Cob Loaf

🧂 Ingredients

• 4 cups bread flour

  (or all-purpose flour)
• 4 teaspoon instant yeast

  (each packet is 2 ¼ teaspoons)
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 5 tablespoon butter

  (melted, cooled)
• 1 ¼ cups water

  (heated to 105 degrees F/40 degrees C)
• oil

  (for the bowl)

Instructions

• 1 In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add the 4 cups bread
  flour, 4 teaspoons of instant yeast, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of
  salt (opposite from the yeast). Whisk to combine the dry ingredients.
• 2 Add the 5 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 ¼ cups of warm water and stir to
  incorporate all of the flour until you have a slightly sticky dough. Knead for 5
  minutes with your stand mixer, or until you have a smooth, stretchy dough by
  hand.
• 3 Oil a clean bowl and transfer the dough into your bowl. Cover with plastic cling
  film or a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, or about
  an hour.
• 4 Punch the dough down by pulling the sides in and pinching them together (the
  bottom of the dough will be the top of the loaf) until the dough forms a taut
  loaf. You want your loaf to well rounded and smooth, but if the loaf appears too
  tall you can gently press it down with your hand.
• 5 Place the shaped loaf onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet then cover the
  loaf again with a damp kitchen towel. Allow the dough to proof for 30 minutes to
  an hour, or until it is nearly doubled in size again.
• 6 Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) along with an old roasting
  pan that you will add water to with the bread.
• 7 Sprinkle some extra flour over the top of your loaf and gently rub into the
  dough. Use a sharp knife or a bakers lame to score the top of the loaf in a
  diamond pattern.
• 8 Be ready to add boiling water to the roasting pan when you slide the loaf of
  bread into the oven. This will create the steam for wonderfully crusty bread.
• 9 Bake at 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven
  temperature to 390 degrees F (199 degrees C), remove the roasting pan with
  water, then continue baking for 20-25 minutes.
• 10 The bread is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F (88
  degrees C) and sounds drum-like when tapped or thumped.
• 11 Remove the bread from the oven when done and allow to cool for an hour before
  slicing or storing.

Nutrition Info