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.
Ingredients
Scale
- 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
Instructions
- Set oven temp to ‘warm’ (or the lowest temperature it will go) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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