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Simple Crusty Bread

Source of Recipe

From "Gatherings" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"While you can simply grab a good baguette at the store, baking your own bread makes a meal extra-special (and your house will smell so good!). You don't need much in the way of special equipment; however, a baking stone will help your loaf develop a better crust. This bread is surprisingly easy to make�even for beginners. It has a gently crunchy exterior, a soft interior, and a lightly buttery flavor."

List of Ingredients

◦ 3 � cups (17 � ounces) bread flour
◦ 1 � teaspoons table salt
◦ 1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
◦ 1 ⅓ cups warm water (110 degrees)
◦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 teaspoon softened butter for bowl


Recipe

Whisk flour, salt, and yeast together in large bowl. Make well in center of flour mixture and add warm water and butter. Using wooden spoon or dough whisk, stir water and butter into flour mixture until loose dough forms. Using hands, bring dough together in bowl and knead until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth, round ball, 3 to 5 minutes. Grease clean, dry large bowl with 1 teaspoon softened butter. Place dough seam side up in prepared bowl and flip to coat with butter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 3 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

When dough has doubled in volume, adjust oven rack to middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Remove and reserve plastic wrap from dough. Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press and stretch dough into 15 by 7-inch rectangle. Roll up dough away from you into cylinder. Pinch seam closed, then roll loaf seam side down on large sheet of parchment paper. Reshape loaf as needed, tucking edges under to form torpedo shape. Cover loaf very loosely with reserved plastic wrap (to prevent drying out; check occasionally that plastic doesn't get tight as the loaf rises). Let rise until loaf doubles in size and dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your knuckle, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Using sharp paring knife or single-edge razor blade, slash loaf diagonally at 3- to 4-inch intervals across its top surface. Mist loaf and parchment thoroughly with water. Using pizza peel (or back of rimmed baking sheet or cookie sheet), slide parchment paper with loaf onto peel or pan and carefully transfer bread and parchment onto hot baking stone.

Bake until crust is golden brown and loaf registers 205 to 210 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating loaf halfway through baking. About 10 minutes before bread is done, use tongs to slide parchment out from under loaf, so bottom crust will crisp and brown more deeply. Transfer loaf to wire rack and let cool slightly, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Serves 4 to 6







❧ Notes:

� If you don't have a spray bottle of water to mist the dough before baking, which helps the dough develop a crisper crust, just wet your hands with cool water and flick your fingers over the dough.

� This recipe produces a loaf with a semifirm crust. For a crunchier crust, bake the loaf until the crust is deep brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

� Invest in a great salted butter to serve with this bread, such as Smj�r from Iceland or Lurpak from Denmark.