French bread sounds like an American invention. It’s basically baguette dough turned into a batard. Of course, baguettes are usually made with a commercial yeast pre-ferment like poolish or a natural leaven. So, I’m here veering even farther from the original recipe by using the cold bulk fermentation method. But it’s all good.
Technique and ingredients work together to achieve the desired characteristics in any bread, but when it comes to breads made with very few ingredients these things become even more important.
To achieve a super crispy crust, we must bake the bread at a high temperature. The surface must be steamed for maximum crispiness. The best ways to do this is by using a covered baking vessel like a cloche or a cast iron pot with a lid. Additional steam can be generated by using a water spray bottle. A long cold fermentation will not only improve the flavour but also make the bread extra crusty.
Follow this recipe and method for a super crusty loaf of bread with an extremely soft interior and a distinct fermented flavour. All will be achieved with the bare minimum of effort and very little hands-on time.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the dough –
300g (10.6oz) white bread flour
6g (0.21oz) salt
3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast or 3.6g (0.13oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.32oz) fresh yeast
207g (7.3oz) water
To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
Method
- In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, and salt. Mix well to dissolve the salt and yeast. Add the flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 25C (77F). My dough turned out warmer, but that’s not a big deal when cold fermenting.
- Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
- Fold #1.
- Chill for 15 minutes.
- Fold #2.
- Cold ferment for 18 – 24 hours.
- Pre-shape, cover, and rest for 30 minutes.
- Shape, cover, and proof for 45 – 60 minutes. *During this time pre-heat the oven and baking vessel to 250C (480F).
- Score, steam, cover, and place the loaf in the oven. Turn the temperature down to 210C (410F) fan on or 230C (445F) fan off.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for 15 more minutes.
Leave to cool down and enjoy!
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
