Hearth bread is a classic choice for any baker looking to create a delicious and flavorful loaf. Made with a combination of whole grain and white flours, hearth bread gets its name from the traditional method of baking it directly on the hearth of a wood-fired oven. This results in a crispy crust and a soft, chewy interior that is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or just enjoying on its own. Whether you're a novice baker or an experienced pro, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know to create the perfect hearth bread.
Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!
ROSE'S HEARTH BREAD
I found this recipe on the back of Gold Medal "Best for Bread" flour, which credits it to Rose Levy Beranbaum's book "The Bread Bible". Easy to make and the potential add-ins are endless. My favorite is adding a head of roasted garlic. A very hearty bread. Prep time includes dough rising.
Provided by Zetty66
Categories Breads
Time 2h30m
Yield 1 slice, 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- In a medium bowl, stir together flours, salt and yeast. Stir in water and honey. Knead dough until smooth and springy, but still slightly sticky. Add a little flour or water as necessary.
- Lightly brush oil inside of large bowl. Place dough in bowl, turning to oil all sides. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper or lightly sprinkle with cornmeal. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Shape dough into a round ball. Place on cookie sheet, cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes.
- Place baking stone on lowest oven rack and heat oven to 475°F Carefully cut an X-shaped slash on top of dough; spray with cool water. Place cookie sheet in oven on baking stone; place one cup water in a shallow pan on the other rack.
- Bake 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 425°F Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until bread is golden brown and skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
- NOTE: Stir-ins can include: 1/4 cup of 1 or 2 of the following--Kalamata olives, roasted garlic cloves, cut-up sun-dried tomatoes, slice chives, shelled sunflower seeds, 1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs such as rosemary or thyme.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 138, Fat 0.4, SaturatedFat 0.1, Sodium 292.4, Carbohydrate 28.9, Fiber 1.3, Sugar 0.6, Protein 4.1
HEARTH BREAD
Make and share this Hearth Bread recipe from Food.com.
Provided by MARIA MAC
Categories Breads
Time 40m
Yield 1 loaf
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Mix flour, salt, soda, sugar and butter.
- Put in egg and sour milk and mix well.
- Turn out onto a breadboard and knead it a little, then put in a pan and bake.
- To a nice golden brown in a 350 oven 25-30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1592.2, Fat 47.9, SaturatedFat 27.2, Cholesterol 321.4, Sodium 2185.6, Carbohydrate 249.4, Fiber 6.8, Sugar 60.7, Protein 38.4
FOCACCIA FARCITA (FILLED ITALIAN HEARTH BREAD)
There's nothing as wonderful as a freshly baked focaccia. Adapted from "Bread" by Treuille and Ferrigno. i even love this plain, without any filling. You can use anything for the filling; iI've included another variation. Generally, any Italian-style ingredients such as roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, fresh herbs (esp basil/oregano) or grilled aubergines, will complement this bread. Just remember that any topping/filling must be cooked in the same time that it takes the bread to bake. Therefore, vegetables need to be chopped/sliced, and partially cooked (roasting/parboiling before they are used. Prep time includes dough rising/proving.
Provided by WaterMelon
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 3h15m
Yield 1 loaf, 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Sprinkle yeast into 200ml of the water in a bowl.
- Let sit 5 mins; stir to dissolve.
- Mix about 3/4 of the flour with salt together in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeasted water and olive oil.
- Mix in the flour.
- Stir in remaining water to make a sticky dough, using a wooden spoon.
- Add the remaining flour, if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form a knead-able dough.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead until smooth, silky and elastic, about 10mins.
- (you can add more flour if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time) Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap/tea towel.
- Leave to rise until doubled, 1 1/2- 2 hours.
- Knock back and divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.
- Chafe for 5 minutes.
- Chafing: Form each piece into a ball by cupping your hands gently around it.
- Apply a light, downwards pressure to the sides, while simultaneously rotating the dough in a steady, clockwise motion.
- Continue until the dough forms an even, round shape.
- This action is called CHAFING.
- Leave to rest 10 minutes.
- Roll out each piece of dough into a 9 inch round.
- Place one round on an oiled baking sheet.
- Arrange the cheeses and basil on top, then seal the filling using the second round.
- Cover the dough loosely with a tea towel.
- Prove until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Using your fingertips, lightly press into the surface of the dough to form dimples about 1/2 inch deep.
- Sprinkle with coarse salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Top with rosemary sprigs.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F/200°C for 30-45mins until golden.
- Drizzle immediately with remaining olive oil, and serve warm.
- Variation- use 1 lb cherry tomatoes (drizzle with 1 TB olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then bake at 400°F for 20 mins), 5 oz mozzarella and 4 oz rocket (arugula) as filling.
FRENCH HEARTH BREAD
This rustic bread has its origins in the towns and farms of the French countryside. With the addition of honey for sweetness and a golden crust, the further addition of a small amount of wheat flour makes a perfect loaf of daily bread.
Provided by Pastryismybiz
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 5h30m
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Dough Starter:.
