John’s Crusty White Bread
My objective here was to create bread that was really crusty when toasted and this certainly does that. The crust will be a bit chewy when untoasted but not crisp. If you like crusty toast, my suggestion would be to toast the bread on the high side of your normal toast setting.
1 ½ CUPS WATER INCLUDING ONE EGG
1 TSP. SALT
4 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
1 TBLSP. SUGAR
2 ¼ TSP. RAPID RISE YEAST
COMBINE 3 ½ CUPS FLOUR WITH ALL THE OTHER INGREDIENTS. MIX THOROUGHLY. ADD ADDITIONAL FLOUR AS NEEDED TO MAKE A SMOOTH BUT SLIGHTLY TACKY DOUGH.
KNEAD FOR 8 MINUTES, EITHER BY HAND OR WITH THE DOUGH HOOK IN THE KITCHEN-AID
PLACE DOUGH IN LARGE BUTTERED BOWL, MOVE IT AROUND A BIT THEN INVERT. COVER TIGHTLY WITH PLASTIC FILM. LET RISE FOR 1 ½ HOURS IN A WARM LOCATION.
KNEAD RISEN DOUGH LIGHTLY, DIVIDE IN TWO AND SHAPE INTO A ROLL THAT FITS THE BUTTERED BREAD PAN. PUSH THE DOUGH INTO CORNERS. PLACE IN A WARM LOCATION AND LET RISE FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR OR UNTIL DOUGH HAS ASSUMED A BREAD SHAPE, RISING ABOVE THE EDGES OF THE BREAD PANS.
HALF AN HOUR BEFORE BREAD HAS FINISHED RISING, PLACE STONE ON MIDDLE SHELF OF OVEN AND TURN HEAT TO 450°. JUST BEFORE PLACING BREAD PANS IN OVEN, SPRITZ THE TOP OF THE LOAVES WITH WATER, AND PLACE THE PANS ON THE STONE. BEFORE CLOSING THE OVEN DOOR, SPRITZ THE INTERIOR OF THE OVEN AND BREAD PANS, THEN TURN HEAT DOWN TO 375°. BAKE FOR 30 MINUTES. THERE IS NO NEED TO COVER THE BREAD WITH FOIL.
WHEN FINISHED, REMOVE BREAD FROM PANS AND PLACE ON RACK. DO NOT CUT UNTIL COOL.IF YOU WANT TO CHECK WITH AN INSTANT READ THERMOMETER AS THE BREAD COMES OUT OF THE OVEN, THE INTERIOR TEMPERATURE SHOULD BE A MINIMUM OF 190°.
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