Serves 10
300 min
Simple Crusty White Bread
Recipe GLPR74ae9837feb396
A straightforward artisan-style white bread with a crispy, golden crust and tender crumb. This recipe uses a simple dough of flour, water, salt, and yeast, requiring only basic equipment and patience for a rustic loaf perfect for everyday eating.
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Ingredients
1000 g all-purpose flour
700 g room-temperature water
22 g salt
4 g instant yeast
1 teaspoon neutral oil for greasing (vegetable or canola)
all-purpose flour for dusting
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1000g all-purpose flour and 22g salt. Whisk together to distribute the salt evenly throughout the flour.
Add 4g instant yeast to the flour mixture and whisk to combine evenly. If using active dry yeast or fresh yeast instead, see the variations in step 3.
Pour 700g room-temperature water into the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hands until all flour is hydrated and a shaggy dough forms. Do not overwork the dough at this stage.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. This long fermentation develops flavor and structure without extensive kneading.
After the fermentation period, dust your work surface generously with all-purpose flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and gently fold it over itself a few times to build tension, being careful not to deflate it.
Shape the dough into a round or oval loaf by gently pulling the edges toward the center and rolling it seam-side down on the work surface. Use flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Lightly coat a bowl with 1 teaspoon neutral oil and place the shaped dough seam-side up in the bowl, or place it seam-side up on a flour-dusted banneton or kitchen towel. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
Let the dough perform a final proof at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, or until it shows signs of expansion and springs back slowly when poked gently.
Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). If using a Dutch oven, place it inside the oven during preheating so it is very hot.
Turn the proofed dough out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or Dutch oven, seam-side down. Score the top with a sharp knife to guide expansion and create an attractive crust pattern.
Bake at 450°F (232°C) for approximately 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and crispy. If using a covered Dutch oven, bake covered for the first 20 minutes, then uncover for the final 10 minutes.
Remove the loaf from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. The crust will continue to crisp as it cools.