- In a mixer bowl combine the 1 cup bread flour,1/4 cup wheat flour, 1/2 tsp yeast, honey and water.
- Whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape down bowl. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let ferment at room temperature for 1 hour up to 4 hours.Starter will have bubbled up and risen in the bowl.
- Flour Mixture:.
- Combine the 1 3/4 cups bread flour and the yeast.
- Add to the risen sponge in the mixing bowl.Do not add salt at this time.
- With the dough hook installed mix on low speed (# 2 on a Kitchenaid) for about one minute until you have a rough dough.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle on the salt at this stage and knead with dough hook (#4 speed) for about 7 minutes. Instant read thermometer plunged into the center should read 78 to 80 degrees.
- The dough should be very elastic, smooth and slightly sticky;If too sticky,add a little flour up to 1/4 cup. You can knead in any extra flour by hand after you remove the dough from the bowl.
- Let the dough rise in an oiled covered bowl until double at room temperature.
- Press the dough down, fold it over and let rise again for another l hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- The dough may be formed into a ball or,placed in an 8 X 4 greased bread pan or rolled out to an oblong loaf.
- Free form loaves should be placed on a cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with flour or cornmeal.
- Cover the shaped dough and allow it to double. The freeform oblong loaf should be 8" by 3"inches high. In the loaf pan the center should be 1" higher then the sides of the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 475 1 hour before baking. Adjust oven shelf to lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating the oven.
- At this stage I like to mist the loaf with water and roll it in sesame seeds, poppy seeds or other whole grains.
- Slash freeform bread diagonally with a sharp knife or razor blade making 1/2" deep slices.
- If using a loaf pan, make 1 slash down the center or leave unslashed.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 475 then turn oven down to 425 and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes more or until Instant Read Thermometer reads about 200 degrees. Cover halfway through baking if loaf becomes too brown.
- Let bread cool thoroughly before slicing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 232.8, Fat 0.7, SaturatedFat 0.1, Sodium 584.4, Carbohydrate 48.9, Fiber 2.4, Sugar 1.4, Protein 7
FRENCH HEARTH BREAD
Modified from a bread machine recipe as found in my trashed copy of Giant Book of Bread Machine Recipes. A KitchenAid stand up mixer is mighty handy!
Provided by C G
Categories Other Breads
Time 2h5m
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- 1. Gently heat the milk, water and butter in a saucepan on low just until the butter starts to soften and the milk is warm (but not hot!). Set aside.
- 2. In a KitchenAid stand up mixer with the flat beater attachment combine the unbleached white flour, wheat flour, salt, chopped walnuts and active dry yeast.
- 3. Switch to the kneading attachment and pour in the milk mixture. Knead for a few minutes until the dough is no longer sticky. Let dough rest-covered for 1 hour.
- 4. Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a cutting board. Knead the bread dough a few times then shape into 1 or 2 boules or similar shape.
- 5. Arrange the boule(s) on a parchment lined baking tray. Place in a *warm oven and let rise for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and leave the boules in the oven while the bread rises. *We have a KEEP WARM feature on our range. I turn on the KEEP WARM feature and as soon as it comes to temperature I turn it off and allow the bread to rise.
- 6. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the bread is lightly brown and hollow when tapped. Set aside to cool on wire racks. Good toasted, too!
HEARTH BREAD
This was on the back of a Bisquick box a long time ago. Another JAP member still had it and shared it with me. It is good with soup, chili or Italian food.
Provided by Kris Downs
Categories Flatbreads
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix Bisquick, water and garlic to form a soft dough. Pat into a ten inch circle on round baking stone or cookie sheet.
- 2. Brush with either butter, margarine or olive oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sunflower kernels pressing them lightly into the dough.
- 3. Bake until golden brown 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 12 wedges.
- 4. Note for variations. Beer can be substituted for the cold water. Substitute with your favorite seeds, like poppy seeds, or finely chopped mixed nuts.
Tips:
- Mise en place: Before you start baking, make sure you have all of your ingredients and tools ready. This will help you stay organized and avoid scrambling later on.
- Follow the recipe carefully: Baking is a precise science, so it's important to follow the recipe exactly as written. If you make substitutions or changes, you may not get the same results.
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients: The quality of your ingredients will affect the flavor of your bread. Use the best ingredients you can find, and make sure they're fresh.
- Knead the dough properly: Kneading the dough is an important step in bread making. It helps to develop the gluten in the flour, which gives the bread its structure. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place: The dough needs to rise in a warm place in order to double in size. This will take about 1 hour, depending on the temperature of the room. If the dough is too cold, it will not rise properly.
- Bake the bread at a high temperature: Bread should be baked at a high temperature in order to get a crispy crust. The ideal temperature for baking bread is 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Conclusion:
With a little practice, you can make delicious homemade bread that your family and friends will love. Just remember to follow these tips: mise en place, follow the recipe carefully, use fresh, high-quality ingredients, knead the dough properly, let the dough rise in a warm place, and bake the bread at a high temperature. Happy baking!
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