Farmers Bread
Servings: 1 bread around 1kg, or 2 of each around 500 g
Ingredients:
- 500 g all-purpose flour (⅔ 550 and ⅓ 1050) (more explanation about wheat flour here)
- 100 g rye flour
- 390 ml water
- 6 g yeast (fresh or dry)
- 12 g salt
Note:
In total this recipe will take about 20 hrs. So make a planning before hand to ensure that you bake the bread at the right moment.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and knead to a firm dough, without any clumps. if you have a kitchen machine you might also use this one. However the dough becomes quite firm, so make sure your machine can handle this. (A Kitchen Aid or Kenwood should is able to handle this, but on low speed)
- Cover the dough and let it rest for about 3 hrs. Fold the dough after 30, 60 and 90 minutes.
- Now it is time to shape the dough. Here you can choose to make one big loaf or to make two smaller ones. Dust the working surface with flour and carefully press the dough flat and fold to the middle from all sides. Place in a bowl with a kitchen towel that is lightly dusted with flour. Place the loaf with the folds down side. Cover with the remaining ends of the towel. Now you need to store the loaf in the fridge for up to 14 hrs, but at least 12 hrs. This gives the dough the possibility to build up flavour.
- One of the last steps is the baking process. Heat up your oven to 250 degree celsius.
- Just before putting the loaf in the oven, take it out of the fridge. You might score the loaf at this point. This can be done with a simple cut (lengthwise or a cross).
- Place the bread on a baking tray and in the oven. Tip: Spray some water in the oven for a humid climate, or add a second baking tray with some water on it.
- Bake for 20 minutes with steam. After that reduce the temperature to around 230 degrees celsius and continue for at least 30 min and until your desired crust is created.
Type of wheat flour
Baking bread is all about the right flour because the different sources contain different amounts of protein which is needed to create the gluten structure that helps to contain the air in the
bread. Do you want to know more about the types of flour? Have a look at this blog post.
Baking bread in a Dutch oven
If you have a Dutch oven I would reccomend using it to bake the bread in stead of an oven tray. The Dutch oven helps to ensure a moist climate in the beginning and also supports the establishment of a good crust. Experiments showed me that it is not needed to pre-heat the Dutch Oven it self.