Homemade Bread + Pizza Dough
I had always been intimidated by making homemade bread until I found these few staple recipes that have consistently proven to be a success! These are not my original recipes but I will share a few tips + tricks that I’ve learned along the way.
4-Hour French Baguette: This recipe creates the best crispy outer crust, met with a warm + soft center (as pictured above). Although it’s a baguette recipe, I’ve also used this recipe to successfully create a round loaf. See below for my recommendations on creating a crispy crust without a dutch oven.
No-Knead Focaccia: This recipe is a wonderful blank canvas for any toppings that you’d like or is delicious simply topped with sea salt.
Homemade Pizza Dough: Only requires 1 hour to rise + recipe makes 2 medium pies! Spice it up (literally) with a blend of Italian herbs if you’d prefer an herb variation!
First things first, this is the yeast that I buy!
Proofing the yeast (aka making sure it’s going to rise): Regardless of the recipe, I typically start by warming the water on the stove to approximately 110F. If it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast + your bread won’t rise. If it’s too not warm enough, it won’t work. Once at the appropriate temperature, mix the water with approximately 1tbsp of white sugar to feed the yeast. Then, pour the dried yeast on top. Some recipes that I’ve used recommend mixing the yeast with the water, but I haven’t had great success with that. Instead, I just let my yeast sit on top of the water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes – if the yeast starts to bubble + become a little bit “puffy”, you should be good to go! If it does not + your yeast looks “flat”, you may need to try again or use different yeast.
Timing is Important: In contrast to how it may seem, if you let your dough rise for too long before baking, it will actually collapse when it is placed in the oven. Therefore, scheduling when to make your bread becomes important. The actual time to let your dough rise will vary slightly given the conditions of your kitchen/home. I like this article by Bon Appetit, it’s a great guide on How to Tell if Your Dough is Done Rising.
Using Ice Cubes for a Crispy Crust: If you’re not using a dutch oven, you can use ice cubes to create a similar steam effect to create a crispy crust. When you’re pre-heating your oven, place a cast iron skillet or baking sheet on the bottom shelf. As you put your bread into the oven, place a handful of ice cubes into the skillet or bottom of your oven. When you close the oven door, the steam will crisp up the crust beautifully!
10-minute Rule: When you remove your bread from the oven, let it sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it to avoid the center becoming sticky. Trust me, I know how hard it is to wait!