Baked Rustic Country Loaf Recipes

RUSTIC COUNTRY LOAF

Steps:

• Line one heavy sheet pan with parchment and dust with cornmeal.
• Dissolve the yeast in 1/3 cup of warm (100-110 F) water and sugar. Allow to rise for 10 minutes.
• Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with wooden spoon to combine. Make a well in the center and slowly add warm water, and yeast mixture. With a heavy wooden spoon, stir mixture until it forms a sticky dough that clings to spoon.
• Using clean, floured hands remove dough from spoon and bowl and place on lightly floured work surface. With both hands knead dough until it is slightly smooth. If dough still remains sticky add a little flour and mix inches Form the dough into a ball and put it back in mixing bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel, let rise in warm place for about one hour or until dough doubles in size.
• When dough has doubled in size, punch it down and return dough to bowl for an additional half hour to rise.
• After the half hour remove the dough and punch it down again. Knead slightly and form back into a ball tucking ends underneath. Place dough on parchment lined sheet pan, cover with kitchen towel, let rise again for 30 to 40 minutes until almost doubled in size.
• While dough is rising, preheat over to 425 degrees.
• When dough has risen, lightly dust with flour and place dough on middle rack in hot oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until bread is a deep golden brown. Remove loaf and place on rack to cool.

EFFORTLESS RUSTIC BREAD

Steps:

• Mix water, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl until mixture becomes foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir flour into yeast mixture until well incorporated. The dough will be loose and look wet. Cover bowl loosely with a damp towel and let sit for about 5 hours.
• Shape dough into 2 loaves using damp hands. Place loaves on a cornmeal-dusted work surface and score the tops a few times with a sharp knife. Allow loaves to double in size, 30 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place loaves on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven, spraying the surface of the dough occasionally with water, until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

WHOLE GRAIN SOURDOUGH RUSTIC COUNTRY LOAF

Steps:

• Combine salt with flour in a mixing bowl, then add water and mix either by hand or with a dough whisk until fully incorporated into a "shaggy mass."
• Add starter and mix / squish by hand until fully incorporated. The process of incorporating the starter is a bit of primary kneading and should result in the dough smoothing out some, but don't go nuts. As soon as the starter is fully incorporated, you're done.
• Cover mixing bowl and let sit.
• First Bulk Fermentation Period
• The first (of three) bulk fermentation period is at room temperature which for me is 73 - 75 degrees F, and lasts about 10 hours.
• At about an hour in, do 5-10 minutes of hand kneading (see notes and video below) until the dough develops some strength and elasticity and becomes noticeably smoother. Cover and let sit.
• Every 1-2 hours (exact timing is not important - really!) do a short round of stretching and folding to re-develop the dough's elasticity (see notes and video below). Then re-cover and let sit.
• Second Bulk Fermentation Period
• After about 10 hours, or whenever the dough has risen to about 1.5 times its original volume, put the covered bowl of dough into a cold (~40 F) refrigerator and let sit (for me, this is overnight) for about 10 hours.
• Third Bulk Fermentation Period
• Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature again.
• As the dough warms up, resume periodic stretch and folds. Dough should be feeling progressively more lively, developing a bit of sour aroma, and eventually starting to bubble some.
• This final bulk fermentation period is the hardest to put a time length on. Getting it right matters, and it will totally depend on how active your starter is, how warm your kitchen is, and a whole host of other mostly invisible things. You are shooting to finish this period when the dough has risen to 2 - 2.5 times its original volume and ideally is actively blowing a few bubbles. I've had this take anywhere from 4 - 8 hours depending on this and that. Your mileage may vary. Try not to overshoot this - you'll probably have a better result erring on the too soon side than the too late side.
• Shaping and Proofing
• (See notes and video below)
• Prepare a lined proofing basket by generously flouring the inside and set it aside.
• Lightly flour a large work surface and turn the dough out onto it.
• Wet your hands, punch down the dough and then stretch and flatten it into a large thin rectangle.
• Fold dough in half from top to bottom and press top into bottom, flattening again but not as big as the initial rectangle. At this point, you want the height of the dough rectangle to be right about the length of your proofing basket (no more than that).
• [Optional] Lightly flour the top of the dough (and your hands).
• Start at one end and roll the dough rectangle into a cylinder.
• Keep track of the seam and transfer the dough cylinder into the lined, floured proofing basket seam-side up.
• Cover and let sit for 1 - 1.5 hours.
• Baking
• From 30 - 60 minutes after transferring dough into proofing basket, pre-heat oven and clay baker to 450 degrees F ~ about 20 - 30 minutes.
• Uncover dough and transfer from proofing basket into base of clay baker, score top of dough, cover and bake at 450 F for 25 minutes.
• Uncover clay baker, reduce oven temperature to 400 F and bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes (or until desired crust color develops).
• Remove bread and place on cooling rack for at least a couple hours before cutting.

