Blog Makeover & Holiday Baking Kickoff: Crafting the Perfect Homemade Crusty Bread
Welcome back to the blog! For those reading this on the main website, you might have already noticed a fresh new look. We’ve given the blog a complete visual refresh, just in time for the festive winter season. What do you think of the new color scheme and overall aesthetic? I’m quite fond of it, perhaps even more so than the previous design. It’s truly amazing to reflect on how far we’ve come since the blog’s humble beginnings, a visual journey that started with a much different appearance.
Announcing the Holiday Culinary Challenge!
Beyond the blog’s new attire, I’m thrilled to introduce another exciting addition: a brand new button on the right sidebar of the main website! This button serves as your direct portal to a dedicated page for my Holiday Culinary Challenge. This special section will house all posts and recipes related to this festive baking and cooking endeavor, making it easy for you to follow along and find inspiration for your own holiday kitchen adventures.
And guess what? The challenge officially begins NOW! I’ve already dove headfirst into one of the more intimidating items on my culinary to-do list, and I’m delighted to report an overwhelmingly successful start. Not only did I conquer a challenging recipe, but I’ve also added a fantastic new dish to my personal repertoire, a testament to its delicious outcome. So, which culinary quest did I embark upon first, you ask?
Mission Accomplished: Mastering Homemade Crusty Bread
A Journey into Artisan Baking
Just two days ago, I triumphantly checked off one of the more formidable items on my extensive list of culinary goals: baking homemade crusty bread. The thought of baking bread from scratch can be daunting, but the satisfaction of pulling a warm, aromatic loaf from your oven is truly unparalleled. This wasn’t just “okay” bread; it was exceptional, earning a permanent spot in my collection of cherished recipes.
Initially, I harbored a slight fear that this post would recount a tale of a bread-making experiment gone completely awry. Baking with yeast can be temperamental, and I’ve certainly had my share of kitchen mishaps. However, I am overjoyed to report that this particular venture was far more successful than I could have ever predicted, especially considering an early stumble during the initial stages of the bread-making process.
The Inevitable Baking Blunder: A Lesson Learned
My first mistake? I completely messed up the ingredient quantities. Anyone who bakes, especially bread, knows that Rule Number One is precision. Yeast dough is a living thing, and its delicate balance depends heavily on accurate measurements. I managed to break this fundamental rule in spectacular fashion.
A word to the wise: Halving a recipe, particularly for baking, is a treacherous path. What began as a plan to make one loaf instead of the original two quickly devolved into a series of forgotten measurements. This isn’t my first rodeo; I’ve made this error countless times before, adding double the amount of crucial ingredients like yeast or whole wheat flour. It’s disheartening when everything else seems to be going smoothly, only to realize a critical component is out of whack. A classic “fail” moment, often leading to a dense or overly yeasty result.
However, I quickly rescinded my defeat. Upon realizing I had accidentally doubled the yeast (and initially, some of the flour, which I thankfully managed to scoop out), the image of a monstrous, over-proofed bread loomed in my mind. Instead of continuing with the compromised half-recipe, I made a spontaneous decision: go big or go home. I retrieved the remaining ingredients and committed to making the original two-loaf quantity. This turned out to be a stroke of luck, as I’ve often heard that yeast doughs perform better when prepared in larger batches. The extra volume allows for more consistent fermentation and better gluten development, leading to a superior texture and flavor.
The Recipe: A Triumphant Adaptation
And thankfully, I did! The result was absolutely delicious. The original inspiration for this recipe comes from Deborah Madison’s renowned cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I made a few personal tweaks to enhance its flavor and texture: I slightly increased the salt content to better balance the grains, opted for a different type of oil to complement the robust flavors, and, most notably, incorporated a specific multigrain cereal from Bob’s Red Mill. This cereal proved to be such a game-changer that it will now be an exclusive ingredient for this particular recipe in my kitchen, adding unparalleled depth and a satisfying chewiness.
This recipe, while incredibly rewarding, does require a bit of patience and foresight. It involves proofing the yeast to ensure its vitality and to allow the flours and cereal to soften in the liquid, followed by several rising periods. This is decidedly not a bread you can whip up on a whim or at the eleventh hour. If you desire to enjoy this bread fresh on the day it’s baked – which is undoubtedly when it tastes its absolute best – plan to initiate the bread-making process approximately four hours before you intend to serve it. This timeframe accounts for all rising periods and the final baking time, ensuring you can savor a perfect, warm loaf.
Homemade Crusty Bread Recipe
Here is the full recipe, promising dense, chewy, and utterly delicious results:
Key Considerations for Optimal Rising
For yeast to perform its best, it requires a dark, dry, and warm environment to rise. I’ve found that the inside of an oven (unheated, of course!) with just the oven light on creates an ideal microclimate. The oven light typically generates just enough gentle warmth to encourage the yeast to activate and the dough to rise beautifully, often making it slightly warmer than the rest of your kitchen. This consistent, low heat prevents drafts and ensures a steady rise.
