RUSTIC BREAD Copyright 2016 The Mobile Home Gourmet, MobileHomeGourmet.com, all rights reserved.

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Gloria Rose
6 years ago
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RUSTIC BREAD Makes 1 large loaf. By Dennis W. Viau; modified from a recipe on the King Arthur Flour web site. Rustic bread, as the name implies, is not fancy bread like a braided loaf.

1 RUSTIC BREAD Makes 1 large loaf. By Dennis W. Viau; modified from a recipe on the King Arthur Flour web site. Rustic bread, as the name implies, is not fancy bread like a braided loaf. Other names are farm bread, country bread, peasant bread, and possibly many others. The goal is a simple loaf to fill people up. The simple ingredients are flour, yeast, salt, and water. Although the following uses two procedures, you can do it all in one day. It should be simple. Ingredients: The Sponge (begin the night before) 1 cup (237ml) water (room temperature) ¼ teaspoon yeast (from a ¼ ounce / 7g packet), instant or active dry 1¼ cups (~6 oz./170g) bread flour (unbleached, if available) 1 The Dough 1 cup (237ml) water (room temperature) 2 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 2 teaspoons yeast (remainder of the packet) 3 cups (15 oz. / 425g) bread flour, plus more as needed Corn meal as needed Directions: Prepare the sponge by placing all the sponge ingredients in a bowl (or stand mixer bowl) and combine thoroughly. Cover and let rest at room temperature (or refrigerated) overnight, or for 8 to 12 hours. The following day, add all of the dough ingredients to the sponge. Combine until dry enough to knead. Transfer to a clean surface and knead until smooth. If using a stand mixer, attach the bowl to the mixer and use the dough hook to knead the dough 6 to 8 minutes. The dough should be moist and slightly sticky pulling away from the sides of the bowl but sticking in the bottom. The texture can be modified by adding more water or flour, a little at a time, to achieve the desired consistency. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Cover it and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, 30 minutes to one hour. For a more developed flavor, the dough can be left to rise in the refrigerator overnight. Punch the dough down gently (deflate it) and shape it into a rounded ball. Place the dough, seam side-down, on a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel (or baking sheet). Cover the dough lightly and let it rise a second time until it appears to be about doubled, about 1 hour (or longer, if the dough has been refrigerated). Don t let it rise too much; it will collapse as it bakes. Toward the end of the second rise, adjust a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 475 F (246 C) (optional: with a pizza stone on the rack). Make several ¼-inch (6mm) deep slashes in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife or baker s lame. Using a clean spray bottle, spritz the loaf with water. Place the bread on the lowest rack (or on the pizza stone) and spritz the walls of the oven with water, avoiding the stone (it might crack) and the bulb (it might shatter). Spritz the oven walls every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. Lower the heat to 425 F (218 C)

2 and continue to bake until well-browned, about 35 minutes. The interior temperature of the bread should register at least 190 F (88 C) on a digital thermometer.

1 STEP-BY-STEP A sponge is a simple wet batter of flour, water, and yeast. It can be covered and allowed to develop for several hours or left overnight.

2 2 and continue to bake until well-browned, about 35 minutes. The interior temperature of the bread should register at least 190 F (88 C) on a digital thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool uncovered on a rack before slicing. Store, cut side down, on a counter (do not cover). Refrigerating bread will make it stale more quickly. 1 STEP-BY-STEP A sponge is a simple wet batter of flour, water, and yeast. It can be covered and allowed to develop for several hours or left overnight. There is a lot of flexibility when making rustic bread. 2 Add the remaining flour, water, yeast, and salt. Mix until dry enough to knead. You might need to add more or less flour. The dough should be sticky. Knead until smooth, 6 to 8 minutes.

4 I chose to bake my bread on a pizza stone; therefore, I dusted a pizza peel with plenty of corn meal.

3 3 3 Place the dough in a greased or oiled bowl, cover with plastic, and set aside to rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours. For a more developed flavor, the dough can be left to rise in the refrigerator overnight. 4 I chose to bake my bread on a pizza stone; therefore, I dusted a pizza peel with plenty of corn meal. I punched down the dough after the initial rise and then shaped it into a rounded loaf. I dusted the top with a little flour (to prevent the plastic wrap from sticking). Then I covered it with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in bulk, another hour or two. If you don t wish to use a pizza stone, the dough can be placed on a greased or dusted sheet pan, covered, and left to rise.

Use a very sharp knife or baker s lame if you have one.

4 5 4 Oven spring is a rapid rise in bread dough when it is first placed in the oven. Many bakers cut shallow slits in the top of the dough to allow for expansion. Use a very sharp knife or baker s lame if you have one. 6 With the oven heated to 475 F (246 C), I slid the dough onto the pizza stone. If using a baking sheet, you can simply place the sheet in the hot oven.

Then reduce the oven temperature to 425 F (218 C) and bake the bread until done, about 30 minutes

5 7 5 For a crisper crust, spritz the dough with a little water and spray the sides of the oven as well. Do this every few minutes during the first fifteen minutes of baking. Then reduce the oven temperature to 425 F (218 C) and bake the bread until done, about 30 minutes longer. 8 Here is my rustic bread, hot from the oven. You can see it isn t a fancy loaf; it s a rustic bread. Allow to cool before cutting.

9 6 The inside of the loaf has a good texture. The bread tastes good, as it should it s a simple bread. Conclusion To me, rustic bread is the simplest of breads to make. It is relatively easy.

6 9 6 The inside of the loaf has a good texture. The bread tastes good, as it should it s a simple bread. Conclusion To me, rustic bread is the simplest of breads to make. It is relatively easy. There is little that can go wrong. You can choose to let the dough rise on the counter or in the refrigerator. There are plenty of options here. One recipe I read said this dough responds well to neglect. If you forget about it for several hours, you can come back to it and all will still be well. Making rustic bread is also a satisfying project. There is something almost magical about the aroma of baking bread. And placing a loaf of homemade bread on the table usually impresses your dinner guests.

DINNER ROLLS Copyright 2017 The Mobile Home Gourmet, MobileHomeGourmet.com, all rights reserved.

DINNER ROLLS Copyright 2017 The Mobile Home Gourmet, MobileHomeGourmet.com, all rights reserved. DINNER ROLLS 1 Makes 12. By Dennis W. Viau; modified from friend s recipe. This recipe has one odd distinction: The first step is to boil some of the flour in milk and water to make a paste. How this contributes