Homemade Bakery-Style Bread with a Crisp Crust

Ingredients

• 375 g water
• 2 g instant dry yeast
• 500 g wheat flour (Good quality, preferably bread flour. Reserve some for dusting and handling the dough; the extra amount was not specified.)
• 10 g salt

Steps

1. 1

   Place the water, instant dry yeast, flour, and salt in a bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains on the bottom or sides. The dough will be very sticky and tacky; use a sturdy spatula to mix it without getting it stuck to your hands.

2. 2

   Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   With a wet hand, fold the dough: reach underneath, pull up one section, and fold it over the dough. Repeat with all four sides, wetting your hand again if the dough starts to stick.

4. 4

   Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for another 30 minutes. Repeat the folding and resting process three times, as shown in the video.

5. 5

   Dust the dough with flour so it can be handled. Gently stretch it only slightly, then pull each side toward the center.

6. 6

   Line a round bowl with a cloth and dust the cloth with flour. Place the dough smooth-side down, put a plate on top, and refrigerate overnight.

7. 7

   The next day, turn the dough out onto a sheet of oven-safe nonstick parchment paper. Cover the dough while you prepare the oven and pot.

8. 8

   Place a lidded cast-iron pot in the oven and heat it to 240 °C for 40 minutes. While the pot heats, let the dough rest for the final time.

9. 9

   Using a razor blade or a very sharp knife, score the surface of the dough.

10. 10

    Carefully transfer the dough on the parchment paper to the hot cast-iron pot and cover it. Bake for 25 minutes at 240 °C.

11. 11

    Remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes, until the bread develops color and a beautiful crust.

12. 12

    Remove the bread from the pot and wait one and a half hours before slicing, so the crumb can finish setting.

Notes

The video states that the folding and resting cycle is repeated three times, but it does not clarify whether the three repetitions include the first fold after the initial rest. It also does not specify the length of the final rest while the pot heats or explain how to cover the dough during this rest. The flour used for dusting is additional and was not specified.

Nutrition per serving

• bread
• main dish
• vegetarian
• vegan
• lactose-free
• contains gluten
• baked
• slow fermentation