Crusty Bread Recipe Uk

This easy (and we mean EASY!) homemade French bread recipe is sure to be a hit! Homemade dutch oven bread that's readyin just a few hours - no overnight rise. Crispy crust on the outside and soft, airy bread on the inside! Vegetarian.

The instructions may look a little long, but they'reall basically just notes on technique - so don't let the number of steps intimidate you!

If you're serious about homemade bread, you may enjoy using a proofing basket (it's one of my favorite kitchen tools!) to help the bread keep its shape while it rises. You also end up with beautiful flour rings on the crust! We like to use an 8- to 9-inch proofing basket for a single loaf of bread.

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If you don't have a proofing basket, no worries! Just use a medium-sized (8- or 9-inch diameter) mixing bowl to let the bread do its final rise before you bake it. Flour the bowl well to prevent sticking!

The crackly brown crust here is theresult of baking this bread in a Dutch oven. By keeping the lid on while the bread bakes, you create a nice steamy atmosphere inside the pot - and the steam is what gives the bread that crispy, magical crust. (Read more about the importance of steam in bread baking here!)

This section is LONG - but we wanted to cover the most frequent questions we get! Feel free to skip right to the recipe, but please do utilize this section if you run into questions while you're baking. For additional training videos, tips, and recipes, check out Everyday Artisan Bread!

Crusty Bread Recipe

How to measure flour: If you have a kitchen scale, please use it! Measuring by weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring by volume (with cups) and will give you more consistent bread. That being said, you can certainly make great bread without a kitchen scale! To measure flour in cups: If you measure flour by dipping your cup straight into the bag or bin and shaking off the excess, plan to use about 2 ½ cups of flour. If you measure by stirring the flour with a spoon or scoop before scooping it into a measuring cup and leveling it off, plan to use about 3 cups of flour. You can always add more flour if you need to - just be aware that this is a relatively slack (wet) dough, so it will be a bit shaggy and sticky at first (but it will smooth out and become more elastic as it rises and again as you shape it!)

Equipment. We recommend a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven for best results. Le Creuset and Staub are our favorites, but Marquette Castings and Lodge also make solid options that are more budget-friendly. If you don't have a Dutch oven, see this post for alternative baking methods (you can still make great bread without fancy equipment!) Please make sure that your Dutch oven is fitted with a metal (rather than plastic) knob on its lid for best results, and please check the care instructions on your individual equipment before baking. We use this 8.5-inch proofing basket, but an 8- or 9-inch banneton or medium-sized mixing bowl also work well for the final rise.

PLEASE READ THE POST ABOVE FOR OUR COMPLETE FAQs, TIPS, AND ADVICE. We've gotten so many amazing questions from you - we wanted to be sure to answer as many as we can as 

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As we can, but if we put our answers here in the recipe it would make it very annoying to print. Please check the FAQ section in the post above if you have a question or run into a problem! 

Love this recipe? We'd love to see you in our online course, Everyday Artisan Bread, where we share exclusive training videos, worksheets, and ad-free recipes!

I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. Tag your recipes # on social media to share your creations! Learn about our team!Using 5 ingredients, this bread is easy to make. I'll share the secret to getting a lovely craggy top WITHOUT having to slash the bread with a knife. This recipe uses a Dutch oven, but I'll show you how to get great results without one too.

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Lazy lunches with soft, warm, crusty buttered bread or serve it toasted for breakfast, slathered in jam. It really is the best.

The thick sides and base of a dutch oven help to ensure even baking of the bread, whilst also providing a sealed environment to trap in steam. It's this steam that helps bread to rise to it's full potential (with a little support from the sides of the pan).

The steam helps to prevent the crust from setting on the bread right away. If the crust sets immediately, then the bread can't rise and you get a heavy, dense loaf.

Crusty Bread –

The lid is removed for the last 10-15 minutes of baking to allow that crust to crisp up and turn beautifully golden.

As you can see in the comparison image below, the column on the right shows the results of baking the bread free-form on a flat baking sheet, with a water bath in the oven.

The seam still opened up quiet nicely (the steam from the water bath helps with that) and the flavour was still very good, but the bread was a little more dense and the crust was more crunchy - this is likely because the bread is exposed directly to the heat of the oven, rather than being protected in the pan.

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So you can do your second prove in a large bowl that's been floured, but it won't get those nice rings and it will be a little flatter on top.

It will still taste great though, and will still have a crisp exterior and fluffy interior if baked in the dutch oven.

Those folds/seams we made when shaping the bread will end up as the top of the bread, as you'll be tipping the bread out (to land the other way up) onto baking parchment.

Easy Crusty Bread

Those folds will open up slightly as the bread is baking, leaving you with a lovely slightly craggy crispy top. I got this tip from Life as a Strawberry and it works great!

Baking the loaf seam-side up also means you don't need to slash the bread with a knife to get an 'Artisan' look to the bread. I hate slashing bread, as I always worry I'm going to knock the air out of it, or I find the knife sticks and I have to drag it back out.

Added bonus: If you use a proving basket, this gives those folds a little more room (so they're not quite as compacted) during the second prove, so you'll get more of a craggy top.

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A delicious Artisan bread with a crispy crust and a soft interior. I'll show you how to get that craggy crust with or without a Dutch oven.

Yes, do the first prove covered, overnight, in the refrigerator, then remove from the fridge, shape and do the final 30-minute prove at room temperature (ensure it's a warm room or warm area of the room) before baking.

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Kneading really helps the gluten development, which will make the bread softer and with a better rise and more 'spring'. If you don't want to knead the dough, you'll need to prove the dough overnight (rather than for an hour) to give the gluten more time to develop. See instructions above for proving overnight.

How long will it last? The bread tastes at it's best if eaten in the first 24 hours. If you know the whole loaf is going to be eaten quickly (within 10 hours or so) there's no need to cover the bread. Just place on the chopping board cut-side down (presuming you've already cut into it). This will help to keep the crust nice and crispy.

If you know you want to make the bread last until the next day, then wrap in foil once cooled and store are room temperature. The bread will still be good for up to 2 days, but it gets less soft after 1 day.

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Yes: Replace the 2 tsp (7g) instant yeast with 2.5 tsp (9g) active dry yeast. OR Replace the 2 tsp (7g) instant yeast with 2tbsp (18g) of fresh yeast.

I find that plain (all-purpose) flour gives a slightly thinner but crustier exterior than bread flour. This gives it more of an artisan feel. Bread flour has a higher protein content, - which makes the dough more springy and chewy, with a thicker, chewier crusty.

You can replace with bread flour if you prefer. If you do, you'll need to add about 2.5-3 tbsp more water - as the bread flour absorbs more water.

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Calories: 156 kcal Carbohydrates: 33 g Protein: 5 g Fat: 1 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Sodium: 293 mg Potassium: 54 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 1 g Calcium: 6 mg Iron: 2 mg

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