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Emily Henry Sublime Dutch Oven with a crusty boule inside
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Sublime Crusty Bread

A shatteringly thin crust and a super light and stretchy interior is the bread most beloved by my family. This loaf delivers on all of it. The simple ingredients mixed with a short autolyze (just a fancy word for making a slurry of flour and water, then a quick rest), gives the bread the beautiful interior texture.
Author: Zoë François

Ingredients

  • 500 g flour I used King Arthur all-purpose flour
  • 375 g water room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tsp yeast I used Platinum Yeast by Red Star*, but any granulated instant yeast will work.
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

  • Using a spoon mix 125g flour and 100g water in the bowl of a stand mixer and allow to rest for 15 minutes. 
  • Add the remaining flour, salt, water, yeast, and honey to the flour/water mixture and knead with the dough hook attachment on medium-high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. 
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
  • Reach into the bowl with a plastic bowl scraper and stretch the sides of the dough up and over the center of the dough, it may take about 5 or 6 times to move all the way around the bowl, creating a loose ball. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. 
  • Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Pull the dough into an oval with the short end closest to you. Fold the top end of the dough into the middle. Stretch the bottom end of the dough out to the sides, to create a rough triangle shape, then fold those two stretched points into the center. Flip the dough over, so the smooth side is now up and scoot the bottom of the dough in a circular motion on the counter to create a tight ball. 
  • Dust a proofing basket** with flour and put the dough ball, smooth side down into the basket. Cover with plastic and allow to rest about 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 475°F. On a rack in the middle of the oven, heat a 6-quart Sublime Dutch Oven*** for about 20 minutes before baking. 
  • Invert the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using a knife or Lame, score the top of the dough with ½-inch-deep slashes. 
  • Using the parchment as a sling, gently drop the dough into the preheated pot, cover and bake for about 35 covered. Remove the cover and continue baking for 10 minutes or until the bread is deeply caramel brown.
  • Carefully remove from the Sublime Dutch Oven using a spatula to help lift it out and cool to room temperature before cutting. 

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Notes

*platinum yeast has dough enhancers in it, which are enzymes that create a stronger gluten structure. I find the dough has more stretch and therefore rises better. 
**If you don’t have a proofing basket, you can set the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment, smooth side up. Cover with plastic and proceed as directed without inverting.
***You can make half a batch of dough and bake it in the 4-quart Sublime Dutch Oven.