Crusty Rustic French Bread Dutch (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Dough
01 -
295 ml water warmed to 40–46°C
02 -
6 g active dry yeast
03 -
5 g salt
04 -
5 g sugar
05 -
410 g all-purpose flour
# Instructions:
01 -
Pop the bread out of the oven and set it on a wire rack. Make sure it's totally cool before you slice it up and dig in. Keep any leftovers in a sealed container or bag right on your counter for 3–5 days.
02 -
Use a super sharp blade to make a few cuts on top of your dough. Gently move it, still on the parchment, into the super-hot Dutch oven. Stick the lid on and bake for 30 minutes. Take the lid off and let it go another 10 minutes so the top gets good and golden. Baking sheet users—just bake uncovered for 35 minutes. The inside should hit about 99°C when it's ready.
03 -
Turn your oven on to 220°C. Put your Dutch oven and its lid inside so they get hot for about 20 minutes. Skip this bit if you plan on using a baking sheet instead.
04 -
Dust a big sheet of parchment or board with flour and set your dough on it. Smooth it into a round ball. Sprinkle flour on top, flip a big bowl over it to cover, then let it puff up for another 30 minutes.
05 -
Move your dough into a floured bowl, toss a clean towel over it, and leave it out until it doubles in size—about 2 hours at regular room temp.
06 -
Now add all the salt and half the flour to your bloomed yeast mix. Attach the dough hook and set your mixer to medium-low. Keep tossing flour in until things barely come together—the dough's supposed to be sticky right now.
07 -
Grab your mixer bowl and stir together the yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let them sit for roughly 5 minutes—you're waiting for the yeast to get bubbly and frothy.
# Notes:
01 -
Make sure your water's in the 40–46°C range to get your yeast going.
02 -
For crunchier crust, let your loaf finish cooling out in the open on a rack.
03 -
A little sticky dough means you'll get a better rise and nice big bubbles inside.