- The bread is made from only four basic ingredients — a blend of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, dry yeast, and kosher salt, plus water — making it accessible and straightforward for home bakers, no sourdough starter required.
- The dough comes together without any kneading in about 90 minutes of active work time, with the option to refrigerate the shaped loaves overnight before popping them in the oven.
- Baking the dough in a preheated Dutch oven traps steam, resulting in a crisp, golden crust and airy interior.
James Beard Award–winning bread master Chad Robertson, co-founder of the San Francisco-based bakery Tartine, has been turning out artisanal loaves since finishing his instruction at the Culinary Institute of America in 1993. Here, he shares his recipe for Crusty White Bread, geared toward the home baker. Though it’s not quick, the process is relatively simple, and in the end, you’ll have two versatile loaves that are infinitely greater than the sum of their four humble ingredients.
The recipe requires just about an hour and a half of active work time, but you’ll need to allow time for pre-fermenting, resting, a couple periods of rising, and baking, with the option to chill the shaped loaves overnight before proceeding to the final step. We suggest reading the recipe thoroughly before beginning and writing out a schedule for all of the phases to ensure you’ve set aside the proper amount of time for success.
Can this dough support any mix-ins?
Yes! To make a chunky bread, fold in 2 1/2 cups toasted sunflower seeds, 5 cups soaked and drained dried currants, or 6 cups walnut halves in Step 3, after folding in the salt water.
Scoring bread dough
To score this bread, you’ll first form the dough into two round boules. Once they’ve had their final rise (in other words, the dough has been proofed) and you’ve turned them out into the casseroles, take a sharp knife or a lame (a razor blade with a handle) to make a slash in each round about a quarter-inch deep along the length of the loaf. As the loaves expand in the oven’s heat (called “oven spring”), the slashes will help control how they rise, preserving the bread’s shape by ensuring no random tears develop and allowing it to reach its full volume. Experienced bread bakers may get fancy with this by cutting decorative patterns, but a single straight line will do the trick.
Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
If you only have one enameled cast-iron casserole or cast-iron skillet with a lid, don’t fret — you can bake the loaves separately in succession. If you’ve chilled the shaped loaves overnight, stagger the timing of when you remove each from the fridge. Otherwise, be sure to keep the second shaped loaf covered with a towel or oiled plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out while awaiting its turn to bake. After the first loaf comes out of the oven, return the temperature to 490°F and put the still-warm casserole or skillet and lid back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to fully heat back up before repeating the process.