Step-by-Step Directions:
1. Make the Sponge
In a large bowl, whisk together active dry yeast and warm water (ensure the water is warm, not hot, to avoid killing the yeast—ideally between 105-115°F or 40-46°C). Once the yeast is dissolved and slightly foamy, add the remaining sponge ingredients: honey, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, and buttermilk. Mix until just combined and relatively smooth. Loosely cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and place it in your chosen warm, dry spot (like the oven with the light on). Let this mixture sit and ferment for precisely 1 hour. This initial step, known as creating a “sponge,” allows the yeast to become active, develop flavor, and prepare the flour for optimal gluten development.
Immediately After Mixing:
After One Hour of Proofing:
2. Prepare the Bread Dough
Once the sponge has proofed for an hour and is visibly active and bubbly, gently push it down with a wooden spoon – it will still be quite liquidy. Stir in the salt, your chosen oil, and sunflower seeds. Gradually begin adding the remaining all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Continue mixing with the spoon until the dough becomes too difficult to stir. At this point, transition to using your hands to knead the dough, either directly in the bowl or on a lightly floured surface. Add additional flour as needed, a little at a time, until the dough transforms into a smooth, elastic, and supple consistency, no longer sticky. Transfer the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled bowl, ensuring the top is also lightly oiled to prevent a crust from forming. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise again for an additional 1 1/2 hours. During this second rise, the dough should roughly double in size, indicating good yeast activity and gluten development.
3. Divide, Shape, and Final Rise
After the dough has completed its second rise, gently punch it down to release the trapped air. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a rustic loaf; don’t worry about perfection here; a nice rough rectangle or oval works perfectly for a homemade look. Place each shaped loaf into a prepared 8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch bread pan (either lightly sprayed with cooking oil or buttered). The loaves don’t need to fill the pans exactly at this stage, as they will expand further. Cover the pans loosely with a clean dish towel and allow the dough to undergo its final rise for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat Oven and Bake
Before proceeding, carefully remove the loaf pans from the oven (if you were using it for rising) and then preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Allow the bread to continue its final rise for an additional 15 minutes while the oven heats up. Just before baking, use a sharp knife or a lame to make a horizontal slash, about 1/2 inch deep, across the middle of each loaf. This “scoring” helps control where the bread expands during baking, giving it a beautiful, professional appearance and a crispier crust. Bake the loaves for 40-45 minutes, or until they develop a deep golden-brown, crusty exterior and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
5. Cool and Serve
Once baked, remove the bread from the oven and carefully transfer the loaves from the pans to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes, preferably longer. Cooling on a rack allows air to circulate around the entire loaf, preventing the bottom crust from becoming soggy and ensuring a perfectly crisp crust all around. Slice, serve, and enjoy your delicious, homemade crusty bread while it’s still warm!
The Nutritional Powerhouse: Why This Bread Stands Out
This bread isn’t just “seriously good” in taste; it’s also a nutritional powerhouse. Thanks to the inclusion of both whole wheat flour and a thoughtful blend of multigrain cereal (such as Bob’s Red Mill 10-Grain, which often contains a variety of grains and flaxseed), each slice delivers a substantial amount of protein, healthy fats, and dietary fiber. These components make it incredibly hearty and satisfying, keeping you fuller for longer. It’s an excellent choice for robust sandwiches, accompanying a warm bowl of soup, or simply enjoyed with a smear of butter or your favorite spread. It truly offers a wholesome and delicious alternative to store-bought options.
Baking Confidence: Don’t Be Intimidated!
Despite the various rising times – which largely involve passive waiting rather than active labor, requiring only a kitchen timer – this bread actually comes together surprisingly quickly and easily. As my own anecdote illustrates, even with a couple of early blunders, the final product was nothing short of spectacular. This recipe is forgiving and yields impressive results, making it perfect even for those relatively new to yeast baking. So, please, do not be intimidated by the idea of baking this bread from scratch!
For this recipe, I particularly loved using Bob’s Red Mill 10-Grain Hot Cereal. Its rich blend of stone-ground high-protein hard red wheat, rye, triticale (a unique hybrid of wheat and rye), oat bran, oats, corn, barley, soybeans, brown rice, millet, and flaxseed added incredible depth of flavor and texture. This diverse mix contributes to both the hearty taste and the nutritional profile. However, if you have another preferred multigrain cereal or blend on hand, feel free to substitute; I’m confident it will yield equally delicious results, perhaps with a slightly different but equally appealing character.
Kicking Off the Holiday Culinary Challenge with Success
I am incredibly pleased that my inaugural recipe for the Holiday Culinary Challenge was such a resounding success! While I’m quite sure not every challenge recipe will unfold so smoothly, this initial victory has certainly boosted my confidence and enthusiasm for the tasks ahead. It was a truly rewarding experience to step into the kitchen, experiment with new techniques, adapt a recipe, and ultimately be rewarded with such a delicious and wholesome product.
This post might have been a bit lengthy, but there was much to share, from exciting blog updates to a delightful new recipe! Now that we’ve covered the blog’s new look, the exciting challenge ahead, and a fantastic homemade crusty bread recipe, I’m eager to hear from you. What culinary adventure should I tackle next from my Holiday Challenge list? Your suggestions and feedback are always welcome!