French Crusty Bread
Makes 2 breads
Ingredients
- Starter:
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) water (room temperature)
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (250 mL) Robin Hood® Best for Bread Homestyle White Flour
- Dough:
- all of the starter
- 2-2 1/2 cups (500-625 mL) Robin Hood® Best for Bread Homestyle White Flour
- 1 tsp (5 mL) active dry yeast
- 1 cup (250 mL) warm water
- 2 tsp (10 mL) salt
Directions
Starter
Step 1:
Combine all ingredients in glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight. Stir down.
Dough
Step 2:
Combine starter with 1 cup (250 mL) flour and all of remaining ingredients in large bowl of electric mixer. Beat on high, adding enough remaining flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Remove from bowl and knead on floured surface, adding more flour if necessary. Place in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and tea towel and let rise in warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Step 3:
Remove and punch down on floured surface. Divide dough in two and shape into rounds. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, cover with tea towel and let rise until almost double, about 45 minutes.
Step 4:
Gently slash tops with sharp knife, being careful not to deflate dough and sprinkle top with flour. Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C). Carefully place a pan of boiling water on lowest oven rack. Place baking sheet on rack over boiling water. The steam from the water results in a crispy crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking another 20-25 minutes or until bread has an internal temperature of 190°F (88°C). Remove and let cool on wire rack.