Quick Crusty Dinner Bread

If you forgot to grab that loaf of crusty bread at the store, no worries; you can have homemade Quick Crusty Dinner Bread in about an hour with this recipe!

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This recipe for Quick Crusty Dinner Bread is just about as delicious as fresh homemade bread can get! My family absolutely gobbles it up. I should rename it “the amazing disappearing bread” because if I turn my back for a moment, chunks start to disappear as it sits on the cooling rack. I know these pics are sad- it’s because I can never get good photos taken before it’s eaten. 100% serious here.

Quick Crusty Dinner Bread is a very simple bread recipe. What makes it quick is a handy dandy KitchenAid stand mixer and Rapid-Rise Yeast. Oh, I can’t say enough amazing things about rapid-rise yeast! I have a bulk bag in my fridge at all times. A total pantry staple I couldn’t live without. It works three times as fast as traditional yeast, and I don’t ever bother proofing it. It is to be added to the dry ingredients instead of the wet. It’s activated when it contacts very warm water, 125 degree water to be exact. Use a thermometer to properly measure your liquid temp. Rapid-rise yeast thrives on these hotter than normal temperatures. When you put the dough in a warm oven to rise, WATCH THIS BREAD CLOSELY! Don’t let it rise any bigger than double its’ size, or it will deflate when you cut your little slits into the top! (Ask me how I know…)

This Quick Crusty Dinner Bread recipe is basically the same as my recipe for Quick Bread Bowls, only I leave it in one loaf instead of three. Also, if you have it, fresh or dried rosemary is a delicious addition to this bread. Knead in a tablespoon of freshly minced, or a teaspoon of dried, to the dough.

Aahhhh, watch out it’s the blob! Hahaha :0) I took this pic when I stopped the machine to scrape down the dough from the hook and didn’t realize how ‘blobby looking’ it was. I just wanted to show you what the dough looks like when it starts coming together.  If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply stir 2 and 1/2 cups of the flour mixture and water in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until it comes together in a sticky mass. Dump it out onto a well floured surface and knead in the last 1/2 cup flour by hand. Then just proceed with the rest of the recipe as written. Easy Peasy! You will seriously love, love LOVE this bread. It has made all the difference in so many meals. Enjoy!

Quick Crusty Dinner Bread

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• Author: Emily
• Total Time: 52 minutes
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x

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Description

Forgot to pick up a loaf of crusty bread to go with dinner tonight? Have no fear, the answer is here (with this recipe for Quick Crusty Dinner Bread)! You can have a homemade loaf that tastes better than anything store bought in less than an hour, as long as you have rapid rise yeast.

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Ingredients

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• 1 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 cups bread flour (all purpose flour is fine too)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water

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Instructions

1. Set oven temp to ‘warm’ (or the lowest temperature it will go) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a glass measuring cup, add 1 and 1/4 cups water, olive oil and sugar. Heat in the microwave until 120 to 130 degrees F (in a 1100 watt microwave that’s about 1 minute and 10 seconds for cold tap water). Stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast. Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer and pour in the hot water. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Knead on medium for about 5-6 minutes, adding a tablespoon of flour after 3 minutes if the dough is sticking to the sides and not coming together around the dough hook. (This step can be done up to three times, in one minute intervals.) When the dough doesn’t stick to a finger lightly pressed into it, empty the dough out onto a clean surface (no flour) and knead until smooth, about 15 seconds. Shape the dough into a smooth round by cupping your hands around the back and gently pulling the dough towards you an inch or two. Turn the dough clockwise (or counter clockwise) a few inches and repeat. This slowly stretches the skin of the dough into a nice round shape. 
4. Turn the warm oven off. Place dough round on the prepared baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cookie spray. (Spray side down against the dough.)
5. Place in the warm oven on center rack to rise for about 25 minutes, or until doubled in size. Keep close watch on it, it will rise fast. Don’t let it rise past double its’ size.
6. Whisk together the egg white and 1 tablespoon of water. Gently slide out the baking sheet with the dough and set the oven to heat to 400 degrees F. Slowly remove the plastic wrap and discard. With a pastry brush, very gently coat the dough with egg white wash. Cut three slits in the top with a clean razor blade (or super-sharp knife) about 3 inches long and 1/4 inch at the deepest. Bake the bread for 10 minutes and brush again with egg wash. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and reaches an internal temp of 190 degrees F. Remove and cool on a wire rack and serve.

• Prep Time: 12 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Side dish
• Cuisine: Italian