It has been rainy and cold here in Southern California for a little over a week, and I have to admit that it is kind of nice. I grew up in Montana so I really enjoy the crisp cool air and the excuse to wear warm snuggly clothes and cuddle under blankets. Now I am not saying that I am ready to ditch the sunny California weather for the snowy Montana roads, but it is nice to have the occasional cool days.
When we have these cool days it really makes me want to turn on my oven and bake some yummy goodies. This time I decided to go with crusty bread. Since I started working with yeast last summer, I have been excited to try so many different recipes. Working with yeast is so much fun and so far the end results have been out of this world fantastic. I found this recipe on the King Arthur website and was drooling as I read through the steps. This bread has a wonderful crusty exterior with the perfect soft fluffy inside you would expect from a French bread and the flavor was perfect. My favorite way to eat any crusty bread is fresh out of the oven, sliced and dipped in olive oil and vinegar. And the first night, that is how we ate it. However, the next day for lunch, my husband and I sliced thin slices and made grilled cheese sandwiches with some sharp and medium cheddar cheese. They were outstanding grilled cheese sandwiches, and my husband even said he thought they were the best grilled cheese he has ever had. I will definitely be making this recipe again!
French-Style Country Bread Printer Friendly VersionSponge Starter (Begin 2 to 16 hours ahead)
1 cup (8 ounces) cool to lukewarm water, preferably spring water (90 to 100°F)
1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1/4 cup (1 ounce) King Arthur White Whole Wheat or Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
Dough
All of the sponge starter (above)
1 cup (8 ounces) lukewarm water, preferably spring water (100 to 115°F)
3/4 teaspoon active dry or 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3 3/4 to 4 cups (1 pound to 1 pound 1 ounce) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
To Make The Sponge: Stir all of the sponge ingredients together to make a thick, pudding-like mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on a counter overnight or for at least 2 to 4 hours. If you’re making this in a bread machine, place the sponge ingredients inside, and turn the machine on for just a few seconds to mix the ingredients together. Turn the machine off and close the cover. Let the sponge rest for 4 hours or overnight (anywhere between 2 and 16 hours is fine, the longer the better).
To Make The Dough: Stir down the sponge with a spoon and add the water, yeast, sugar, most of the flour (hold back about 1/2 cup to use if required), and salt. Knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary, to make a soft dough, 10 to 12 minutes.
Note: You may also do this in your bread machine, using the Dough or Manual setting. After the dough has finished kneading, place it in a lightly greased bowl, and continue as directed below.
Big Tip: Mix ingredients together using up to 80% of the flour called for: it will be a loose, messy mass. Let the dough rest for 12 minutes, and you’ll see it change in texture, to be come much smoother. Continue, kneading and adding additional flour as required. Overall, the dough handles better once its had time for the flour to absorb the water while resting and relaxing. By using this method, you’ll tend to add less flour, and have much bigger holes in your finished bread.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or plastic container, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and a damp towel, and let it rise until almost doubled (depending on the weather, this could be l to 2 hours). If you’re going out, or if you prefer, let the dough rise slowly in the fridge. If your dough has been refrigerated, allow it to come to room temperature; it’ll warm up and rise at the same time. After its first rise, deflate the dough gently, but don’t knock out all the air; this will create those “holes” so important to French bread. Form the dough into a round ball. Place two cookie sheets atop one another, and place a semolina- or cornmeal-dusted piece of parchment paper on top. Gently place the ball of dough on the cookie sheets, seam-side down. Cover it lightly with a tea towel, and let it rise the second time until it’s puffy and about 40% to 50% larger, anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes (depending on the weather, luck, and magic). Slash or cross-hatch the bread with a sharp knife or lame. Dust it with a little flour.
Preheat your grill to High. Place the bread (on the doubled-up cookie sheets) on the grill, and close the cover. Immediately reduce the heat to Medium (400°F), and allow the bread to bake for 25 minutes, or until it’s well-browned. Reduce the heat to Low, and carefully place the bread directly on the grill. Continue to bake until completely done, about 5 minutes.
For Regular (Oven) Baking: Preheat the oven to 475°F. Slash the bread, spritz water into the oven with a clean plant mister, and place the bread in the oven. Reduce the heat to 425°F and spritz with water every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. Bake the bread for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it tests done. Yield: 1 large round bread or two medium breads, 10 to 12 servings.
Adapted From: King Arthur
This looks so yummy.
This looks marvelous…in fact, I know my family would love to have a loaf of this right now!!!
Perfect little bread! Love it!!!
This bread looks absolutely perfect, out of the oven of a bakery! Beautiful! I hope it rains a little longer if this is what you come out with
Thank you so much!
That is one good-looking loaf of bread!
This is a great post! Your bread looks delicious and very pretty. Waiting for dough to “rest” is hard isn’t it?! I always want to hurry it along but the best bread is the bread that I take my time with. It’s like my little baby dough ball for 6 hours! – Katrina
Thank you so much! Yes, waiting for the dough is hard because I just want to bake it and eat it already! I love warm fresh bread right out of the oven!
I have really been trying my hand at breadmaking lately. I’ve never used a sponge starter though so it makes me a teensy weensy bit nervous. But I feel like I need to try this. It looks so wonderful!!
I have loved the breads that I have made with a sponge, they have an amazing flavor. It is definitely worth the extra time to let the starter works its magic!
Lovely bread.