Country Bread, City Bread
This is the tastiest bread I have ever made. It’s also the easiest because the secret ingredient in all true bread is time. The key to an addictive loaf of rich, hearty goodness is non-laborious kneading; it’s an overnight rest for the living dough. With time, water and flour naturally form an elastic dough that rises with just a small amount of yeast. Here’s how to make your own Country Bread, full of rustic whole grain goodness, or a loaf of refined white City Bread.
Ingredients
For a loaf of Country Bread
3 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 cup whole wheat four
1/2 cup any multigrain mix (see variations)
1/2 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 cups warm water
For a loaf of City Bread
5 cups all purpose or bread flour
1/2 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 cup whole wheat four
1/2 cup any multigrain mix (see variations)
1/2 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 cups warm water
For a loaf of City Bread
5 cups all purpose or bread flour
1/2 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups warm water
Instructions
In a large bowl whisk the dry ingredients together, evenly distributing the salt and yeast throughout the flour. Pour in the warm water and stir with the handle of a wooden spoon until a moist dough forms. Continue stirring until the dough incorporates all the loose flour in the bowl, 1 or 2 minutes in total.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 18 hours. The dough will double in size and bubble, and long elastic gluten strands will form without laborious kneading.
Dust the dough lightly with a bit of flour. Oil hands lightly and, with your fingertips, gather dough from the outside edges to the middle, knocking it down into a loose ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for a few moments until a tight ball forms. Toss the ball back in the bowl and lightly coat with a splash of vegetable oil, turning to evenly cover.
Gently roll the dough into a think log that fits end to end in a lightly oiled 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan and, without covering, rest it a second time. In 2 to 3 hours it will double in size once more.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). When the dough is ready, bake for 45 minutes.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 18 hours. The dough will double in size and bubble, and long elastic gluten strands will form without laborious kneading.
Dust the dough lightly with a bit of flour. Oil hands lightly and, with your fingertips, gather dough from the outside edges to the middle, knocking it down into a loose ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for a few moments until a tight ball forms. Toss the ball back in the bowl and lightly coat with a splash of vegetable oil, turning to evenly cover.
Gently roll the dough into a think log that fits end to end in a lightly oiled 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan and, without covering, rest it a second time. In 2 to 3 hours it will double in size once more.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). When the dough is ready, bake for 45 minutes.
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Variation
Bread dough has a higher concentration of gluten in it so it will produce the strongest loaf with the most rise. All-purpose flour has less gluten but will still produce a beautiful loaf of bread. In either case the dough is strong enough to hold lots of multi-grain bits so, in the Country Bread, for a multi-grain mix, you may use a blend such as Red River cereal or a 12-grain cereal breakfast blend. You may also use plain oatmeal, cornmeal or even potato flakes.
i made this bread in a 425 degree preheated dutch oven and it was perfect. All you do is drop it in the pan with parchment paper. Leave the lid on for 30 minutes then remove the lid an continue for 20 minutes
this bread recipe is not the one as shown on television show. Could I have that one please? P.S. Wonderful show I watch it everyday……
I am at sea level and do not have good results with my bread, it will not rise. Ccan you suggest anything I might try? thankyou Martha
I am making white bread at sea level it not turning out quite right it is not rising all the way like it should can you give me any hints thanks Roger
i am in the middle of making the large loaf, and it looks great. i would prefer to make two loaves at once though – has anyone tried doubling the recipe? any advice for doubling? thanks, great recipe!
Prince Edward Island
Postby keith on September 1st, 2011, 7:39 am
P.E.I.
Foaming seas gentle breeze.
Call to me my island home.
Sunny skies laughing lies.
Is the place I long to be.
Farmers fields swaying trees.
Light house beacons on the horizon smile.
On this my island home of P.E.I. .
Sea of seas call to me.
Of lovely days of sand and shore.
With red sands be.
A girl called Anne.
A man called Cuthferson.
A place called Avonlea.
A lighted smile.
High and low tide.
With doors open wide.
Welcome,welcome come inside.
Welcome all to P.E.I.
keith
beautiful poem! i want to visit your island so bad…so lucky! but I also love my Quebec, so much land not discovered yet…I will go to PEI one summer and show it to my kids!
May I have the receipe for the beer soup that goes with this beautiful bread.
Thank you.
Could you please send me the instructions for the City Bread.
Thank you
Where are the instructions for the baking of the city bread, as it was done differently on the show?
Please supply
Theresa – I watched the show as well and the quantity for the city bread was different as was the cooking method. Did you get a reply? If so would you share? Please and thanks.
Error Alert, I just noticed your online recipe for City bread only calls for 4 cups of flour whereas your cookbook recipe in “The best of Chef at Home” calls for 5 cups of flour.
I love this bread recipe too and have been baking it all summer since discovering your cookbook Chef Michael. My friends are too! I did find modifications were needed, could be I use electric stove and you propane? I bake my bread at 425 degrees for the first 20 minutes then lower the heat to 350 degrees for the last 25 minutes. Turns out great, loaf is crusty and not rock hard. I also add a lot of flour to the dough after it has risen overnight, over 1 cup, because the dough is that sticky and wet. Could be the flour, or humidity, but has to be done. I have shared this bread and your cookbook with friends all summer and we are impressed, thanks!
