Yesterday, I attended a sourdough workshop and came home with a starter. I may or may not manage to keep it alive. I might have beautiful bread, I might get way too involved and start bringing it on trips. Who knows. But I’m not concerned if I never get a lovely loaf because I have a way to make bread without a starter. It’s called yeast.
Well over a decade ago, I found a recipe for crusty bread that mimics a lot of sourdough’s properties, but relies on commercial yeast for rise. I’ve never had a bad loaf. Unfortunately, the original website (frugallivingnw.com) is defunct, so I have to take it upon myself to put it back on the internet where it belongs. It was called Amazing no kneed bread or something like that. We call it crusty bread here in this house. It makes a large, sourdoughesque loaf of bread that is marvelous for dunking into soups or stews, making toast, making French toast, drenching in butter…. It is bread. You can make sandwiches with it, but it’s not very conducive to that application. There are better sandwich bread recipes out there.
The original recipe was exact. I am not. I actually had to pull out a scale to see how much water needed added because I forgot. This is a very easy, basic loaf that I’ve never had a problem with, even though I do not really measure anything anymore.
Times are all approximate and it is a very forgiving dough recipe. I will not be beholden to a lump of wet flour.
… My sourdough is going to die, isn’t it.
Without further ado, I present-
Joelle’s super amazing crusty bread she stole from another blogger
Ingredients
6 cups all purpose flour (bread flour works, unbleached works, half whole wheat works…I wouldn’t recommend cake flour or a gluten free recipe. The whole idea of this particular bread is to let time instead of effort develop gluten)
1/2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt (iodized is just fine)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 3/4 cups warm water
My kitchen was not clean. I don’t clean on Sundays, but I took photos anyway. You’re welcome.
Trusty 5 qt OXO mixing bowl
Or whatever brand
Add flour
Poof
Add yeast. I measure like this. It’s probably closer to a full teaspoon. Who cares…
Magic rising dust
Add salt. I measure like this. Don’t undersalt! It is vital to tasty bread.
Magic tasty rocks
Add oil. I just pour it from my olive oil bottle
Glug
Hand mix.
My hand looks purple throughout. Promise it’s pink in real life and I’m not a zombie.
Add water. Mix to shaggy. I added 450 mls. That was probably too much. 425 would have been better. That’s 1 3/4 cups.
Shaggy dough
Cover with-
Plastic wrap
Defying gravity! I don’t know why it’s sideways and I’m not fixing it.
Foil
Shiny!
A dirty pan lid
Ew. Maybe not this one.
A clean towel
Classic
Anything that covers the bowl. I currently use a silicone multi use lid I got from Aldi.
Now the most important part- leave it alone. The time is what allows for gluten production and the yeast to develop some more complex flavors. This is a two day process. If your kitchen is 70° or warmer- stick it in the fridge after a couple hours and pull it out an hour before you want to shape. If it’s under 70°, it can sit out overnight. It’s ok if it overproofs in your warm kitchen, really. It will still taste fine. At least twelve hours, but eighteen is better. I finished this stage around 6:30 Sunday evening. It won’t make it eighteen hours.
It’s now 10 AM Monday morning. My kitchen is cleaner… Let’s shape!
Piano for lessons and all
Our dough has risen extensively.
Bubbles!
To shape, you can turn it out onto a sillicone sheet, parchment paper, a lightly floured counter, whatever. Due to the over watering in step one, I just shaped it in the bowl.
Scoop underneath the dough ball and fold it on top, forming a skin on the bottom and a seam on the top. You could also fold it all under if you are so inclined.
Scoop
When you are satisfied with both your skin and seam, flip the ball over to place the seam on the bottom and the skin on the top.
Good enough.
Cover and allow to proof for two hours.
Ugh. More waiting.
While we wait, let’s talk baking vessels. I bake in my four quart Staub Dutch oven. I use my four quart Dutch oven for EVERYTHING. I adore my Dutch oven. Everyone who cooks should have one. I can’t believe I waited until 2020 to get one.
Much beloved
But, if you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use any tall sided cookware that can withstand a 425° oven. I used this super cheap Walmart cookpot and took the handles off for almost a decade before I got my Dutch oven. It worked just fine. This bread does need side support until it is baked or it will flatten entirely. Any high sided cooking vessel will work.
I know you’re jealous of all my fancy stuff
Ok. It’s been an hour and a half (11:30). Put your baking vessel in the oven and set it to 425°. Once it’s piping hot (about half an hour), pull it out and dump the bread- seam side down- into the heated baking dish. I put some cornmeal on the bottom of the pan, but it’s just because I like the texture. It’s completely optional. Mine went into the oven at 11:54.
Pretty! Sideways again….
Not pretty!
Cover and toss into the oven for 45- 55 minutes. This is a big loaf. It takes a lot of time to bake. If you are worried about internal temp, bread needs to hit 200° to be completely baked. I have never temped my bread. It has never come out under. I do tap on the top if I’m worried and, if it feels hollow, I know it’s done.
When 45- 55 minutes is up, remove the lid and look at your… very blonde loaf. Don’t fret. We covered it because if we baked it open, it would overbrown before it was finished baking.
Almost there
Set your timer for 15 minutes and look again.
Aww yeah. Golden brown and delicious.
The time is now 1:09. Turn out of your pan. It will literally fall out if you turn it upside down. Wire rack not necessary, but does allow for better airflow. Listen to it crackle into place and inhale all the yeasty goodness.
LOOKATIT
Now for the hardest part. The final wait. All bread needs to rest to allow the gluten to set in place. At least two hours. Otherwise, you’ll just have glue. You could make two smaller loaves (adjusting for time) with this recipe and tear into one while it’s hot- like a heathen. That is sometimes worth it….
Let your Dutch oven cool, wash it, fill it with something delicious (tonight, Monday, is butter chicken) and serve alongside your homemade bread you practically ignored all day.
Basically clean.
I did wash it before refilling it…
Slice
Serve!
