the-easiest-loaf-of-bread-youll-ever-bake

🥘 Ingredients

• King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
  4 1/2 to 5 cups
• King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
  4.5 cups
• granulated sugar (11g)
  1 tbsp
• instant yeast
  2.25 tsp
• table salt (15g)
  2.5 tsp
• water (lukewarm, 90°F to 110°F)
  1.667 cups
• King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour (60g)
  1/2 cup
• yellow
• water
  1 cup
• King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

🍳 Cookware

• oven
• baking sheet
• oven
• cast-iron frying pan
• cast-iron frying pan
• rack

Dough

1. 1

   Weigh your King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour (540g to 600g); or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Stir together King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour , granulated sugar , instant yeast , table salt , and water in a large bowl, starting with 4 1/2 cups (540g) of the flour. Use a sturdy spoon, or your stand mixer equipped with the beater paddle.

   King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour: 4 1/2 to 5 cups, King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour: 4.5 cups, granulated sugar: 1 tbsp (11g), instant yeast: 2.25 tsp, table salt: 2.5 tsp (15g), water: 1.667 cups (lukewarm, 90°F to 110°F)
2. 2

   Mix until everything comes together in a rough, shaggy mass of dough. If you’re kneading the dough by hand, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, using some of the additional King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour called for. Fold the far edge of the dough back over on itself towards you, then press it away from you with the heels of your hands. Rotate the dough 90° (quarter turn). Repeat this fold-press-rotate process with a rhythmic, rocking motion for about 6 minutes. When fully kneaded, the dough will be bouncy and smooth.

   King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour: 1/2 cup (60g)
3. 3

   If you’re using your stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead the dough at medium speed for about 7 minutes, until it’s smooth, elastic, and feels a bit bouncy. If the dough doesn’t form a ball that clears the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in just enough of the additional flour to make this happen.
4. 4

   Place the dough in a bowl that’s been lightly greased with vegetable oil or cooking spray; the bowl you started with is fine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or another airtight cover, and let the dough rise at room temperature until it's doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours. If your kitchen is particularly cold (below 65°F), place the bowl of dough in your turned-off oven with the oven light on.
5. 5

   Gently deflate the dough and cut it in half. Pat each half into a rough 6" x 8" oval. Working with one piece of dough at a time, grab a short side and fold the dough like a business letter (one short side into the center, the other short side over it). Use the heel of your hand to press the open edge of the “letter” closed. Gently pat and roll the dough into a log about 10" long. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
6. 6

   Place the loaves, seam-side down, on a baking sheet (lined with parchment if desired). Sprinkle the pan (or parchment) generously with yellow cornmeal, for coating the pan; this will keep the bread from sticking and give it a crunchy bottom crust.

   yellow
7. 7

   Let the loaves rise, lightly covered with greased plastic wrap, for 45 minutes. They should become nicely puffy. Gently poke your index finger into the side of one of the loaves; if the indentation remains, your bread is ready to bake.
8. 8

   Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 450°F.
9. 9

   For extra-crusty crust and a great rise, add steam to your oven as follows: While the oven is preheating, place an empty cast-iron frying pan on the lowest rack.
10. 10

    Bring water to a boil in the microwave or on the stovetop.

    water: 1 cup
11. 11

    When your bread is risen, use a sieve to dust the loaves with a thin coat of King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour .

    King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
12. 12

    Then make three or four 1/2" deep diagonal slashes in each loaf; these slashes will help the bread rise evenly as it bakes.
13. 13

    Place the bread in the oven and pour the boiling water into the cast-iron frying pan below. Quickly shut the oven door. Wear good oven mitts during this process to shield your hands and arms from the steam.
14. 14

    Bake the bread for ⏱️ 20 to 25 minutes , until the crust is golden brown and a loaf sounds hollow to the touch when you tap it on the bottom. The interior temperature of the bread should register at least 190°F on a digital thermometer.
15. 15

    Turn the oven off, crack the door open, and allow the bread to remain inside for 5 additional minutes; this helps keep the crust crisp.
16. 16

    Remove the bread from the oven and cool it on a rack .