Simple Crusty Bread
Ingredients:
1 packet Active Dry Yeast
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 and 1/2 cups warm water (110°F
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 egg
Sesame seeds (optional)
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 and 1/2 cups warm water (110°F
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 egg
Sesame seeds (optional)
Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl and lt it bloom until frothy on the surface, about 10 minutes.
Whisk the salt into the flour and add it all to the yeast mixture. Mix until the water is absorbed and all the flour is incorporated. Dough will be loose and crumbly.
Let rise, covered with a towel (not airtight) for 2 to 5 hours.
Sprinkle a little flour on the dough to make it easier to handle. It will be sticky. Roll dough onto parchment paper on a pizza peel, forming into ball by tucking the edges underneeath. Let it rest on the pizza peel for 40 minutes while the oven preheats.
Place pizza stone in oven on lower rack. Place baking dish or sheet pan on bottom rack. Preheat oven to 450° for 20 minutes.
Make three shallow cuts in the dough. Brush with egg wash (1 egg and 1 teaspoon of water). Cover with sesame seeds.
Slide bread into oven, add 2 cups of ice cubes to sheet pan on bottom shelf, and shut the oven door quickly to trap the steam. Slide the dough off the pizza peel and onto the stone.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when you tap it. Let it cool thoroughly before cutting.
Whisk the salt into the flour and add it all to the yeast mixture. Mix until the water is absorbed and all the flour is incorporated. Dough will be loose and crumbly.
Let rise, covered with a towel (not airtight) for 2 to 5 hours.
Sprinkle a little flour on the dough to make it easier to handle. It will be sticky. Roll dough onto parchment paper on a pizza peel, forming into ball by tucking the edges underneeath. Let it rest on the pizza peel for 40 minutes while the oven preheats.
Place pizza stone in oven on lower rack. Place baking dish or sheet pan on bottom rack. Preheat oven to 450° for 20 minutes.
Make three shallow cuts in the dough. Brush with egg wash (1 egg and 1 teaspoon of water). Cover with sesame seeds.
Slide bread into oven, add 2 cups of ice cubes to sheet pan on bottom shelf, and shut the oven door quickly to trap the steam. Slide the dough off the pizza peel and onto the stone.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when you tap it. Let it cool thoroughly before cutting.
Notes:
If you're not using instant dry yeast (and why would you?), you can add a tiny pinch of sugar to bloom the yeast in the warm water.
Dough can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge before baking for up to 2 weeks. Don't do it though. Just bake it.
If you don't have parchment paper, you can use a generous amount of corn meal on the pizza peel to help transfer the bread to the stone, but what a mess.
You can shape the dough into a rough loaf shape when you put it on the pizza peel if you don't want a round loaf.
BONUS NOTE: I know I said I wasn't going to add a lot of unnecessary text to these recipes, but I have to say that this is the easiest and best-tasting bread I have ever made. I'd rather bake this bread than buy a loaf. So there. That's a thing you know now.
Dough can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge before baking for up to 2 weeks. Don't do it though. Just bake it.
If you don't have parchment paper, you can use a generous amount of corn meal on the pizza peel to help transfer the bread to the stone, but what a mess.
You can shape the dough into a rough loaf shape when you put it on the pizza peel if you don't want a round loaf.
BONUS NOTE: I know I said I wasn't going to add a lot of unnecessary text to these recipes, but I have to say that this is the easiest and best-tasting bread I have ever made. I'd rather bake this bread than buy a loaf. So there. That's a thing you know now.