Snow, Bread and Boule! An Artisan Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread Recipe
Snow, Bread and Boule!
An Easy Artisan Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread Recipe
Snow, Bread and Boule! An Artisan Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread Recipe
The snow arrived in soft fluttering flakes and settled as fast as an uninvited guest at the tea-table! The light was bright and the snow-bound garden had that eerie muffled silence that the snow always brings with it. The Aga and fire were lit, the house and kitchen were toasty warm, the cat lay curled up on the sofa and the smell of bread softly stole through the house, its yeasty fragrance so seductive and welcoming. What else is one to do when housebound on a snowy day but bake? Cakes and biscuits are all very well, but one needs and desires a fresh loaf – the crust begging to be broken……fluffy inside and ripe for the butter knife (does one still have butter knives? I know I do, but think they may be a thing of the past now). And, that is just what I did today, baked bread and then scoffed it with greed as well as sporting a buttery chin.
Snowy Scarborough Seafront
This bread recipe is an absolute winner; sometimes called “Hearth Bread”, the dough is made ahead of time and then used as and when you fancy a freshly baked loaf of bread. This is the trick ~ make up a large batch of rustic artisan style bread dough, store it and then bake a loaf each day you need fresh bread, amazing but true. This is a “hodge podge” of old-fashioned English and French rustic bread recipes; the bread dough is made up ahead of time and stored (in the old days) in an earthenware crock or bowl, with a lid. You tear off a piece of the dough as and when you want to bake a loaf of bread. Easy! You can add other types of flour to the basic white batch, as long as the dry ingredient to liquid ratio remains the same – you can mix rye or whole wheat flour with the white, or add herbs, onions, seeds, fruit and other flavourings…..the possibilities are endless.
Snow, Bread and Boule! An Artisan Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread Recipe
The dough can be used as soon as the initial proving has finished, but it will keep in a cool place or a fridge for a week or two – I do not recommend longer than 2 weeks however. The dough can be used for free form bread loaves, in bread tins, as rolls or other shapes…..or for a Boule, as I made today, one of my favourite types of French bread and ideal for slicing for toast and sandwiches. I notice that this type of long-term or long-life bread dough has made a revival in a book called “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”; this recipe however, is a very old technique and method, dough was always made up for the week and then kept in the cold room or pantry for daily baking. My grandmother who lived in a 600 year old cottage in Northern England, used to have a stone slab in the Pantry where she kept her crock and dough, I remember sticking my finger in it!!
Image: Snow across the Wolds, near to High Hunsley, East Riding of Yorkshire, Great Britain. Photo by Dr Patty McAlpin
This recipe yields about 4 to 5 loaves of bread, depending on the weight and shape of the bread that you bake, and can also be kept in a cool pantry in between baking sessions. It’s an easy recipe and is also very handy to know that you have some of this tucked away for that emergency “snowy day” loaf of bread, or just BREAD! I hope you enjoy this recipe if you make it, do let me know and ask if you need any tips about the method. Have a warm and happy Tuesday, see you later with cakes, salads, books and a new giveaway. Karen
Snow, Bread and Boule! An Easy Artisan Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread Recipe
Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 to 5 bread loaves |
| Prep time | 2 hours, 40 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 3 hours, 10 minutes |
| Allergy | Wheat |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines day |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 900g strong white bread flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 x 7g sachets dried fast action yeast (or 25g fresh yeast, added to a little warm water with 1 teaspoon honey or sugar)
- 650mls tepid water
Note
This is a “hodge podge” of old fashioned English and French rustic bread recipes; the bread dough is made up ahead of time and stored (in the old days) in an earthenware crock or bowl, with a lid. You tear a piece of the dough off as and when you want to bake a loaf of bread. Easy! You can add other types of flour to the basic white batch, as long as the ratio remains the same – you can mix rye or whole wheat flour with the white, or add herbs, onions, seeds, fruit and other flavourings.
Directions
| Step 1 | Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl – the water should be tepid or hand warm – NOT too hot, as it will kill the yeast. |
| Step 2 | Add the yeast to the water and then the salt, mix well. |
| Step 3 | Add ALL the flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or a dough hook until all the ingredients are amalgamated – NO need to over knead. |
| Step 4 | Leave the bread dough in the mixing bowl and cover loosely – I use a shower cap to cover my dough! (That is NOT used as a shower cap any more, I hasten to add!) |
| Step 5 | Allow to prove for 2 hours, or until doubled in size. |
| Step 6 | The dough can now be stored in the fridge or you can use the dough to make a loaf of bread immediately. |
| Step 7 | If baking a loaf of bread now, pre-heat the oven and place a baking sheet or pizza tray in there. Tear off a large ball, about the size of a small melon, and knead it for about 1 minute with floured hands and on a floured board, Shape it as desired (Rolls, Cob, Cottage Loaf, Boule, Baguette or Bannette etc) or place it in a greased and floured loaf tin. Allow to prove and rise for a further 20 to 30 minutes. Slash the surface with a sharp serrated knife if you wish, see photos. You can add a glaze or special finish at this point. |
| Step 8 | Bake at 225C/450F for 30 minutes or until well risen, brown and the loaf sounds hollow when it is tapped on the underside. (If you wish, you can add a bowl of boiling water as soon as you put the bread into the oven – this steams and bakes the loaf to give a good chewy texture and keeps the inside moist.) |
| Step 9 | Remove the bread when baked and cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm with butter, cheese, jam, hams and cold cuts, or slice when cool for sandwiches. Also wonderful when toasted the next day. |
| Step 10 | Store the excess dough in the mixing bowl, loosely covered, in the fridge or somewhere cool until needed – this will keep for 2 weeks, but I find it has all gone by 7 to 10 days! This amount of dough will make between 4 and 5 loaves of bread, depending on the shape and amount of dough you use. |
Snow, Bread and Boule! An Easy Artisan Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread Recipe
I am entering this bread into Cake Duchess’s Twelve Loaves challenge for January
Snow, Bread and Boule! An Easy Artisan Weekly Make and Bake Rustic Bread Recipe
Emma says
I have just discovered your blog and will be following in future. Great ideas and photography. Please check out the food blog I have just started http://www.surreyKitchen.wordpress.com. Thanks!
