Lean Bread Recipes

HOMEMADE ARTISAN BREAD (WITH OR WITHOUT DUTCH OVEN)

Steps:

• In a large un-greased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together. Pour in the cool water and gently mix together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. If needed, use your hands (as I do in the video tutorial above) to work the dough ingredients together. The dough will be sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best you can.
• Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine!). Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.
• You can continue with step 4 immediately, but for absolute best flavor and texture, I strongly recommend letting this risen dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Place covered dough in the refrigerator for 12 hours - 3 days. I usually let it rest in the refrigerator for about 18 hours. The dough will puff up during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That's fine and normal- nothing to worry about.
• Lightly dust a large nonstick baking sheet (with or without rims and make sure it's nonstick) with flour and/or cornmeal. Turn the cold dough out onto a floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough in half. Some air bubbles will deflate as you work with it. Place dough halves on prepared baking sheet. Using floured hands, shape into 2 long loaves about 9×3 inches each (doesn't have to be exact) about 3 inches apart. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes. You will bake the dough on this prepared baking sheet. See recipe note if you want to use a pizza stone.
• During this 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C).
• When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife or bread lame (some even use kitchen shears), score the bread loaves with 3 slashes, about 1/2 inch deep. ("Score" = shallow cut.) If the shaped loaves flattened out during the 45 minutes, use floured hands to narrow them out along the sides again.
• Optional for a slightly crispier crust: After the oven is preheated and bread is scored, place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or skillet (I usually use a metal 9×13 baking pan) on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3-4 cups of boiling water into it. Place the scored dough/baking pan on a higher rack and quickly shut the oven, trapping the steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust.
• Place the shaped and scored dough (on the flour/cornmeal dusted pan) in the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Gently tap the loaves- if they sound hollow, the bread is done.
• Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

LEAN BREAD

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 2 minutes, until well blended. If the spoon gets too doughy, dip it in a bowl of warm water. The dough should be very soft, sticky, coarse, and shaggy, but still doughlike. Use a wet bowl scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
• To stretch and fold the dough in the bowl, with wet or oiled hands or a wet bowl scraper, reach under the front end of the dough, stretch it out, then fold it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. The dough should be significantly firmer, though still very soft and fragile. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat this stretch and fold process three more times, completing all repetitions within 40 to 45 minutes. The dough will be a little firmer than when first mixed and the shaggy texture will have smoothed out somewhat, but it will still spread out to fill the bowl.
• After the final stretch and fold, return the dough to the lightly oiled bowl, and immediately cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days. The dough will rise to about double, and possibly triple, its original size within 4 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake. Rub the work surface with a few drops of olive or vegetable oil, then use a wet bowl scraper or wet hands to transfer the dough to the work surface. Divide the dough in half (about 21 oz or 595 g each) for two large loaves; into 4 to 6 pieces for smaller loaves; or into 18 to 24 pieces for rolls.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat, then mist it lightly with spray oil or dust it with flour, semolina, or cornmeal. (If using a banneton or proofing mold, mist it with spray oil, then dust it with flour.) Have a small bowl of bread flour standing by. With floured hands, gently pat the dough pieces into rectangles, then stretch it into torpedos (see page 21), boules (see page 20), or loaves (see page 23), or shape it into rolls (see page 25). With floured hands, gently lift the dough and place it seam side down on the prepared pan (or seam side up in the proofing mold). If air bubbles form, pinch the surface to pop them. Mist the surface of the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel.
• Let the shaped dough sit, covered, at room temperature for 60 minutes. Then, remove the covering and let the dough proof for an additional 60 minutes. The dough will spread slightly and the skin will begin to dry out a bit.
• About 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 550°F (288°C) or as high as it will go, and prepare the oven for hearth baking (see page 30).
• Just before baking, score the dough with a sharp serrated knife or razor blade. The dough will have spread somewhat but should still have its basic shape, and the shape should spring back in the oven. (If using a banneton or proofing mold, remove the dough from the basket at this stage.) Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan, then lower the oven temperature to 450°F (232°C), or 425°F (218°C) for a convection oven.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is a rich golden brown and the internal temperature is 200°F to 205°F (93°C to 94°C). For a crisper crust, turn off the oven and leave the bread in for another 5 to 10 minutes before removing (rolls will take less time). Cool the bread on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.

BASIC BREAD LEAN DOUGH RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• To prepare your mise en place, follow a Simple Bakers Formula by measuring out the ingredients. Set aside. *Note: Use a bread flour with at least 12% protein content. Depending on the humidity, you may require more or less bread flour as you form the dough. Pour the water into a medium-sized, deep bowl and sprinkle the yeast over top. Add three-quarters of the flour. With a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until just combined and then add the salt. Do not knead at this point. Keep stirring, adding the remaining flour, if necessary. Depending on the humidity, you may need to add a bit more than the measured 2 cups. Add enough flour to create a clay-like mass. As you stir, the dough should clean the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto the counter top, removing any bits of flour and dough that are stuck to the bowl. Knead the dough for at least 5 to 8 minutes until it is smooth. Don't be tempted to add too much flour. Clean out the mixing bowl, if necessary and place the kneaded dough inside. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap at let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size (approximately 1 hour). Once the dough doubles in size, punch it down to expel all of the gas. Cover the dough again and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Once the dough has rested, it can be shaped. Watch Once the dough has been shaped, place it onto a tray lined with cornmeal. Place a small tray on the lowest rack and preheat your oven to 400° F (205° C). Flour the dough quite heavily and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough proof at room temperature for approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Perform the spring back test to ensure it has proofed enough before baking. Once the dough has properly proofed, slash the dough with a serrated knife or lame. Immediately transfer to the middle rack and pour the water into the small tray to create steam. Immediately close the oven door. Depending on the size and shape of the dough, bake it until the top and sides are golden brown. Once done the bottom should sound hollow. You can even test the temperature by inserting a thermometer from the bottom of the loaf into the center of the dough. The temperature should register between 200-210° F (95-99° C). Once you remove the bread from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Wait at least 30 minutes before cutting into. Store for 1 to 2 days at room temperature in a paper bag or bread box.