#bread lore

To Bake a Focaccia (easiest & extremely delicious)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Use olive oil to grease a cookie sheet or a large cast-iron skillet

Oil your hands. Tear off a chunk of dough. About 1/3 of the recipe will fill a 12-inch skillet; when making it on a cookie sheet I usually use about half the dough, though you can use the whole thing if you’re baking for a crowd.

(This will make the bread Prettier but tbh it’s fine if you don’t do it) Fold the dough in on itself and stroke the surface like you are petting a small animal until it forms a smooth ball.

Press the dough into a sheet of relatively even thickness in your pan.

Let the dough rise for about 20 minutes while you wait for the oven to finish preheating.

When the oven is hot, poke the dough all over with clean fingers to make little dimpled hollows. Drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle on some coarse salt, black pepper, and any herbs you want (I love rosemary and oregano!)

Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown

To Bake A Pizza

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Oil your hands. Tear off a chunk of dough (about 1/4 of the dough is a good size for a personal pizza).

Put the dough on an oiled countertop and use a rolling pin or empty bottle to roll it out as thinly as you can. If you feel like the dough is fighting you, let it relax for five minutes and then try again.

Transfer the round of dough to an oiled cookie sheet (you can use your hands to help stretch it out more thinly when you pick it up if you want)

Add your toppings of choice

Once the oven is hot, bake for 15-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cooked through and the toppings are bubbly

To Bake A Big Beautiful Boule (with steam!)

Note: For various Science Reasons, bread cooks much better when there is steam in the oven. A lot of recipes encourage you to bake inside a closed Dutch oven, but I find it difficult & scary to get the dough in there since you have to preheat the Dutch Oven as well. Another method (described here) is to have a roasting pan or skillet in the bottom of the oven and throw ice cubes (probably safest) or water (what I do) in there right as you put the bread in the oven. If you don’t do this your bread will still be fine! But you won’t get as nice a crust and your loaf may not expand as well. It’s up to you. Follow your heart.

Place a roasting pan, cookie sheet, or cast-iron skillet on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Dust your hands with flour. Tear off a chunk of dough (whatever size you want; I usually go with about half the recipe)

(This will make the bread Prettier but don’t stress about it) Continuing to dust with flour if things get sticky, fold the dough in on itself and stroke the surface like you are petting a small animal until it forms a smooth ball.

Place your Dough Orb onto a cookie sheet dusted with flour or cornmeal. Let it rise for 45 minutes.

When the oven is hot, dust your orb with more flour. Then use a bread knife to cut several deep slashes through the loaf. This will help it expand as it cooks! Plus it looks beautiful.

To use steam: Get about half a dozen ice cubes and put them in a measuring cup. Put your bread in the oven, then immediately pour the ice cubes onto the roasting pan you put on the lowest rack and shut the door. Don’t peek at the bread until at least 15 minutes have passed to keep the steam inside the oven.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the crust is nice and dark and the loaf sounds hollow if you rap on the bottom

To Bake Dinner Rolls

Place a roasting pan, cookie sheet, or cast-iron skillet on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Dust your hands with flour. Divide the dough into eight equal portions.

For each portion of dough: Continuing to dust with flour if things get sticky, fold the dough in on itself and stroke the surface like you are petting a small animal until if forms a smooth ball. Place the roll onto a cookie sheet dusted with flour or cornmeal.

Let them rise for about 30 minutes.

When the oven is hot, dust your rolls with more flour. Then use a bread knife to make a deep slash through each roll.

To use steam: Get about half a dozen ice cubes and put them in a measuring cup. Put your bread in the oven, then immediately pour the ice cubes onto the roasting pan you put on the lowest rack and shut the door. Don’t peek at the bread until at least 15 minutes have passed to keep the steam inside the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the crust is nice and dark and a roll sounds hollow if you rap on the bottom

For extra deliciousness, brush the rolls with melted butter as soon as you take them out of the oven.

More Ideas

Try adding a handful of fresh or dried herbs when making the dough

Roll out small amounts of dough very thin and cook them in a hot skillet on the stovetop to make pitas

Make a filled bread by rolling dough out into a sheet and adding cheese, pesto, or another filling of your choice, then rolling the dough up in a spiral

Knead cheese, olives, or diced ham into the dough before shaping

Once you have a recipe that you’re comfortable with, bread is infinitely adaptable!