Rustic Loaf for Mama with Little’s

If you have little babies and little extra time to learn a new skill right now this recipe is a great place to start and boost confidence in breadmaking.

This is my go-to recipe for a dry yeasted loaf before ever getting into sourdough. It was adapted from Zoe Francois and an online recipe I found years ago for a no-knead rustic loaf. It’s delicious and adaptable and ready from start to finish in a few hours. You’ll have so much fun incorporating your twist with seeds, cheeses and fruit.

Active Prep: 2 minutes mixing + 5 minutes shaping loaf= 7 minutes

Wait Time: 2 hours

Bake Time: 45 minutes

Makes: 2-4 unique loaves

Kitchen Supplies:

  • Dutch oven— a MUST

  • Extra large bowl —a flour bucket like this works well too

  • Spatula— wooden spoon or dough whisks also great

  • Parchment paper

  • Measuring cups

Pantry Staples:

  • 6C Flour

  • 1T Salt

  • 1.5T Dry Active Yeast

  • 3-4C Water

Instructions:

  1. In a large bucket or bowl combine all ingredients and lightly cover with towel or lid (aiming for a shaggy dough with no dry bits)

  2. Let sit on the counter for a minimum of 2 hours (room temperatures will cause variety in wait time here. Warm spaces are faster.)

  3. Preheat oven to 500F with dutch oven inside with the lid on

  4. Flour a work bench and a piece of parchment paper roughly the size of a large cookbook

  5. Withdraw 1-2 large handfuls of bubbly dough. Sprinkle extra flour if very sticky

  6. Form the dough into a ball by gently folding edges of the dough into the center repeatedly. (During this step you can practice adding in your extra fillings like cheese, raisins, etc when ready)

  7. Flip the dough over and place the round smooth top facing up on the prepared parchment

  8. Sprinkle the residual flour from your work surface onto the top of the “dough baby” and rub it smoothly distributing the flour on the surface

  9. Score the top of the bread with kitchen scissors, sharp knife, or lame (*optional step as the dough will split organically as it’s baked for a rustic finish)

  10. CAREFULLY (use hand protection) insert dough on the parchment into the preheated dutch oven and return the lid

  11. Bake 25 minutes

  12. Remove dutch oven lid and bake 20 minutes more

  13. Remove loaf from dutch oven and place on a cutting board

  14. Let the loaf cool for a cruel 30-60 minutes. (Yes, you’re gonna want to tear into it straight away but don’t. It’s still cooking inside that hard crust.)

  15. You did it! Now enjoy it!

I’d love to know how your loaves turn out! Contact me through the connect page to share your progress or ask questions.

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Baked Oatmeal

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Humble Beginnings in Sourdough