough intact.
Read more: Everything You Need to Know to Start Baking Awesome Bread
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Sandwich Hybrid of Your Dreams
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YIELD: Makes 2 large (850g) loaves ACTIVE TIME: 1 hour
TOTAL TIME: About 5 hours RATED:
Ingredients Directions
1000 grams all-purpose 1. If using instant or fresh yeast, combine Tour and all of
Tour, plus more for the water in a stand mixer Qtted with the dough hook.
dusting
If using active dry yeast, combine Tour with 650
700 grams room- grams water and combine yeast with 50 grams warm
temperature water, water; let yeast stand until foamy. Mix Tour and water
divided if using active at low speed until they are fully incorporated and form
dry yeast a uniform dough. Alternatively, combine Tour and
water in a mixing bowl and mix using a dough spatula
22 grams salt
until dough forms. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel
4 grams instant yeast, 5 or plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least 15
grams active dry yeast, minutes and up to 1 hour.
or 10 grams fresh yeast
(see note) 2. Add salt, along with either the instant yeast, fresh
yeast, or the active-dry yeast solution, and mix at low
Vegetable, canola, or
speed or by hand until salt and yeast are fully
other neutral oil, for
greasing
incorporated and dough is smooth.
3. Turn stand mixer up to medium-high speed and mix
until the dough feels elastic and bounces partway
back when indented with your thumb, about 3-5
minutes. If mixing by hand, skip this step.
4. Working with oiled hands, gently transfer dough,
being careful not to tear its surface, to a lightly oiled
mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough
stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Uncover
dough. Working with wet hands and/or a plastic bench
scraper, loosen the dough, then gently lift and pull the
dough down towards you, folding it in half. Give the
bowl a quarter turn and repeat, folding the dough in
half towards you. Now give the bowl a half turn and
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repeat the fold a Qnal time, being careful not to
compress it too much. Lastly, pull the unfolded side of
your dough carefully up from the bottom, and pull it
up and over to form a neat package. Re-cover with
plastic wrap and let stand until dough has increased in
volume by half, about 1 hour 30 minutes longer.
5. Transfer dough in one piece to a lightly Toured work
surface. Using a bench knife, divide dough in half and
shape each portion into a ball. Dust the tops of the
dough balls with Tour, cover with a towel, and let rest
for 15 minutes.
6. Shape the dough into rounds once again, gently
folding the dough over itself similar to how you did
before, but even more carefully now. Now Tip the
dough ball over so that the seams you just created are
on the bottom and a smooth surface is on top. Let
dough rest on the work surface, seam-side down, for
5 minutes. Transfer each dough ball, seam-side up, to
a bowl or basket lined with a lightly Toured linen cloth
or plain, not-fuzzy kitchen towel. Refrigerate dough
balls or store in a cool place until dough has nearly
doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, set a Dutch oven on the oven's bottom
rack and preheat oven to 500°F (260°C)(if your oven
has a convection setting, do not use it).
8. Remove 1 loaf from the refrigerator and gently turn it
out, seam-side down, into the preheated Dutch oven.
With a razor or paring knife, score the full surface of
the dough with 2 parallel lines roughly 3 inches apart.
With a spray bottle Qlled with water, lightly spritz the
surface of the dough. Cover and bake for 15 minutes.
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Lower oven temperature to 450°F (232°C)and bake for
15 minutes longer. Uncover and bake until crust is
dark brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Transfer loaf to a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 1
hour before slicing. Return Dutch oven to oven, and
reheat at 500°F (260°C) for 10 minutes. Then repeat
with the remaining ball of dough.
Special Equipment
Dutch oven with lid; digital scale; bowl scraper ; bench scraper; 2 (2-pound) capacity bread
prooQng baskets or medium mixing bowls lined with lightly Toured cloth; spray bottle Qlled with
water
Notes
This recipe requires a scale to measure the ingredients—it's a far more accurate way to bake
and will deliver much more consistent results. This recipe works with multiple types of yeast:
choose whichever is available to you.
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YEAST BREAD | BAKING | CHRISTMAS | DAIRY-FREE | THANKSGIVING | VEGAN | ...
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