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Ridiculously easy bread that is super crusty on the outside and steamy soft on the inside. You won’t believe how fool-proof this recipe is!
I have been OBSESSED with making homemade bread recently. Which is a little weird (and HOT!) for summertime, I know… but is homemade bread ever really out of season??
I actually have two different recipes I want to share with you, but for today– this Overnight Artisan Bread is what I’ve been making most frequently. And it’s been worth turning on the hot oven in the middle of June, I promise!
Aside from the crusty outside and heavenly soft insides, there’s something else I really, really like about this bread.
It is SO EASY to make. And I mean,SOOOOOOOOOOO easy. You don’t need a mixer at all, in fact, you don’t even have to knead the dough! Just stir it with a spoon, and then cover it up to do it’s thing overnight.
Yep– overnight!
That’s the other thing I love about this recipe. With most yeast breads, you have to be realllllly careful of the rising time. You always have to make sure that it risesjust right— not too much or it will fall, and not too little or it won’t be soft and puffy. Which means, you usually have to be around to babysit the dough for an hour or two.
But not this bread! Mix up the dough (and let’s review here– no mixer and no kneading!), and then let it just sit on the counter overnight. It can rest at room temp for 12-18 hours!! That’s a whole lot of time that you DON’T need to babysit dough.
I seriously adore low maintenance recipes like this one.
Ok, so next up…. I didn’t get a picture of this part, but it’s not hard to describe:
After the 12-18 hours of rising, the dough will be puffed up in the bowl. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t look smooth and round like typical bread dough. It will be sticky and pocked, and it should be pretty much level and flat.
Use floured hands to grab the dough out of the bowl and gently form into a round disc. Loosely wrap the dough in plastic or a bread towel while the oven is preheating.
Once the oven and the pot have preheated, place the dough in the pot, cover, and start baking. Quick tip. If you ever burn a pot, here’s an article on how to clean burnt pots and pans.!
Baking the bread in a dutch oven (or any covered pot that is oven safe up to 450ºF) is what makes this bread taste so special! The steam from baking in a covered pot bakes the inside of the bread to soft perfection, and it’s also responsible for making an incredible crust on the outside.
Steam is like the secret weapon of bread-making. It does magical things. ????
Once the bread cools (if you can wait that long before digging in), slice it up and serve it with pretty much anything! It makes fabulous sandwiches, incredible french toast, and even makes for a classy dinner bread on the side.
Enjoy!
Yield: 12 slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 17 hours5 minutes
Total Time: 18 hours
Ridiculously easy bread that is super crusty on the outside and steamy soft on the inside. You won't believe how fool-proof this recipe is!
In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients by hand until a sticky dough forms. Cover with a cloth and let rest overnight (12-18 hours) at room temperature.
Using well floured hands, turn dough out on to a floured surface and shape into a disc.Wrap loosely in plastic wrap or a cloth (preferable), and set aside while preheating the oven.
Preheat the oven,to 450ºF. Place dutch oven or pot in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Remove pot and carefully place dough inside. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Let cool on a cutting board after baking time is over.
Yes!If a recipe calls for proofing bread dough overnight in the refrigerator, it can be proofed on the counter at a warmer temperature for a shorter period. Rather than placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight, leave it covered on the counter for 1 to 4 hours until it's ready to bake.
When you put your dough in the fridge it slows the yeast activity down. It takes ten times longer for dough to rise in the fridge than it does at room temperature. This means you can put your dough in the fridge overnight or whilst you are at work and come back to it when you are ready.
For deeper flavour (and convenience), most doughs can be put in the fridge for their second rise and left to prove overnight. This sounds wrong, given that doughs rise fastest in warm conditions, but it really does work. Put the dough in the fridge straight after shaping, covered with oiled cling film.
Some store-bought breads, however, contains preservatives and processed ingredients. As artisan bread uses only the finest natural ingredients and it is made fresh, it has earned its spot in the top when it comes to the best bread options.
Clara shares: “I make a lot of crusty hearth breads and sourdoughs. These benefit from an overnight fermentation (rise) in the refrigerator to score cleanly and make the bread recipe fit around my schedule.” A touch of dryness from refrigerating uncovered free-form loaves helps with scoring.
What to look for in an over proofed loaf. Similar to the signs of over proofed dough, an over proofed loaf will be very flat, without much rise or retention of shaping. Over proofing destroys the structural integrity of the bread, so loaves that have gone over are unable to hold their shape in the oven.
Covering your dough with a plastic bag will stop it from drying out and delivers great results no matter how your fridge functions. But if for any reason you want to proof your dough uncovered, make sure your fridge doesn't get too dry and there aren't any fans circulating air which could cause the dough to dry out.
As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).
The recipe I have used for over 30 years includes double acting baking powder and part of the recipe is to refrigerate the dough overnight to allow the flour to absorb the fats and bloom. So, yes.
If you don't let the dough rise twice when baking bread, your bread may turn out dense and heavy. Rising the dough twice helps create air pockets inside the bread, making it light and fluffy. So, it's important to let the dough rise twice for better texture and taste in your bread.
Yes, you can let your bread rise overnight in the fridge. Keep in mind, though, you'll want the dough to come back up to room temperature before baking.
Gently press your finger into the dough on the top. If the dough springs back quickly, it's underproofed.If it springs back very slowly, it's properly proofed and ready to bake.Finally, if it never springs back, the dough is overproofed.
A “tight crumb” aka small holes in the interior of your bread can be the result of different factors: under-fermenting, over-fermenting, and a lack of gluten development. The most confounding part of sourdough bread baking is that the rise times of recipes are just a suggestion or range.
This real artisan bread calls for a 12-hour rise of the starter and then another two 45-minute rises. Remember, you don't have to do absolutely anything while the bread is rising.
Artisan breads are known for their high-quality ingredients, which contribute significantly to their higher cost: Organic and High-Quality Ingredients: These breads are often made with premium ingredients like organic flour and sea salt.
Wrapping bread and storing it at room temperature will help it retain moisture for a few days. But what if you can't finish the whole loaf in that amount of time? Freezing is the answer. The takeaway: If you're storing bread longer than a few days, it's best to keep it in the freezer.
While it's safe to keep many baked goods at room temperature, it depends on the item and should be taken on a case-by-case basis. For instance, breads and rolls can last up to four days at room temperature, but any bread with meat or hard-boiled eggs should be refrigerated within two hours, according to the USDA.
Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.
The longest final proof (at room temperature) is about 3 hours. When going past 2-3 hours in a final proof, the crumb tends to get very gassy and opens up large gas bubbles with a longer countertop proof.
Introduction: My name is Geoffrey Lueilwitz, I am a zealous, encouraging, sparkling, enchanting, graceful, faithful, nice person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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