Karen Booth says
Thanks Emma! And thanks for your lovely comments, I will pop over to see you now, Karen
Dominic says
what a gorgeous loaf!… I’m always looking for new bread recipes and this looks superb… love that crust… and what a giant recipe too… always good to make loads of loaves for the freezer… loving the snow too… drove back to the cottage today and it’s surrounded by snow (noticed you weren’t here to light the fire btw)… can’t wait to get cooking again!
Karen Booth says
Thanks Dom! This is such an easy recipe and makes a great base for all sorts of grains and flavours. I bet the cottage looks lovely in the snow, get that bfire lit now!
Maya Russell says
Looks nice and great pictures!
Karen Booth says
Thanks Maya!
ashleigh says
lovely bread!
Karen Booth says
Thanks Ashleigh!
Fiona Matters says
Looks gorgeous. I need to bake some bread – I’m all tempted by this one!
Karen Booth says
This is an easy recipe Fiona!
Sarah, Maison Cupcake says
Fabulous looking bread and definitely artisan! I have the book you mention but have never managed to persevere with it since it has no pictures. I know this sounds a bit lame but I felt shortchanged since I am fairly sure the US version had colour photos! But the concept I definitely like – if only I have room the fridge for the dough for all that time!
Karen Booth says
Thanks! 🙂 I don’t have the book Sarah, but I know that it was hugely popular about 2 to 3 years ago; it’s my opinion that many “new” ideas in baking hark back to an earlier period and my grandmother always had a “crock” of dough handy.
Susie @ Fold in the Flour says
There is nothing like the aroma of fresh bread baking – other than ripping into it and devouring it with some beautiful butter! I’ve recently got into my sourdough baking, which is a much longer process than this. It would be great to have dough ready made in the firdge to just be able to bake as and when. And your loaf looks so enticing! 🙂 x
Karen Booth says
IT is very handy to have to hand Susie and can be kept in a cool place if there is not enough room in the fridge, such as garage or garden shed! Karen
Katharine says
A home baked crusty loaf, fresh from the oven, spread with butter, with snow all around – HEAVEN! I’m extremely envious – apart from a light scattering on the hills, we’ve had no snow so far and I love it! Anyway, a fabulous recipe – I do try and bake bread when I can but work unfortunately usually gets in the way which is why I love this idea – I didn’t know that you could leave the dough for so long, just baking it when you need it – a (somewhat dangerous!) revelation – can’t wait to try, all I need now is the snow!
Karen Booth says
Thanks Katharine! Dough for bread is surprisingly robust and as long as it is kept in a cool place, it carries on “living” for some time! There is more snow on the way, so maybe you will get some them! Karen
Karen says
Hi Karen
A newbie to your site and to bread, I have made my first batch and have the surplus ready for he fridge. Can you expand more in terms of ” as long as the ratio remains the same ” as not entirely sure what I add as I don’t think this is just flour and whether I put back into my mixer and go through the whole process again. As I said totally brand new to Bread 🙂
You tear a piece of the dough off as and when you want to bake a loaf of bread. Easy! You can add other types of flour to the basic white batch, as long as the ratio remains the same – you can mix rye or whole wheat flour with the white, or add herbs, onions, seeds, fruit and other flavourings.”
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Karen!
Now, let me see if I can help you – do you want to add seeds and dried fruit to the bread? You don’t need to make a new batch of bread if you want to add seeds, onions and fruit etc. just add it to the dough and mix in with your hands, but, make sure that there is enough dough to “hold” it if you see what I mean – so a small piece of dough with a kilo of fruit isn’t going to work!
Let me know if that answers your query and if not, I will see if I can unravel the mysteries of bread making further!
Karen
WandaFish says
I made my first loaf today and it was so delicious! This is the kind of bread I was hoping for when I bought a breadmaker, but it wasn’t to be. Had I only known how easy it could be to get really tasty, crusty bread…….
