How to Make a 100% Hydration Sandwich Bread (Crumpet Bread)

This is not the first 100% hydration recipe on the channel. Previously, we made ciabatta style breads with this hydration, but those were rather flat. Someone asked me in the comments section of one of those videos if it was possible to make a sandwich bread which contains equal parts flour and water. Finally, I decided to give it a go.

It turned out great. The texture is chewy, and the crumb is super moist. Kind of reminds me of a crumpet. And the fermented flavour is extremely pronounced.

Once again, my 2lb (900g) USA Pan Pullman tin came in handy to make a beautiful square loaf. You can use any loaf tin you like. A regular 2lb (900g) loaf tin will work, but you should reduce the amount of all the ingredients by 25% so that the dough does not spill over. You can modify this recipe by adding some seeds to the dough.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

550g (1.2lb) white bread flour

550g (1.2lb) water

4g (0.14oz) instant dry yeast or 4.8g (0.17oz) active dry yeast or 12g (0.42oz) fresh yeast

10g (0.35oz) salt

15g (0.53oz) olive oil for the bowl

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

1. Combine the water, yeast, and salt. Mix well to dissolve the salt and hydrate the yeast. Add the flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 25C (77F).
2. Place the dough in a clean bowl with the olive oil.
3. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Fold #1.
5. Chill for 30 minutes.
6. Fold #2.
7. Chill for 30 minutes.
8. Fold #3.
9. Chill for 30 minutes.
10. Fold #4.
11. Cold ferment for 12 – 24 hours.
12. Pour oil over the dough, release it form the bowl, cover all sides with oil, and give it another fold before placing it in the baking tin.
13. Cover and final proof for 2 – 2.5 hours. Pre-heat the oven to 250C (480F).
14. Bake at 200C (390F) fan on for 40 minutes with the lid on.
15. Remove the loaf from the tin and place it back into the oven to bake for another 10 minutes.

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.