Rustic Country Bread Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast, milk, sugar, 1/4 cup semolina flour, whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup bread flour.
• Whisk until creamy and smooth.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 12 to 24 hours.
• Place dough in a large bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with a paddle.
• Add remaining yeast, water, salt, butter and 1 cup bread flour.
• Beat at medium speed 3 minutes, or until smooth.
• Add remaining flour at low speed, 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough is formed.
• Dough will just clear sides of bowl.
• (Process can also be done by hand in a large bowl.) Switch to a dough hook and continue mixing about 3 to 4 minutes, adding flour 1 Tablespoon at a time.
• (If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead 5 to 7 minutes, adding flour 1 Tablespoon at a time as necessary.) Dough should barely hold its shape.
• Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until tripled, about 2 hours.
• Gently deflate dough, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a round ball or oblong loaf.
• Roll lightly in flour and place on a baking sheet sprinkled with semolina flour.
• (Or, place dough in a greased 12" x 5" x 3 1/2" loaf pan.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 475° for at least 30 minutes.
• Make a slit in top of loaf with a serrated knife.
• Bake at 475° for 10 minutes, 400° for 15 minutes, and 325° for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Loaf is done when slightly domed and browned.
• Cool on a rack.
• Makes 1 large loaf.
• Note: Dough can also be shaped into flatbread, breadsticks or rolls.

Steps:

• Stir together Sponge ingredients to form a stiff dough. Cover and let rest for at least 5 hours.
• In mixing bowl with dough hook add the 4 cups of bread flour, 1-1/3 cups of water, 2TB honey and 2 tsp salt.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 2 hours.
• After 2 hours, fold dough into itself and dump into an oiled bowl with the smooth side up and let rise with a dampened kitchen towel over it for 45 minutes.
• In the meantime, preheat oven with tiles (or if you're using a stone preheat the stone in the oven to 450 degrees F.
• After the 45 minutes second rise time is up, dump the dough onto a cornmeal dusted piece of parchment paper that you've put onto a cookie sheet. Open oven and slide the dough with the parchment paper onto the baking tiles. Spritz oven with water and close oven and bake about 35 to 40 minutes or until internal temperature of bread reaches 210 degrees F.

Steps:

• The day before making the bread or early in the day, make the poolish (or biga) by placing 8 ounces of the flour, 7 ounces of room temperature water and the yeast in a large bowl and mixing it well with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it stand for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. The poolish should double in volume.
• Add 1 pound of the flour and 12 ounces of room temperature water to the poolish and mix together well with your hands. It will be very sticky. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the salt over the surface of the dough and then fold the dough onto itself several times until the salt is incorporated. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
• Cover your hands with flour and sprinkle flour around the outside edge of the dough. Fold the dough onto itself 6 to 8 times. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour.
• Fold the dough onto itself 6 to 8 times, dust a board generously with flour and pour the dough out onto the board.
• Divide the dough into two equal parts and turn and form each part into a ball, stretching the dough to form a smooth top. Sprinkle flour heavily in 2 separate bowls (there should be enough flour to keep the dough from sticking) and turn each ball of dough upside down into a bowl. Sprinkle the top of each ball with flour, cover each bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Turn each ball of dough bottom-side up onto its own sheet pan and use a knife or razor blade to score a tic-tac-toe design on the top of each loaf.
• Place the loaves in the oven, immediately lower the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes. (Do not open the oven door!) The loaves are done when they are golden brown and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Cool the loaves on a baking rack.

Steps:

• For the bread: Heat the milk to between 110 and 115 degrees F. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.
• Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. Add the sugar, butter and salt and stir to dissolve. Add the rye flour and mix on medium until smooth. Slowly beat in the all-purpose flour. When the dough has come together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured board. Divide it in 2, knead each piece a couple of times and form them into rounds. Put the rounds on an oiled baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.
• For the honey butter: While the bread is baking, put the butter, honey and just a dash of salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk it together. Scrape out into a ramekin and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator about a half hour before using.

Steps:

• BREAD MACHINE DIRECTIONS
• PLACE all ingredients except cornmeal and egg white in bread machine pan according to manufacturer's directions. Process on DOUGH setting.
• SPRINKLE ungreased cookie sheet with cornmeal. At end of dough cycle, remove dough from machine. Place on lightly floured surface. Punch down dough. (If dough is sticky, knead in additional flour before shaping.) Cover dough with clean cloth. Let rest for 15 minutes. Shape dough into baguette-shaped loaf about 12 inches long. Place loaf on cornmeal-coated cookie sheet. Cover. Let rise in warm place (80 degrees to 85 degrees F) for 20 to 25 minutes or until light and doubled in size.
• HEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Make 1 deep lengthwise slash with sharp knife in top of loaf. Brush loaf with egg white. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
• CONVENTIONAL OVEN METHOD
• SPOON flour lightly into measuring cup. Level off. Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Mix well. Add warm water and oil. Mix well. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough 10 minutes or until smooth. Place dough in lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80 degrees to 85 degrees F) for 30 to 40 minutes.
• SPRINKLE ungreased cookie sheet with cornmeal. Punch down dough. Cover dough with inverted bowl and allow to rest on counter 15 minutes. Shape dough into baguette-shaped loaf about 12 inches long. Place dough on cornmeal-coated cookie sheet. Cover. Let rise in warm place 35 to 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
• HEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Make 1 deep lengthwise slash with sharp knife in top of loaf. Brush loaf with egg white. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
• High Altitude (3500 ft.):
• No change.

