The Simple Pleasure of Freshly Baked Bread
I’ve been happily obsessed with bread baking for the past few years now. There is nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread in your kitchen. It conjures feelings of warmth and comfort like none other and it’s a pleasure I wish more people partook in. I understand why people hesitate. It does take time and requires a bit of a learning curve. Every time I try a new recipe style or technique, my first couple of loaves don’t turn out as expected. But the results are edible, and almost always delicious. Plus, as far as cooking goes, bread is a pretty cheap experiment. Flour, water, salt and yeast are all you need. I promise, with a little patience and practice, you’ll be knocking out bakery worthy loaves in no time at all!
What I’m going to give you today are the basic proportions and tips to making a rustic style loaf. It can be shaped into a boule (French for ball, its a rustic round shape,) an oblong loaf, or even baguettes/batards. This is not a soft sandwich bread (although that is a lovely thing indeed, click here to learn more) or sweet dinner rolls (another favorite you can find a recipe here.) What we are looking for is an airy crumb with some bigger/irregular holes and a substantial crust.
In my last bread post, I described how to make your own yeast mother. For today’s recipe, I’ll be giving you 3 options. Option 1 makes the loaf with wild yeast only; Option 2 uses commercial yeast; and Option 3 combines the wild yeast mother with commercial yeast for speed and insurance. My next bread post will tackle the almighty sourdough.
Basic Proportions and Ingredients
1 tblsp kosher salt (1.5 tsp table salt)
You’ll also need neutral oil to grease bowls, etc.
For all three options, I’ll be using a stand mixer. But you can mix these doughs by hand. A sturdy wooden spoon is really all you need. Also, for all three options I’ll be following the Hearth Baking method I outlined in my previous post Hearth Bread Baking at Home.
Option 1
First, you’ll need 120 g of your active mother placed in the bottom of your mixing bowl. If you remember from the previous post, that means your first 60 grams of water and flour are now in the bowl (roughly 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water.)
On top of your mother, you are going to add the remaining 180 g (or roughly 3/4 cup) of water. On top of that, your remaining 300 g (roughly 2 and 1/2 cups) of flour and your salt. Remember to place your salt on the flour, don’t place it directly on the mother or you can kill some of that lovely yeast you took time to grow.
Mix using your dough hook until combined, then set the mixer for another 4 minutes. You should have a sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, even if it sticks to the bottom while mixing.
Once it’s done mixing, place the dough in a well oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, pull the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter or in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Depending on how strong your mother was and the temperature of your kitchen, this could take 3 to 8 hours.
Once your dough has doubled, lightly dust your work surface with flour and delicately take out your dough. You are not kneading it, but gently degassing and shaping your loaf. If you are new to bread baking, fold the dough onto itself just a few times gently, then shape into a ball and leave for it’s final proofing. I like to set it on parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
Option 2
Place the dough in a well oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, pull the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter or in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this could take 2 to 4 hours.
Once your dough has doubled, lightly dust your work surface with flour and delicately take out your dough. You are not kneading it, but gently degassing and shaping your loaf. If you are new to bread baking, fold the dough onto itself just a few times gently, then shape into a ball and leave for it’s final proofing. I like to set it on parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
Option 3
For the best of both worlds, I often like to combine my mother with a little commercial yeast. This gives you a good mix of complex flavor and a shorter proofing time. This option is identical to the process of Option 2, except on top of your mother, you are going to add the remaining 180 g (or roughly 3/4 cup) of water, then 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast, your remaining 300 g (roughly 2 and 1/2 cups) of flour and your salt. The next day, you proofing time before shaping should be anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.
After Shaping/During the Final Proof
After the steaming period of the first few minutes, turn your oven down to 450 and set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes your crust should be set and may have started to brown. This is when I rotate the loaf, remove the parchment paper if I used it, then continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees, about 25 to 35 minutes more.
Once your loaf is done, set it on a rack to cool. If you’ve gotten everything just right, your bread should sing to you – squeaking and cracking as the steam and pressure inside release through your crispy crust.
You are going to want to cut into it right away, but trust me, waiting just 10 minutes will reward you with a warm, delicious slice!
So go ahead. Don’t be scared. Get baking at home and then drop me a line and tell me how it goes! And if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
