Easy Rustic Crusty Bread

This yeast-bread recipe, Easy Rustic Crusty Bread, leans on warm water, instant yeast and salt. It makes 2 -4 loaves of bread and takes about 220 minutes.

• Yield 2 -4 loaves of bread
• Ready in 220 minutes
• Prep 195 minutes
• Cook 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups warm water (about 100 degrees)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting dough

Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel but don't seal the bowl airtight. Let the dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered in an airtight container, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife (I have only ever made two loaves out of the batch of dough so I just divide the dough in half to form my first loaf). Turn the dough in your hands to lightly stretch the surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put the dough on a piece of parchment paper set on a pizza peel or a rimmed baking sheet turned upside down.
3. Slashing: you can dust the top of the dough lightly with flour and slash now (before rising) or wait until after the loaf has risen.
4. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes for room temperature dough; if you have used the dough out of the refrigerator, let it rest for 1 1/2 hours. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
5. Place a broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven (if you don't have a broiler pan - no worries! Tossing 5-6 ice cubes in the bottom of the oven when you put in the bread works really well, too). Place a baking stone on the middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat the stone at that temperature for 20 minutes before baking.
6. After the dough has rested and is ready to bake, if you haven't already (see step #3), dust the dough lightly with flour, slash the top with serrated or very sharp knife three times.
7. Slide the dough (with the parchment paper) onto the baking stone. Pour one cup of hot water into the broiler pan (or toss 5-6 ice cubes in the bottom of the oven) and shut the oven quickly but gently to trap the steam. Bake the bread until well browned, about 24-28 minutes. Cool completely.

Cool the bake on a rack until the crumb sets, then slice.