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.

Steps:

• Place the eggs in warm water and let sit for about 10-15 minutes.
• Warm the KA bowl by filling with hot water, dumping it out and towel dry.
• Dissolve the yeast in water in your KA mixing bowl.
• Let stand 5 minutes.
• On speed 1, stir in sourdough starter, sugar, salt, eggs, oil and 3 cups flour.
• Gradually add remaining flour or enough that the dough will separate from the sides of the mixing bowl. This should take about 8 minutes.
• Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees F), free from drafts, 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
• Punch dough down; divide in half and shape each half into a loaf. (These also can be make into dinner rolls.).
• Place loaves in greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pans.
• Brush top with oil.
• Cover loaves; let rise in a warm place (85 degrees F), free from drafts, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans and brush with melted butter.

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.

Steps:

• For the Biga: Combine flour, yeast and water in large bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Knead on lowest speed until it forms a shaggy dough, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer biga to a medium bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until beginning to bubble and rise, about 3 hours. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
• For the Dough: Remove biga from the refrigerator and let set at room temperature while making the dough. Combine the flour, yeast and water in large bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Knead on lowest speed until a rough dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Turn mixer off and, without removing bowl or dough hook, cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap; add the biga and salt to the bowl.(Might be easier to add the biga in pieces). Knead on lowest speed until ingredients are incorporated and the dough forms and clears the sides of the bowl, about 4 minutes. Increase mixer speed to the next setting and knead until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a cool, draft-free spot away from direct sunlight until slightly risen and puffy, about 1 hour.
• Remove plastic wrap and turn the dough by first sliding a curved plastic bench scraper or flexible spatula underneath, then gently lifting and folding one third of dough toward center. Do the same with the opposite side of dough. Then fold the dough in half, perpendicular to the first folds. Dough should be shaped into a rough square if folded correctly. Replace plastic wrap and let dough rise 1 more hour.
• Fold again as described above. Replace plastic wrap and let rise 1 more hour.
• To shape the Dough: Dust work surface liberally with flour. Gently scrape the dough out of the bowl and invert onto the work surface so that the side which was on the top is now on the bottom. If you want two smaller loaves, split the dough into two equal halves. Use a knife or bench scraper. Dust the dough and hands with flour. Using minimal pressure, push the dough into a rough 8 to 10 inch square. Fold the top left corner diagonally to the middle. Repeat with the top right corner. You should now have a peak/point at the top. Gently roll the dough from the top peak/point to the bottom until it forms a rough log. Place the seam on the bottom and transfer to parchment paper. Start tucking the bottom edges underneath, working from the center to the ends, and gently stretch the dough until it is about a 16-inch long football-type shape. Dust top liberally with flour and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• To bake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Place baking stone on rack and preheat oven to 500°F Using a lame or a very sharp knife, cut a slit 1/2-inch deep lengthwise into the center top of the dough, starting and ending 1-1/2 inches from the ends. Using a spray bottle, spray the loaf lightly with water. Slide the parchment paper with the loaf onto a baker's peel or other large, flat surface, then onto the hot baking stone in oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400° and, using the edges of the parchment paper, quickly rotate the loaf 180°. Continue to bake until a deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 210°, about another 35 minutes. For two smaller loaves this will be closer to 30 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Place white bread flour, whole wheat bread flour, and yeast into a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour in cold water and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a very wet, sticky dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and mix another 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover with foil. Allow dough to rise at room temperature for 18 hours.
• Deflate the bubbly dough with a spatula by scraping down the sides of the bowl and folding the dough over itself, turning the bowl as you go around in a circular motion, about 12 times or so.
• Scrape the dough onto a very well-floured surface with a spatula. Sprinkle the surface of dough generously with flour. Generously flour hands and then roll and fold dough on the table until you've formed a round or oval loaf shape that has a smooth surface, 1 to 2 minutes. The dough is very sticky, so add more flour if you need. The shape doesn't really matter, but a smooth surface is the goal.
• Transfer to a Silpat®-lined baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, until doubled in size, about 2 hours. The dough will spread out more than rise up, but this is normal.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Make 1 shallow slash down the middle of the dough with a very sharp knife or razor, being careful not to deflate the dough too much; the slash is optional. Spray the surface of the loaf very lightly with plain water to help the crust form.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a rack before cutting.

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.