Crusty Bread
Crusty Bread is a wonderfully scrumptious artisan-type bread. It’s incredibly quick and easy to make. It uses only four ingredients that you mix together and let sit out to ferment for up to 18 hours.
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That process of fermenting actually releases the phythates in the wheat to make it easily digestible. It makes this recipe similar to sourdough breads in design. For those with stomach issues eating regular wheat bread this is a great option.
I saw this recipe on Pinterest last year and made two variations of it. One was plain, and the other one had craisins, almonds and orange zest. Both turned out so fantastic and so-so easy.
I found it at SimplySoGood:Creating food in the kitchen that goes beyond funeral potatoes. She has lots of cool food stuff and instructions for this recipe. Just type in “crusty bread.” She based the recipe on a LeCreuset recipe. Others have said this recipe originated at the NY Times and is a take-off on Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery’s, no-knead bread.
I made this recipe again in June 2013, over a year after the first batch and it turned out quite wonderfully again. I used this bread to make Grilled Swiss, Tomato and Avocado Sandwiches. It’s perfect to use for a grilled sandwich because the texture is such that it holds it’s shape really well. It doesn’t fall apart like some sandwich breads do.
I love the flexibility of this recipe. You can add just about anything and it tastes awesome! This recipe also works well with wheat flour if you add vital wheat gluten. I’ve made it with my Whole Wheat No Knead Bread recipe, as well.
This is a fantastically easy, homemade bread. You don’t have to knead it. It has less than a handful of ingredients. Plus, it contains NO sugar or preservatives. On top of that, it’s super economical. It’s amazing. This recipe is also vegan for those on special diets.
Crusty Bread is a fantastic artisan-type bread that you don’t have to knead! We love this quick and easy four-ingredient bread.
Wow, anytime you can make a homemade bread that doesn’t have to be kneaded that’s a win-win situation for everyone!
This recipe is so easy. It only has four ingredients. Crusty Bread is great to serve with soups like Corn-Chicken-Chile Chowder or Roasted Corn Chowder.
I cut the bread down with my electric knife. It does have a hard crust even though I coated the bread with butter after it came out of the oven which usually softens the crust. If you’re vegan you can skip the butter or use coconut oil to soften the crust a little.
Here’s what I did.
Place flour in a plastic or tupperware-type container that has a lid.
Add salt.
Add dry yeast.
Stir to combine.
Add water.
Stir to combine. This is what the dough looked like. Put a lid on the plastic container. Set the container out on your counter for 12 to 18 hours. It will raise on its own and you won’t have to knead the bread.
When you are ready to make the bread spread your counter surface with flour. I didn’t need even a quarter of this much flour! This is what the dough looked like after sitting out and raising for 18 hours. Place dough on top of flour.
Spread some flour on top of the dough.
Form the dough into a ball. (See how much flour is left over? !!!!)
Place the dough on a plate and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. The dough will raise again while you are preparing your oven and pan. Heat your oven to 450 degrees F. Place an enameled cast-iron skillet or cast-iron Dutch oven in your oven and once the temperature reaches 450 degrees, bake the pan (without the bread) for 30 minutes to heat it up to the desired temperature.
After Dutch oven has heated at 450 degrees for 30 minutes add bread dough. Be careful! The pan will be VERY hot. Bake 30 minutes covered. Then remove the lid and bake 15 minutes longer. You are not supposed to have to oil the pan.
Here’s the bread after baking it a total of 45 minutes at 450.
I buttered the top and sides of the bread so the crust wouldn’t get quite so hard, but if you’re vegan, skip this step or use coconut oil instead.
Allow the bread to cool.
Cut the bread down with an electric knife. Crusty Bread has only four ingredients! It’s so easy.
Serve Crusty Bread with butter to accompany your favorite main dish meal or soup.
If you’re trying to eliminate sugar from your diet, this is a great recipe to try.
I love the ease of making this bread. It’s SO economical, too.
This bread is terrific for making Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. I used it with Grilled Swiss, Tomato and Avocado Sandwiches.
Here’s the recipe.
CRUSTY BREAD
(Recipe from Simply So Good based on a recipe from LeCreuset and the NY Times for no-knead bread; source: Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery)
Crusty Bread
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 oven-proof enameled cast iron pot with lid or other oven-proof pot with lid or baking dish with lid
- 1 whisk
- plastic wrap
- 1 wire cooling rack
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 3 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. Fleishmann’s active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.
- Add water and mix with a wooden spoon until a rough mixture forms.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside on kitchen counter for 12-18 hours.
- Heat oven to 450°.
- When the oven has reached 450° place a cast iron pot with a lid (or other oven-proof pot) in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough set while the pot is heating. Carefully remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.
- Cover with lid and return pot to oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Simply So Good; source: Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery via the New York Times.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- 3 cups [url href=”http://www.goldmedalflour.com/” target=”_blank” title=”gold medal flour”]Gold Medal[/url] UNBLEACHED all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon [url href=”http://www.breadworld.com/” target=”_blank” title=”fleishmann’s yeast”]Fleishmann’s [/url]active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.
- Add water and mix until a rough mixture forms.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours.
- Heat oven to 450°.
- When the oven has reached 450° place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough set while the pot is heating. Carefully remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.
- Cover with lid and return pot to oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
Crusty Bread is so easy to make. This version is healthier for those who have digestive issues eating regular bread. Because the dough goes through a fermentation-type process good enzymes are released that help make the bread more easily digestible and the phythates are removed which cause digestive issues. The soaking process makes all the difference.
Crusty Bread is a great bread to serve with salads like Antipasto Salad or Greek Pasta Salad.
This is a hearty, sturdy, bread that’s great to make plain like this or add any kind of herbs or cheeses as desired.
I used Crusty Bread to make Grilled Swiss, Tomato and Avocado Sandwiches. It was spectacular!
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Crusty Bread
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 oven-proof enameled cast iron pot with lid or other oven-proof pot with lid or baking dish with lid
- 1 whisk
- plastic wrap
- 1 wire cooling rack
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 3 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. Fleishmann’s active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.
- Add water and mix with a wooden spoon until a rough mixture forms.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside on kitchen counter for 12-18 hours.
- Heat oven to 450°.
- When the oven has reached 450° place a cast iron pot with a lid (or other oven-proof pot) in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough set while the pot is heating. Carefully remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.
- Cover with lid and return pot to oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Simply So Good; source: Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery via the New York Times.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
Crusty Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. Fleishmann’s active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.
- Add water and mix until a rough mixture forms.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours.
- Heat oven to 450°.
- When the oven has reached 450° place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough set while the pot is heating. Carefully remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.
- Cover with lid and return pot to oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.