Thanks, Karen 🙂
Louisa says
This may just be the recipe that gets me back into bread making! I was an avid bread maker pre-children and somehow or other have failed to make a proper loaf since, and you’ve now re-convinced me it really is extremely easy. And how amazing that the dough keeps for up to 2 weeks, perfect! Thanks Karen 🙂
Jean | Delightful Repast says
I love making rustic loaves and all kinds of bread! And loved your “does one still have butter knives”! Of course, *this* “one” does – wouldn’t be without them!
Avvie Cunnington says
This looks incredible! Nothing beats fresh bread.
Chris says
That sounds a bit like the bread I had about a week or longer ago. I found so much flour in different places in my home, I should be trying your recipe with storing the dough in the fridge as well now. Lovely post!
Delphine says
I’ve never tried bread making but this give me hope ^^ I can surely try with your recipe! Thank you for sharing it.
SeattleDee says
Ahhh, the danger of mixing a large batch of dough is giving in to the temptation to bake and eat fresh bread at every meal every day… and require a larger wardrobe in no time at all. Nothing beats a warm slice slathered with butter and sprinkled with lightly with sea salt! Butter knife? well yes, of course.
Karen Booth says
Thanks Dee! I have MANY butter knives! 🙂
Janet Smith says
This sounds wonderful, and I’m happy to say I have all the ingredients to hand. We are needing some bread on all these snowy days!
Karen Booth says
Good! I am sure you will all love it Janet!
esther james says
I could really do with a nice big slice of this bread now, with a bowl of soup!
Rachel Brady says
I’ve been looking for a simple, good bread recipe and this looks like it could be The One. Love the fact that you make surplus dough and use as needed. Sounds stupid but I din’t know you could do that. Bread is my ‘must learn more’ area! Will make and report back. Would love to share on my blog if that’s OK with you! BTW thanks so much for featuring my blog on your blog roll… very pleased X
Amanda Oakley says
I’m determined to master bread baking this year and this recipe looks like a great place to start!
Karen Booth says
Thanks Amanda – this is a VERY easy recipe to follow!
Natalie Henderson says
Looks great and so easy! I love to make bread and this would definitely keep me going rather than having to make dough every day!! 🙂
Andrea McGlashan says
great recipe – find it hard to find good recipes for homemade bread. love the shower cap innovation also 😉
x
Karen Booth says
Thanks Andrea!
Maya Russell says
Sounds like very posh bread but in fact it’s not! I’d like to make this soon. Sounds easy.
jackie says
This recipe is absolutely fabulous! It was so easy and I had warm fresh bread every night. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to play around with different flours and shapes. I even think it might make a terrific pizza crust. I love your blog!
Judith Allen says
That bread looks gorgeous, and how interesting! I didn’t think about having enough dough for the week, really enjoyed reading about this, thanks! It’s not helping on a hungry morning though…
Teresa Sheldon says
Don’t usually make bread but tried this and its gorgeous so thank you
Maya Russell says
Shared on Twitter as @maisietoo – https://twitter.com/maisietoo/status/301293849559588864
Tracy Nixon says
Another great recipe – shared via Twitter @tracyknixon
Stella Disley says
Hi Karen. Been making bread for a while now using the kneading method, usually setting aside most of the morning to make rolls and a loaf for the week. So delighted when I discovered this simple method and your wonderful instructions. Made baguettes with the first time, fabulous and so delicious. I tried a loaf today after making the mixture up a couple of days ago. Once shaped for the tin, it didn’t rise as I would have expected, but did once I started cooking. I baked for 35 mins and it sounded hollow when finished, but after it had cooled I started to slice it I found the centre all the way through was still dough and very uncooked. I left it to rise in the tin for an hour before baking. I was concerned if I left it to cook for much longer I was worried the crust would burn, but I suppose I could have cooked for longer.
Any hints for making a loaf in a tin? Should I have brought the dough to room temp before shaping for the tin? I’m determined to have another go as it tastes wonderful and is way easier than kneading. Can’t wait to share with my mum, but want to iron out any teething problems. Thanks Karen.
Karen Booth says
Hi Stella, just seen this as I am about to log off…..let me get back to you after tea! THANKS! Karen 🙂
Daisy says
Hi, I am sorry to reply here but I can’t work out how do start a new comment! I just wanted to say I love this bread! It makes the best little rolls for dipping in soup! I noticed it doesn’t have any fat in the recipe – is this what makes it suitable for storing? Or would it be possible to store my regular bread dough in this way? Would be good to know – thanks in advance! x
Karen S says
Hi Daisy! Yes, you have found how to comment! 🙂 Most doughs are okay to store for a few days, but fat-free doughs last longer, as you say. Karen
Daisy says
Thank you! I’m very pleased I found your site – looking forward to trying out some of your other recipes! 🙂 x
Daisy says
Oh I think I’ve found it – sorry for post-crashing Stella! x
Maya Russell says
I like the pictures and your description.
dragonfly63 says
Just found this brilliant bread recipe and will try it later today. I have never used a recipe that you can keep going back to – it sounds fascinating. I seem to have problems with the printing button which never works for me (I cut and paste them into a recipe file anyway) but thought you might like to know in case other users are having trouble. Thanks again.
Gerri