Artisan loaf

★★★★

Baked Goods, Breads

Ingredients

2 cups starter

1/2 cup water

1 cup bread flour

2 tsp. salt

1 T. Honey


2 cups additional bread flour


kitchenaid with dough hook

tea towel


Dutch oven with lid


Banneton (optional)


Spray bottle of water


Parchment paper

Description

This recipe creates a loaf with a crispy crust and chewy interior, with medium to large holes.

It can take all day to make this loaf, but you are just waiting for most of that.

Directions

Mix your starter, water, salt, honey, and flour until smooth.

Knead in the additional flour a little at a time until incorporated. (If your starter was on the dry side, you may need to add a little water.)

Set your mixer on medium and knead the dough until it forms a cohesive, fairly satiny dough. Turn out onto a very lightly floured board and knead until you have a smooth elastic ball that bounces back easily.

Oil all over the inside of the bowl and return your dough; flip once to coat.
Cover with a tea towel and let rise until it is very puffy and fills the bowl at least half way, anywhere from 4-8 hours.
Spritz with water if it starts to look dry.
4 hours

As gently as you can, pull your dough out onto a floured board.

If you do not have a banneton, gently form a ball shape, doing your best not to smash the dough too much, and set your boule on a piece of parchment on your surface with the smoothest side up.

If you do have a banneton, remove the liner and sprinkle the banneton with AP flour, then rub it all over to make sure it is covered.
Well floured

Gently form a ball shape, trying not to smash the dough. Put your boule in the banneton, with the smoothest side down. Ready a piece of parchment that you will use later.
In banneton

Let the dough rise until it is visibly very puffed up again, 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours. This is much easier to see with a banneton. If the dough starts to look dry, spritz it with water.
Risen

While it rises, set your oven 400° and put your dutch oven with its lid inside. You want it to heat up at least 30 minutes.

When the dough is ready pull out the dutch oven and remove the lid.

If you are using a banneton, put the piece of parchment on the dough and, holding onto the basket and the piece of parchment, gently roll it out onto your surface.

Pick up the parchment and put it into the Dutch oven. Spritz with water and put the lid on.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, lower the heat to 375 F, spritz with water and bake another 10 minutes or until a thermometer in the center registers 190-200F.
Baked
Interior

Let cool on a cooling rack before putting away or cutting.

Brush most of the flour out of your banneton, let it dry, then put the liner back in and put it away. You don't need to wash it or worry if some flour is left behind.


For Stuffing:
After the dough has risen in your bowl, divide it into two logs and put them on a baguette pan or large sheet pan lined with a silicon mat.

When they appear to have doubled, bake at 350 F for 40 minutes.
Stuffing

Notes

A small plastic bristle brush is great for brushing the flour out of your banneton.