Crusty Bread Golden Crackling (Printable Version)

Rustic bread with golden crust and chewy interior using simple ingredients and minimal hands-on time.

# What You'll Need:

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour

02 - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

03 - 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

04 - 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and instant yeast. Stir until thoroughly blended.

02 - Add lukewarm water and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy, sticky dough forms.

03 - Cover bowl with plastic wrap or clean towel. Let rest at room temperature (70°F) for 12-18 hours until dough is bubbly and doubled in size.

04 - Lightly flour work surface, turn out dough, and gently shape into a round ball without deflating.

05 - Place dough on parchment paper, cover loosely with towel, and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

06 - Place Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot in oven and preheat to 450°F for at least 30 minutes.

07 - Carefully remove hot pot from oven. Lift dough with parchment paper and lower into pot. Cover with lid.

08 - Bake for 30 minutes with lid on to create steam and develop crust.

09 - Remove lid and bake for 10-15 minutes until crust is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

10 - Remove bread from pot and cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing to ensure proper texture.

01 -

Almost zero active effort but tastes like you spent hours kneading and working
The crust creates this incredible shatter when you bite into it, the kind that makes you pause mid conversation

02 -

The dough temperature matters more than you think, too cold and it will take forever to rise
That shaggy, sticky stage at the beginning is correct, do not be tempted to add more flour

03 -

The Dutch oven creates steam which is what gives you that crackling crust, do not skip it
If your dough seems too wet to handle, flour your hands generously rather than adding more flour to the dough