The Perfect Loaf of Bread
Yesterday in yoga class the teacher asked, "What brings you joy in life?", to which the yogi replied, "Baking the perfect loaf of bread."
Recipe from Life as a Strawberry
- 2.25 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.25 cups warm water
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 2.5 cups All-Purpose Flour, plus extra for dusting
Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, until the mixture looks nice and foamy.
Add kosher salt to bowl.
Add flour to bowl a bit at a time and mix on low speed until all flour is incorporated and dough has just started to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the bowl and dough hook.
Lightly flour all sides of your dough and turn it over inside the mixing bowl to coat with flour on all sides. Cover with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for about 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
When dough has risen, lightly flour a large cutting board. Tip the dough out of the bowl and onto the cutting board. DO NOT PUNCH THE DOUGH DOWN. Sprinkle flour across the top of dough and begin shaping into a round loaf by pulling each corner into the center of the dough.
Flour a proofing basket or a small mixing bowl and place your loaf in seam-side up. Cover with a tea towel and let rise an additional 30 minutes or so. My kitchen is cold in the winter, so I add an additional 30 minutes to this step.
While the bread proofs, place an empty dutch oven with the lid on in your oven and heat to 450 degrees F.
When the oven is hot, carefully remove the dutch oven and lid. Tip your proofing basket out onto a large piece of parchment paper, seam side down. Score your dough as desired, replace the lid of the dutch oven and cook bread for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid from your dutch oven and continue cooking an additional 10-20 minutes until the bread has deepened in color.
Carefully remove bread from your dutch oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
What to do with this perfect loaf of bread, besides a generous pat of salted butter, you ask? Why, the perfect BLT of course!
Add flour to bowl a bit at a time and mix on low speed until all flour is incorporated and dough has just started to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the bowl and dough hook.
Lightly flour all sides of your dough and turn it over inside the mixing bowl to coat with flour on all sides. Cover with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for about 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
When dough has risen, lightly flour a large cutting board. Tip the dough out of the bowl and onto the cutting board. DO NOT PUNCH THE DOUGH DOWN. Sprinkle flour across the top of dough and begin shaping into a round loaf by pulling each corner into the center of the dough.
Flour a proofing basket or a small mixing bowl and place your loaf in seam-side up. Cover with a tea towel and let rise an additional 30 minutes or so. My kitchen is cold in the winter, so I add an additional 30 minutes to this step.
While the bread proofs, place an empty dutch oven with the lid on in your oven and heat to 450 degrees F.
When the oven is hot, carefully remove the dutch oven and lid. Tip your proofing basket out onto a large piece of parchment paper, seam side down. Score your dough as desired, replace the lid of the dutch oven and cook bread for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid from your dutch oven and continue cooking an additional 10-20 minutes until the bread has deepened in color.
Carefully remove bread from your dutch oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Beautiful loaf of bread.
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