re: Need a how to make a loaf of bread recipe

Used to sell at a farmers market. On break right now.

Buy a stone or, even better, a baking steel easily online through Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma or your favorite online kitchenware retailer. Or direct from Baking Steel.

But I encourage you to try the Dutch oven method. That’s my go to. And a Dutch oven is a more versatile purchase than a baking Stone.

Sheet pan will be fine, but you won’t get as much oven spring nor will the loaf be quite as crusty. So much of baking in a home oven is about heat transfer and thermal mass—the reason for a stone is that it traps and holds more heat than the thin sheet pan. So more heat to release into your loaf, making it expand more quickly (oven spring);before the crust sets firmly and puts an end to the expansion. A closed cast iron Dutch oven doubles the effect: high thermal mass, plus an enclosed space to trap steam, which keeps the crust flexible longer, so max oven spring, and creates a more distinct, crisp crust.

An old school enameled steel GraniteWare pot or turkey roaster is usually easy to find at WalMart, cheap, and gives great results. Lighter and easier to manage than a cast iron pot, too. I bought the big, oblong one so I can make two batards (oblong footballs) side by side, rather than being limited to just boules as in a round Dutch oven.

I started two batches of dough this morning. Gonna test whether I can appreciate the difference between a quick-rise version and one that slowly rises overnight.

First is a quick version of no knead. 3 cups AP flour, whole 1/4 ounce packet of instant yeast, 1.5 tsp salt, 1.5 cups warm water. Needs only 4 hours for the first rise.

Second is a Jim Lahey recipe. 3 cups bread or AP flour, only 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/3 cups water. The big differences are way less yeast and way more first rise time: at least 12 and preferably 18 hours. The recipe says the "long, slow fermentation is what yields the bread’s rich flavor." LINK

Going to bake both in a Dutch oven.

quote:

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Great now they’ll be a rush on these ingredients

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I can't find King Arthur in BR. Anyone seen any?

Also, Sams and Restaurant Depot sell 1 lb vac sealed bricks of instant yeast. Keep it in the freezer, it lasts forever (like a year). Way cheaper than the jars or sachets.

Loaf No. 1 (Quick Rise) is on the cooling rack for a couple of hours. Braved a trip to Whole Foods for some Kerrygold butter to slather on later.

Preheated oven to 450 with a 7.25 qt Dutch oven inside(with metal knob; no melting). Put the dough on parchment paper and sat it in the pot. Lid on for 30 minutes, then lid off for 15 more mins; Thermapen said bread was 210. I tested it after 12 minutes, but it wasn't quite to temp.

In the pot



On the rack

Pretty loaf. Wet dough baked in a DO is so dang forgiving. It’s always fun to lift the lid and see what sort of personality has emerged from a puddle of dough.

I like adding soaked sunflower and flax, in part bc the leithicin in the flaxseeds is a natural preservative and it stales much more slowly than without.

Sliced into No. 1. The Kerrygold butter (not shown here) exceeded my expectations. So creamy.