RUSTIC COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add salt, vinegar and 1-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Do not knead. Transfer to a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 50 minutes., Stir dough down. Transfer to a greased 9-in. pie plate. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 35 minutes. , Preheat oven to 425°. Brush with oil. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until golden brown, spritzing twice with additional water.

RUSTIC COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• The day before making bread, place 3/4 cup spring water, 1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast and 1 3/4 cup bread flour into pan of a bread machine. Select dough cycle and let knead for 5 minutes. Stop machine and let rise overnight.
• The next day, pour starter from bread machine pan into a non-metallic container. Reserve 1/3 cup for this recipe and freeze remainder for later use.
• In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup reserved starter, 1 cup spring water, 1/2 teaspoon yeast, 2 cups bread flour, whole wheat flour and salt. Select Dough Cycle; press Start. After 10 minutes, remove dough from machine and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours. Deflate dough and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a round loaf. Place loaf on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Spray loaf with water and place in preheated oven. Spray loaf again every two minutes during the first 10 minutes of baking. Bake for 40 minutes, until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

COUNTRY LOAF

Steps:

• First, make the starter. Tip the flour and yeast into a bowl. Pour over 200ml warm water, use a wooden spoon to mix together, then cover the bowl with a piece of oiled cling film. Leave in the fridge overnight, after which the dough should look fairly frothy and bubbly, with a sweet yeasty smell.
• Now make the bread. Tip the flour into a bowl along with the yeast and salt. Pour 150ml warm water and the yogurt into the starter mixture, stir until well combined, then pour this into the bowl with the flour. Use a spoon to bring the mixture together into a ball - this will take a couple of mins as the flour needs to absorb the water. Add another 50ml water if the dough feels tight.
• Tip out the dough onto a surface lightly dusted with flour. Push down and away, using the heel of your hand to stretch out the dough, then fold the outside edge back over itself to make a ball again. Twist the dough round a bit and start again. Keep kneading like this for about 10 mins, depending on how vigorous you are. When it's ready, the dough should feel slightly springy when touched and have a smooth surface when shaped into a ball. Alternatively, you can knead the dough for about 5 mins in a table-top mixer or food processor with a dough attachment.
• Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Oil a piece of cling film, lay this loosely over the top, then leave in a warm, draught-free place until nearly trebled in size - this can take from 45 mins to about 1½ hrs. Remove the cling film and punch down the airy dough with your hand. Tip out onto your floured surface, knead a couple of times until smooth and the air has been knocked out, then lightly oil a large baking sheet. Shape the dough into a round ball and place on the sheet. Re-cover with the oiled piece of cling film and leave until doubled in size, about 1 hr.
• Heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Place a roasting tin on the bottom shelf of the oven and carefully half-fill with boiling water from the kettle. Leave in the oven for 10 mins so it gets steamy. If your dough has spread, gently tuck the ends under to make a neat ball, then use a sharp knife to make a few slashes across the bread before lightly dusting with flour. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven and bake for 20 mins. Turn the heat down to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7, bake for 25 mins more, then take out of the oven. Tap the bottom of the loaf - it should sound hollow. Return to the oven for another 10 mins if not. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Great with a bowl of soup, as a chunky sandwich or, best of all, lightly toasted with some butter and jam.

INSTANT POT® RUSTIC COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• Stir bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined; set aside.
• Gently whisk 1 1/4 cups warm water and yeast together in a small bowl. Allow to rest at room temperature until foamy and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
• Make a shallow well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir together using a spatula until a coarse dough begins to form. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and begin kneading, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with cooking spray. Cover the bowl with a towel lightly dampened with warm water and set aside in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Lightly grease a 7- to 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper; lightly grease parchment paper with cooking spray; set aside.
• Using your fingers, gently press down on dough to deflate slightly and transfer to a work surface that has been very lightly dusted with flour. Gently knead dough 2 or 3 times, preserving as many air bubbles as possible. Using the sides of your hands, shape dough into a ball by pulling the sides under until a smooth and slightly shiny surface develops. Gently transfer dough to the prepared cake pan and lightly dust with flour; cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Add remaining 1 cup water and a steam rack to a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as an Instant Pot®); place cake pan on the rack. Close and lock the lid. Turn vent to Sealing position. Select Manual/Yogurt setting; set timer for 1 hour. Dough will rise in cooker and double in size. Press Cancel.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Select Manual/Pressure Cook setting on the Instant Pot®. Select high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions; set timer for 40 minutes. Allow 3 to 5 minutes for pressure to build.
• Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, 8 to 10 minutes. Unlock and remove lid. Carefully remove the cake pan as it will be hot; remove aluminum foil.
• Transfer cake pan to the preheated oven and bake until bread is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove bread from the cake pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing, about 30 minutes. Using a bread knife, slice loaf crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices.