Best Sullivan Street Bakery French Bread Recipes

JIM LAHEY'S NO-KNEAD BREAD | LODGE CAST IRON

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water. Use a wooden spoon or your hand to mix until you have a wet, sticky dough-about 30 seconds. Make sure it's really sticky to the touch; if it's not, mix in another 1-2 tablespoons of water. Cover the bowl and let set at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size (about 12-18 hours).
• When the first fermentation is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the surface in one piece. When you begin to pull the dough away from the bowl, it will cling in long, thin strands (this is the developed gluten), and it will be quite loose and sticky-do not add more flour. Use lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula to lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
• Place a cotton or linen tea towel (not terry cloth, which tends to stick and may leave lint in the dough) or a large cloth napkin on your work surface and generously dust the cloth with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Use your hands, a bowl scraper, or wooden spatula to gently lift the dough onto the towel so it is seam-side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1-2 hours. The dough is ready with it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, making an indentation about ¼-inch deep, it should hold the impression. If it doesn't, let it rise another 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F 30 minutes before the end of the second rise, with a rack in the lower third position, and place a cast iron dutch oven in the center of the rack.
• Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel, lightly dust the dough with flour or bran, lift up the dough, either on the towel or in your hand, and quickly and gently invert it into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution-the pot will be very hot). Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color, 15-30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. Wait until it cools to slice or tear into it, about an hour.

SULLIVAN ST. BAKERY BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the first 3 dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Dough will look shaggy and sticky.
• Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at least 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65-72°F) or overnight.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice (my dough was very soft so I just folded it over in the bowl with a spatula). Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. Next, shape the dough into ball. (This is difficult due to its wetness, but it's not wise to add too much flour to the dough. The point is to scrape it out onto a generously floured surface and coat the dough with enough flour to keep it from 'mostly' spreading.) Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal (about 1/4 cup); place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour, being gentle so as preserve the air bubbles. (Note: Instead of placing on a towel, place the dough on a flour-dusted piece of parchment paper. It will be easier to transfer.) Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hours at room temperature, until more than doubled in size. Don't rush, it's a slow rising dough.
• Preheat oven to 450-500°F Place the pot (see in description above) in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough (if using parchment paper, lift then place with paper) in the pot seam side up. Shake pot to evenly distribute dough, if necessary, but it should straighten out during the cooking process. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes Then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned. Cool on wire rack.
• Variations: In Step 1, add either 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary; 1/2 cup roughly chopped pitted kalamata or other olives; 1/3 cup grated Parmesan and 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper; 1 head of roasted garlic cloves (each chopped in half) or 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained well and finely chopped.
• You can also make a rustic version of this bread by replacing one of the cups of bread flour with whole-wheat flour and adding 1/4 cup each of wheat bran and flaxseeds.

SULLIVAN STREET BAKERY NO KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• EQUIPMENT: Two medium mixing bowls, 6 to 8 quart pot with lid, (Pyrex glass, Le Creuset cast iron, or ceramic), Wooden Spoon or spatula (optional), Plastic wrap, Two or three cotton dish towels (not terrycloth).
• PROCESS: Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65-72°F).
• Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. next, shape the dough into ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hours at room temperature, until more than doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 450-500°F Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes Then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned.

RUSTIC BREAD

Steps:

• Using your hands, mix bread flour, salt, yeast, and 2 cups (450 grams) room-temperature water in a medium bowl. Lightly knead, grabbing corners of dough, gently pulling upward, and pushing toward the center, until dough comes together. Dust another bowl with all-purpose flour and transfer dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 12-18 hours.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface, dust with flour, and press into a 8x5" rectangle. Fold rectangle in half lengthwise, then roll up tightly at narrow end (like a burrito). Place both hands on top of dough; working against friction of work surface, pull gently down toward yourself to create a rounded boule shape.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and cover loosely with a clean flour-dusted towel. Let rise at room temperature 4 hours, or chill 6-12 hours.
• One hour before baking, arrange rack in middle of oven; preheat to 500°F. After dough has risen, slash dough with a razor blade or very sharp knife in 3 parallel slits at least 1/4" deep. Transfer baking sheet to oven, reduce oven temperature to 450°F, and bake bread until crust is very brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 190-200°F, 30-40 minutes. Let cool before slicing, about 2 hours.

SIMPLE CRUSTY BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
• Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
• Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.
• Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

NO-KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Coat a second large bowl with olive oil. Transfer dough to oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, but preferably up to 18, in a room about 70 degrees in temperature. When surface is dotted with bubbles, dough is ready.
• Lightly flour work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle just enough flour over work surface and your fingers to keep dough from sticking; quickly and gently shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran; place dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Cover with a second cotton towel and let rise until it has more than doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with a finger, about 2 hours.
• After about 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot, such as cast-iron or Pyrex, in oven as it heats. When dough has fully risen, carefully remove pot from oven. Remove top towel from dough and slide your hand under the bottom towel; turn dough over into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough looks unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking until browned, 15 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.