Lilly's Kitchen

Saturday White Bread

Makes 1 loaf, recipe can be doubled to make 2 loaves

Ingredients

Directions

1. Autolyse

Combine the flour and the water in a large bowl. Mix until just incorporated and let site for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Mix

Sprinkle the salt and yeast over the dough. Mix by folding the salt and yeast in. Wet your hands.

First, reach underneath the dough and grab about a quarter of it. Stretch that section of dough over the top to the other side of the dough. Repeat this 3 more times until the salt and yeast are fully enclosed.

Then, the pincer method to fully integrate the ingredients; it should take 5 or 6 cuts across the dough. Alternate folding and cutting until the ingredients are fully integrated.

Let the dough rest for a few minutes and then fold for another 30 seconds. Cover the bowl to let the dough rise.

3. Fold and rise

Fold the dough 10 minutes after mixing and again at 60 minutes after mixing or when it has spread out. Then let rise for another 4 hours. The dough should triple in size.

4. Shape and proof

Flour your hands, the edges of your bowl, and your work surface. Tip the bowl and gently work the dough loose and onto your work surface without tearing.

If you're making 2 loaves dust with flour the center of the dough and cut it in 2 with a dough knife.

Dust a proofing basket with flour and shape the dough into a medium right ball by folding. Place it seam side down in the proofing basket.

Lightly flour the tops of the loaves and cover with a kitchen towel. They should be ready to bake ~75 minutes after shaping. Use the finger dent test to determine when they are ready to bake.

5. Baking

Put a Dutch oven on the middle rack of your oven and preheat to 475 ˚F.

If you're making 2 loaves and only have 1 Dutch oven then put the second loaf into the refrigerator about 20 minutes before baking the first loaf and bake the loaves sequentially, giving the Dutch over a 5 minute reheat after baking the first loaf. Alternatively you could place the second loaf in the refrigerator immediately gayer shaping and bake it the next morning.

When ready to bake remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Then invert your proofed loaf onto a floured piece of parchment paper. Pick up the parchment paper and gently lower the loaf into the Dutch oven, replace the lid, and return the Dutch oven to the middle rack.

Bake of 30 minutes the remove the lid and bake for another ~20 minutes, checking for doneness at 15 minutes without the lid.

When done remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the loaf from the Dutch oven and allow to cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.