Mombian Cooks: Crusty Artisan Loaf

I’ve been delighted to see so many people baking bread while isolated at home during the pandemic. I’ve baked my family’s bread for years, and am particularly fond of this artisan loaf—it’s not a sourdough, but it’s crusty and full of flavor. Here’s the recipe.

Adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe.

Stage One: The Sponge

in a large bowl or the bowl from a stand mixer, mix together until smooth:

1 1/2 cups room-temperature water
1 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (KA is my go-to brand. Their all-purpose flour has a higher protein content than many others, and thus makes better bread, IMHO. Obviously, use what you can find in these times of pandemic.)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or rye flour

Let this sit covered overnight (or at least 3 to 4 hours—though overnight will give you more flavor).

Stage Two: The Dough and First Rise

Add to the sponge:

2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Harvest Grains Blend or similar mix of seeds (poppy, sesame, and/or sunflower would work fine, or everything bagel mix)

Knead by hand or with a stand mixer and a bread hook at a medium low speed until it forms a ball. If the dough looks too sticky, add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time. If it looks too dry, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time. (You shouldn’t need to adjust much, but sometimes a little tweak at this point can help.)

Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled.

Stage Three: Shaping and Second Rise

Gently turn the dough out onto a smooth surface. You shouldn’t flour the surface—extra flour can make the dough too heavy—but if you’re worried about it sticking, just use a thin coating of vegetable oil. I usually don’t find that necessary, though.

Press to flatten the dough into a disk, then re-shape into a ball. Place on a baking sheet that’s lightly greased or sprinkled with cornmeal (or lined with a Silpat nonstick sheet or baking paper).

Alternative: If you happen to have one of these spiffy cloche bread bakers, let it rise in there, on a sprinkling of cornmeal.

Place in a sealed location, like a cool oven or microwave, with a cup of tap-hot water next to it for a bit of moisture, or cover with oiled plastic wrap. (I use the microwave; plastic wrap tends to cling to the dough even when oiled.)

Let rise for about an hour, until almost doubled. When it looks close, start preheating your oven to 450° F. If you have a pizza stone, place it in your oven at this point.

If you’re using a cloche, place the lid of the cloche in the oven to preheat along with it.

Stage Four: Baking

Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife in an X pattern. The cuts should be about 1/4″ deep. Place in hot oven and throw a handful of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven before you close it. Sounds odd, but this will create steam, which helps the crust.

If you’re using a cloche, you can skip the ice cubes. Use oven mitts to take the hot lid out of the oven, then place the bottom (with the risen loaf) into the oven and use the mitts to place the hot lid back on.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes until crust is an even, golden brown. If it looks like it’s getting very dark after less than 25 minutes, place a piece of aluminum foil on top of it (but don’t wrap it around) for the remainder of the time.