Made it the first time inadvertently used fast rising yeast
it rose really nicely the fell over nite.
Then tried regular yeast worked great.
Did not grease my dutch oven bread did not stick, did however use grease in regular pan.
it is a great recipe. Sort of mindless way of making bread.
Brown butter fantastic.
I tried this recipe but the dough turns out very wet, and I couldn’t make it a ball no matter how i dust it with flour. And the dough keep overflowing in the oven when baking. Can anyone suggest why the dough would be too wet?
I missed the end of the recipe where Michael made a special butter I think to go on the bread he was serving with soup. Can anyone tell me the recipe please.
Hi Sarah
Michael melt half a stick of butter in a saucepan. Watch it so it will not ‘burned’.
He then put a stick of butter in a bowl mixer and pour the melted butter that has been ‘browned’, then turn the electric mixer on until they are incorporated.
Hope that helps.
let the melted browned butter cool first …
well worth every bit, thank you, thank you
I really loved this bread. I made a few changes though so that my bread came out perfect. First instead of putting oil on the dough, use cooking spray in your baking dish so it won’t stick. Second, put a most towel over the top of the baking dish during the second rising so as not to dry out the bread. Third, bake at 350 for 35 minutes (425 will make your bread rock hard). Forth, DO NOT cut the bread for 30 minutes to an hour or the middle will be all doughy. Otherwise great bread!
cool
Dont you need sugar to make the yeast work? i’m trying this recipe right now and my bread wasn’t rising so i added sugar today….will cook it tonight and see if it turned out
Is this suitable for a breadmaker at all? If not, I’m happy to make it the traditional way.
This recipe is the BEST bread recipe!!!! Thank you Chef Michael!!!! I love the ease and convenience of this recipe and the bread smells and tastes like artisan bread!!! The dough is sticky but oh so good! Thanks so much for this recipe! You are our favourite chef!!!!
Hi Michael,
I bake bread all my life but no bread came close to this one.Turned out like from the magazine. Only think is that the bread is too good so it disappear fast.So
thank you for a fantastik recipe. I will never stop
watching your show( I am only 72).
I tried these loaves for the first time the other night – as presented on the show (3c. flour 1 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp yeast 1 5/8 c water) – and they came out absolutely delightfully. I wonder though if the slightly larger proportions of this recipe wouldn’t make for too large loaves.
Either way – an absolute joy to make. The best sucess I’ve ever had with yeast bread, and a nice practice introduction to artisan breads that use a starter only – no yeast at all.
Sharon – I wouldn’t worry about putting it in a bread machine – I think the whole point of it is to simply it – mix and leave it.
Hi! I’m curious about the same thing Shar asked … did you need to grease the pan or pot?
I greased my pans – the country loaf still stuck a little but not too badly, the city loaf – I did that one in a heavy enamal cast iron casserole (5 ltr) – came out STUNNING but yeah oil the pan and use LOTS of dusting flour with that one – its a bit sticky
made this bread, but cooked it in a dutch oven with coals from a campfire .Turned out excellent.
On the 23 march 2011 you made a french loaf of bread in a saucepan in the oven with the lid on, when you put the bread dough in the saucepan was the inside of the saucepan greased? and what temperature was the oven set at for the bread to cook?
thank you.
Hey I watched that program as well and he didn’t oild the pan or the bread he floured the bread and then transferred it after he let it rise. Although we never saw him take it out of the pan, I would suggest heating the pot like he said and right before transferring the dough I would spray it with pam.
I did not oil the pans and the country grain loaf stuck to the pan!!! What a waste of time!!!
can this bread recipe be used in bread machine and how go about it as far as ingredients to add in what order
Just started the dough for my second time making this recipe. Our whole family loves this grainy bread. It’s a keeper in my stack of recipes! So easy to make with ingredients I have on hand. Thanks!
Chef Michael – I make gluten free whole grain bread once a week. I use a combination of Sorghum, Millet, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch and Ground Flax Seed. Do you think this recipe would work with my gluten free flours?
I’ve made this bread several times and it is AMAZING!!!
It’s easy to make and turns out perfect every time, the whole family loves it.
Thanks, you are the greatest chef!!!
Josie
Maybe you can help me then. Did you oil the loaf pan ? My country bread stuck to it. Also what kind of YEAST do you use – rapidrise or regular????
Hi,
I oil my loaf pan. Not sure if the bread would come out otherwise.
Cindy
No, you don’t oil the pan..it doesn’t stick, when cooked it comes out easy. Just flip it over and it pops out. It tastes, just like bread baked in a bakery!!
So simple, yet soooo good.
I buttered the inside of the bread pans and no stick.
As a single pot bake, I used a heated cast iron dutch oven. No butter or oil just the flour from the silicon pad on the cookie sheet where the loaf did a second rise and no stick.
I cannot waite to try this bread. I will be doing it this weekend. Looking forward to doing it. My family loves fresh bread.
I love this bread, and i’ve been hooked ever since he first mentioned this type of bread. I wonder if anyone has experienced this, but whenever i make this bread it turns out awesome, but when i want to make toast out of it, i end up having to toast the bread 2 times to get it golden. Is it just me?? Still great bread though!