Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1000 grams AP flour, plus more for dusting
700 grams room-temperature water, divided if using active dry yeast
22 grams salt
4 grams instant yeast or 5 grams active dry yeast
1 teaspoon vegetable, canola, or other neutral oil, for greasing
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Directions: |
Directions:If using instant or fresh yeast, combine flour and all of the water in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. If using active dry yeast, combine flour with 650g of water and combine yeast with 50g of warm water; let yeast stand until foamy. Mix flour and water at low speed until they are fully incorporated and form a uniform dough. Alternatively, mix flour and water in a mixing bowl using a dough spatula until the dough forms. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. Add salt, along with yeast solution, and mix at low speed or by hand until salt and yeast are fully incorporated and dough is smooth. Turn the stand mixer up to medium-high speed and mix until the dough feels elastic and bounces partway back when indented with your thumb, about 3-5 minutes. If mixing by hand, skip this step. Working with oiled hands, gently transfer the dough, being careful not to tear its surface, to a lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Uncover the dough. Working with wet hands and/or a plastic bench scraper, loosen the dough, then gently lift and pull the dough down towards you, folding it in half. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat, folding the dough in half towards you. Now, give the bowl a half turn and repeat the fold a final time, being careful not to compress it too much. Lastly, pull the unfolded side of your dough carefully up from the bottom, and pull it up and over to form a neat package. Re-cover with plastic wrap and let stand until dough has increased in volume by half, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Transfer the dough in one piece to a lightly floured work surface. Using a bench knife, divide the dough in half and shape each portion into a ball. Dust the tops of the dough balls with flour, cover with a towel, and let rest for 15 minutes. Shape the dough into rounds once again, gently folding the dough over itself similar to how you did before, but even more carefully now. Now flip the dough ball over so that the seams you just created are on the bottom and a smooth surface is on top. Let the dough rest on the work surface, seam-side down, for 5 minutes. Transfer each dough ball, seam-side up, to a bowl or basket lined with a lightly floured linen cloth or plain, not-fuzzy kitchen towel. Refrigerate dough balls or store in a cool place until dough has nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. Meanwhile, set a Dutch oven on the oven's bottom rack and preheat oven to 500 degrees (If your oven has a convection setting, do not use it.) Remove 1 loaf from the refrigerator and gently turn it out, seam-side down, into the preheated Dutch oven. With a razor or paring knife, score the full surface of the dough with 2 parallel lines roughly 3 inches apart. With a spray bottle filled with water, lightly spritz the surface of the dough. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake for 15 minutes longer. Uncover and bake until crust is dark brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. Return Dutch oven to oven, and reheat at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Then repeat with the remaining ball of dough. |
This recipe for Simple Crusty White Bread is from