This recipe uses volumetric measurements, which are the pits. We should really be measuring our ingredients by weight. Try this recipe for now, but you should go buy a scale
- 4 cups bread flour (500g)
- 1 tsp instant yeast (7.5g)
- 2 tsp salt (10g)
- 1 1/2 cups water (350g)
Using the dough hook or spiral attachment, mix all the ingredients in your mixer on speed 2 for 6 minutes then for 3 minutes on speed three. Keep an eye on your mixer for any signs of straining or the motor overheating. If it sounds or smells like you're going to break your mixer, use common sense and give the poor machine a rest.
The dough should start looking shaggy, sort of flakey and dry. But it should finish tacky and smooth. It should not stick to the bowl except possibly on the bottom. The bowl should be clean after mixing.
We'll let the fermentation start at room temperature to get things moving. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the mixed dough out for 1 hour. Don't put it in an especially warm place. Room temperature (70-74 is fine).
To develop better flavor and give ourselves a break, put the dough in the fridge, in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Leave the dough in the fridge for 18-24 hours.
Remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature. This will take about 1.5 hours.
I've written some instructions below, but learning to shape is best done visually, so I'd suggest following the instructions in the following video:
Shape the dough into a boule (a ball)
- Place the dough on a counter or board dusted liberally with flour
- Press the dough flat into a flat disc, compressing out most (but not all) of the gas bubbles in the dough. The disc shouldn't be thin like a pizza crust, just press on it, stretching isn't necessary.
- Fold the edges of the disc into the center
- Flip the dough over and drag the dough across the counter to create tension. The goal is to create a taut ball of dough.
The dough should develop a taut skin, it should not tear!
Now, let the dough rest at room temperature for 45 minutes. Don't worry about covering it.
While the dough is proofing, turn on the oven to 475. Put the dutch oven in the oven so it's preheated as well.
Take the dutch oven out of the oven and place it next to the boule of dough. We'll be carefully placing the dough into the dutch oven, so keep everything close so you're not walking around the kitchen with a difficult to hold boule of dough.
Using either a very shape kitchen knife, a razor blade or a serrated knife, make two long cuts in a cross shape across the top of the dough. These cuts should be about 1/4" deep and reach almost to the edge of the boule.
Scoring isn't easy, so don't get too upset if this doesn't go well with the first time.
Carefully place the loaf into the dutch oven. It might not be perfectly center, if so, just shake the oven around to move the dough towards the center.
Cover the dutch oven and place it in the oven.
Bake at 475 for the entire duration of the bake. Bake for 15 minutes with the cover on, then another 20ish minutes with the cover off.
Basically, bake it until it's a nice dark brown. Don't get scared and take it out when it's blond. We want a nice dark crust.
You can't eat or cut into bread until it's cooled down. So wait about 45 minutes. Then get some butter or cheese ready to enjoy your bread!