Rustic Farmer's Bread (2024)

This Farmer’s Rustic Bread Recipe is the best Homemade Bread. Easy Bread Recipe with a golden crackly crust and a chewy crumb, made with just a few basic ingredients. You will love the aroma your house fills with when it bakes!

If you enjoyed this Bread Recipe, try our Bread Recipe for Bread Maker.

This recipe Easy Bread Recipe is an adaptation ofthisrecipe fromBrown Eyed Baker. Her simple instructions were very tempting so I gave it a go.Large holes, chewy crumb, and a golden crust made it impossible to resist wanting to make it.

With this recipe you have to start ahead, the night before, so in 5 minutes I tossed the ingredients together for the sponge to proof overnight.

Rustic Bread Recipe

In the morning, I got my dough out, added the rest of called ingredients, kneaded it, then let the dough proof. Then divided the dough and folded it and let it proof again. The process has quiet a few steps but once this baby baked, oh my! The crackle, the chew, the aroma – it’s intoxicating! I love baking bread, it’s such a therapeutic experience.

With just a few simple ingredients this Easy Bread Recipe turned out delicious!

If you enjoy chewy Homemade Bread with crispy crust then this one is for you!

Rustic Farmer’s Bread

Adapted from: Brown Eyed Baker

Make the Sponge:

• all-purpose flour
• instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• water, room temperature

Make the Dough:

• Canadian all-purpose flour or bread flour is best (both high in protein/gluten)
• salt
• instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• water, room temperature
• whole or 2% milk, room temperature

Beware! The pictures below show a tripled batch.

Prepare the sponge 1 day or the night before baking this Easy Bread Recipe:

• Make the biga first: Toss flour, yeast, and water in a bowl of a mixer and stir together until it comes together. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature in a draft-free place (room temperature) for 8 to 24 hours.

Next day, Make the Dough:

• Add flour, salt, yeast, water & milk to the risen sponge and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. Combine everything at low speed, then continue mixing for a minute or two.
• When the dough comes together nicely, change to the hook attachment and knead the dough for about 20-30 minutes. As soon as the dough looks smooth and tacky to touch turn off the mixer. Do not over mix, or after looking smooth and elastic it will return to looking runny and broken.

Important:

The bottom right picture is the dough during the mixing process, you can see that as it swirls around the bowl it does not stick and holds the round shape. Once the mixer stops, the dough flows back down and becomes flat because this is a high hydration dough. This is ok. The dough is meant to be very wet, which is what creates the chewy and moist crumb.

If your dough doesn’t look like that after kneading, it means that you have too low of a percentage of gluten flour. Gluten is what helps the dough take shape and trap the air bubbles as it expands. You can add a little more flour to help the dough come together.

• Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled in size. Notice that the dough is not firm at all.

• Spray working space with non-stick spray, or spread with oil.
• “Pour” the dough out onto the working space.
• With a greased spatula or hands fold the dough over itself on all sides. Do this one more time, folding all four sides. This is very important: This is what gives the bread its shape. As you fold, the gluten is stretched and helps the bread hold shape during the final folding.
• Leave the dough on the counter to rest for 30 minutes, covered with a towel.

• If working with only one batch, split the dough in two. (If tripling the recipe, split in six)
• Shape: Spread it out into a 10×6 rectangle, then roll it tightly into a log. Press down with your fingers every one inch to flatten it if you want it to have the flat ciabatta look. If you want a regular loaf, do not press down with your fingers, just keep it log-round.
• Proof: set on a piece of parchment or aluminum foil and letthe dough rise for 30 minutes, covered. Sprinkle the dough with flour.

• Preheat oven: One hour before baking, turn the oven to 450F and set the rack to the lower half of the oven. If you have a pizza stone, baking steel or something similar set it on the rack and allow to preheat for at least 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the loaf with a spray bottle and put it in the oven on the stone.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is golden, then put the bread bottom side up and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the inside registers 200F.
• Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting, about 1 hour.

How long will this White Bread Recipe last?

This Rustic Bread Recipe can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic or in a Ziploc bag. It can last up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 1 month if double wrapped in plastic and then 1 layer of foil.

To re-crisp, put the Homemade Bead in a 450F oven for 5-7 minutes.