Crusty White Farm Bread - How to Make Rustic, Flavorful Bread at Home!!!
Author: Whats4Chow
Recipe type: Bread & Dough
This rustic farmhouse bread is amazing. It can be free-formed, rolled and baked in the shape of a baguette, or baked in a bread pan. Most amazing though, is the amazing crust.... thick and chewy, with a flavor from heaven.
Ingredients
- 950g Strong white bread flour
- 60g Butter, grated
- 15ml Sugar
- 10ml Salt
- 12.5ml Instant yeast
- 30ml Milk powder
- 600ml Warm Water
Instructions
- Measure out the flour, grate the butter and measure the salt, sugar, milk powder, instant yeast and warm water.
- Place the mixer bowl on your stand mixer and add the grated butter. Attach the beater paddle to the mixer for this stage.
- Run the mixer on low speed for 60 seconds until the butter has been rubbed into the flour.
- Add all of the remaining dry ingredients and mix these in until well combined.
- Pour in the warm water and run the mixer on low speed to form the dough. When all of the water has been absorbed, and there is no loose flour at the bottom of the bowl, stop the mixer and exchange the beater for the dough hook.
- Allow the dough hook to knead the dough on medium-low speed for 8 to 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, scrape the dough down from the sides of the bowl, cover the bowl with cling-wrap and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes in a warm place.
- After rising, the dough will be at least doubled. Punch it down and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Flour the top of the dough as well, then knead the dough briefly, adding a little extra flour every time it becomes too sticky. Using a dough scraper also helps tremendously.
- Roll the dough into a large log and divide it into 4 equal pieces for baguette-style rolls, 2 pieces for 2 large 900g loaves, or leave it in one piece for extra-large loaf.
- I am doing baguette-style rolls which will be featured in another recipe tomorrow when I make gourmet pancetta, blue cheese, garlic and butter rolls.
- Knead the dough briefly and shape it into loaves, or in this case, roll it into lengths to fit your baguette pan or baking sheet.
- Transfer the rolls to the pan and cover them lightly with cling-wrap. Allow to rise again for 30 minutes. While they rise, preheat your oven to 200c or 400f.
- After 30 minutes the loaves will have doubled in size. Dust the tops of the loaves with flour then slash the loaves with a sharp blade. Spray your oven with a mist of water and bake the loaves for 30 minutes. Spray more water into the bottom of the oven halfway through.
- Bake 35 minutes for a 2 large loaves and 40-45 minutes for the extra large loaf.
- Test for doneness by flicking the loaves --- if it sounds hollow it is done.
- Once baked and golden, remove them from the oven. If you're using a perforated baguette pan, allow them to cool on the pan, otherwise transfer the loaves to wire racks to cool.
- All that remains is to savour these wonderful breads.
