#Artisan bread recipes dutch oven how to#
#Artisan bread recipes dutch oven professional#

#Artisan bread recipes dutch oven professional#

Professional baking ovens achieve this balance via high temperatures and blasts of steam during the cooking process. She went on to explain that the secret to a loaf that is soft and moist on the inside and crusty on the outside lies in the careful balance of heat and humidity. She replied “quality ingredients, time and a $10,000 professional baking oven.” Ugh. On a Saturday morning bread run to Standard, I asked one of the bakers her secret to a crusty loaf. I remained committed to being able to produce the loaf of my dreams in my own kitchen. What I couldn’t bake myself was available just a few minutes and a few dollars away.īut for people like me who grow some of our own food and cook from scratch, close foods can never be quite close enough.

I became a regular customer of Standard Baking Co., a Portland-based bakery that turns out breads and pastries that rival Europe’s finest. What I couldn’t produce, unfortunately, was the type of bread I craved the most: a hearty, round rustic loaf with a moist, chewy crumb (inside) and a thick, crispy crust.įortunately, my return proved to be well-timed in that it coincided with an artisan bread-making revival making inroads in Maine.

I could produce zucchini and banana breads to die for, a decent sandwich loaf in both white and whole-wheat varieties, and a perfectly respectable focaccia. After five years playing around with different recipes and techniques, I reluctantly came to terms with my limits as a home baker. If you trip over anything in the winter-worn streets of Maine, it’s more likely to be a frost heave.īread had become so fundamental to my culinary happiness that I realized upon returning to the States that I needed to knead some of my own. The same cannot be said of my native state of Maine, where Wonder Bread still leads wonderful bread by a comfortable margin. I had just returned from 10 years living in Europe where artisan bread is so common you almost trip over the stuff in the streets. “Senza il pane tutto diventa orfano,” they say, which means “without bread, everyone’s an orphan.”Ībout six years ago, I felt orphaned myself. Legendary American chef and food writer James Beard called it the “most fundamentally satisfying of all foods” and referred to bread served with fresh butter as the “greatest of feasts.” True to form, the Italians are even more dramatic in describing bread’s essential role. Much has been written over the centuries about bread’s importance in global cuisine. Worse still, imagine a deliciously tangy piece of Camembert cheese, served with a glass of red wine, but no accompanying hunk of baguette. Picture a bowl of soup or a salad without a slice of crusty bread to go with it.

#Artisan bread recipes dutch oven how to#

Learn how to make this easy, no-knead dutch oven bread recipe using these step-by-step instructions. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.īake crusty, artisan bread with less effort. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect it will straighten out as it bakes. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees.When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball.Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water.Home Organization News, Blog, & Articles.Energy Efficiency News, Blog, & Articles.