Rustic Italian Bread

Name: Rustic Italian Bread
Yield: Makes 1 large loaf, about 2 1/2 pounds
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 11 ounces (312 grams), bread flour (2 cups); 1/4 teaspoon, instant yeast; 8 ounces (227 grams), water (1 cup), room temperature; 16 1/2 ounces (468 grams), bread flour (3 cups), plus extra for dusting hands and work surface; 1 teaspoon, instant yeast; 10.7 ounces (303 grams), water (1 1/3 cups), room temperature; 2 teaspoons, table salt

Desserts or Baked Goods
Italian
Breads

Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2003

We set out to turn four basic ingredients—flour, water, yeast, and salt—into a chewy, crusty bread that would put supermarket loaves to shame.

SERVES Makes 1 large loaf, about 2 1/2 pounds

TIME 1½ hours, plus 15 hours rising and 20 minute resting

Why This Recipe Works

This is a members' feature.