Crusty French Loaf

Discover the Joy of Homemade Crusty French Bread.

There's nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through your home. If you've ever dreamed of crafting your own crusty French bread but felt daunted by the lengthy processes often associated with sourdough baking (as I have), I have great news for you! This easy sourdough starter recipe allows you to create a delicious loaf in just one day. 

Imagine pulling a golden-brown, fragrant loaf from the oven, its crust crackling as you slice into it. Perfect for topping with creamy avocado or transforming into a mouth-watering grilled cheese sandwich, this bread is not only a treat for the senses but also a rewarding baking experience. This Pain De Campagne recipe is adapted from Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno recipe from their excellent beginners guide to baking with yeast, Bread, so join me as I guide you through this simple yet satisfying journey to homemade sourdough bliss!

Yield: 1 x 700g loaf

Ingredients:

 ½ sachet dried fast acting yeast or 1tsp Dried yeast or 5g fresh yeast

200ml Water

50g Rye flour (I substituted the Rye for wholemeal flour) 

325g Strong white flour 

1½ tsp Table salt

250g Easy sourdough starter

Adapted from Pain De Campagne recipe from Bread by Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno

Method:

1. Add the 1tsp of yeast to the water in a measuring jug or small bowl, stir to combine and set aside for 5-10 minutes until it "blooms", yeast rises to the top.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the flours and salt, mix together, make a large well in the centre of the flour to pour in the sourdough starter. 
3. Stir your sourdough starter together, mix in all the liquid that may have risen to the top (do not throw off the liquid). 
4. Add 250g of the sourdough starter and the yeast mixture into the well in your flour and mix gently, gradually bringing the flour in from the sides with a spatula. 
5. Once the dough is almost come together, turn it out onto a clean lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Use a bench scraper to release the dough if it sticks to your work surface, add a small amount of flour to your hands to help with the kneading process. This is a sticky dough but it gets less sticky as you knead. 
6. Once the dough is sufficiently kneaded, place it into your mixing bowl, add a small drop of odourless oil to prevent it from sticking to the sides of the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size, 1-2 hours. 
7. Replenish your sourdough starter with 125ml water and 125g of strong flour, mix well to combine. Leave to ferment at room temperature for 12-24 hours or until it stops bubbling. Place it in the fridge until it is needed. 
8. Just as the the dough has doubled in size, knock it back (push your fist into the centre of the rising dough to "knock" any really large bubbles out) and leave for a further 10 minutes. 
9. Turn the dough out onto a clean lightly floured surface and shape into a boule (round) or oblong shape. Seam side up place the dough into either a round or batard shaped basket lined with a WELL floured clean tea towel seam side up. In figure 8. you can see I used a batard (oblong) which comes with a linen liner. 
10. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, usually 1½ - 2 hours. 
11. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/ Gas 6. At this stage I preheat my cast iron casserole (lid removed) to bake my bread in, an option for baking but not necessary. 
12. Once risen, turn the dough seam side down onto parchment paper or in my case a silicone sling (fig. 10), flour the surface of the loaf well and slash it with a sharp knife or blade. This allows the baking bread to both look beautiful when baked and allows the crust to expand in the oven without tearing. 
13. If you are using a casserole, carefully remove it from the hot oven and place the bread in it using the parchment paper or silicone sling to position it. Refit the lid and bake for 20 minutes, remove the lid and bake for a further 25 minutes or until a deep golden brown. 
14. If you are not using a casserole, place the bread onto a baking sheet using the parchment paper to position it. Add a splash of water or an ice cube to the tray, the steam will allow the bread to rise better before the crust sets in place. Bake for 45 minutes or until a deep golden brown and the base sound hallow when tapped. 
15. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, the crumb structure sets as the bread cools. I know it is tempting to slice into the warm bread straight away, however if you slice the bread before it cools it will be extremely doughy and sticky. Stay strong, allow it to cool, it will be worth it!