The Best Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe | How to make Open Crumb Rustic Bread / Crusty white Bread

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil offers health benefits while being cost-effective.

sourdough starter

🥗Healthier: commercial yeast

💰Cheaper: none

Commercial yeast is readily available and speeds up the process.

honey

🥗Healthier: agave syrup

💰Cheaper: sugar

Agave syrup is a natural sweetener that can be used in place of honey.

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil provides a dairy-free option with healthy fats.

Prepare the biga by mixing room temperature water with 0.1 gram (about 2 pinches) of yeast in a bowl.

Add flour to the yeast-water mixture and mix until a shaggy mass forms without kneading.

Cover the bowl with cling film and let it ferment for 10 to 16 hours.

After 14 hours, check the biga; it should have risen slightly and be at its peak.

In a small bowl, mix water with 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and stir until dissolved.

Add flour to the yeast-water mixture and combine to form a dough.

Sprinkle salt on the surface of the biga and stretch the small dough over it, combining both to form a homogeneous dough.

Let the dough proof for 2 hours, stretching and folding it every 45 minutes to strengthen the gluten.

After the first 45 minutes, wet your hands and stretch the dough from each side, folding it onto itself.

After 30 minutes, transfer the dough to a lightly wet surface and shape it into a rectangular sheet, folding it to create surface tension.

Place the shaped dough into an oiled bowl for proofing and cover it for another 30 minutes.

Prepare a proofing basket or use a rectangular loaf pan dusted with rice flour to prevent sticking.

After 30 minutes, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and transfer it to a floured work surface.

Shape the dough by rolling it from both sides and pinching the seam together, then place it seam-side up in the proofing pan.

Cover and let it rise for 50 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven and carefully flip the dough onto parchment paper, dusting off excess flour.

Score the dough with a sharp knife or lame, place it in the preheated oven dish, and cover it with a lid.

Bake at 480°F (250°C) for 18 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 450°F (230°C) and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes without the lid.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens