Easy Crusty Vegan Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of crusty bread? ›

Use a pizza stone or cloche

So heat and steam are a key part of getting that crust of dreams. To help even more, pre-heat a pizza stone in the oven before starting to bake. Place the baking tray or tin directly onto the baking stone. This brings a hot surface into (almost) direct contact with the bread you're baking.

You need to increase the moisture content and develop the gluten more. You can also add some vital wheat gluten to you all purpose flour, I use about a tablespoon to 3 cups of flour. Gluten is developed by kneading, if you are looking for a chewy bread, knead your dough longer.

Once the bread has finished baking, it will still contain some moisture, however if sufficient moisture hasn't escaped the crumb during the bake time, it will move outwards to the crust as the bread cools. This can cause the crumb to collapse and also soften the crust, weighing it down and further creating collapse.

While there are many types of French bread, some of the most popular kinds—like baguettes and boules—have an extremely crusty exterior and a chewy crumb, making them perfect for tearing, dipping or slathering with butter. It's not uncommon for these breads to require a lengthy preparation process.

Judith's answer is right about steam in the oven. It's difficult to get a good crust without steam. In the bakery we steam the bread as soon as it goes into the oven. You can try placing an oven tray in the bottom of the oven with ice cubes in it.

Crusty bread can be stored uncovered at room temperature for the first day. By the end of the day, it's best to wrap it in foil (not plastic) or in a paper bag and kept at room temperature for a second day. After the second day, it's really best to freeze it.

Wetting the dough causes the surface to steam. Covering it traps the moisture. This partnership stops the bread from drying out on the surface in the hot air of the oven and forming a premature crust. Your bread rises more and produces a richer colour, becoming glossy on the surface.

What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

Vegan bread shouldn't contain any animal products, including dairy, eggs, or honey. While some baking companies claim to have vegan bread, not all do because they still use egg or honey in their breads. To get a truly vegan bread with many varieties you have to look at Food for Life.

Even though yeast is vegan, that doesn't necessarily mean that all types of bread are vegan. Lean breads, which are made with nothing but flour, salt and yeast, are fine. Some bread recipes call for a small amount of sugar, and some richer breads might have a bit of oil in them. These are all fine as well.

How do you get a golden crust on bread? ›

Slash the bread: Before baking, make sure to slash or score the top of the bread to release some of the steam, which will help the crust become crispy. 5. Brush with egg wash: Brushing the top of the bread with an egg wash (beaten egg and water) before baking can also promote browning and create a shiny golden crust.

On wheat breads you can usually say that the more (developed) gluten you have, the more chewy it will get. More gluten (stronger flour), higher hydration and better development of the gluten (autolyse, s&f,...) might help.

For a perfectly chewy pizza crust recipe, use bread flour rather than all-purpose flour. Bread flour contains higher protein content than all-purpose flour which gives pizza crust its chew.

Scientific studies have investigated whether the crusts of bread contain more nutrients than the moist, springy interior. The short answer is: yes, bread crusts do contain more nutrients. The reason for this is that the baking process causes the exterior of the bread to become firmer and more browned.

Yeast is definitely the simpler answer to this question, however the reality is that the gluten and airyness produced by the chemical reaction between yeast and sugar (which produces gluten) that really makes bread soft, rather than just being a block of cooked flour. Bread minus leavening is a recipe for disaster.

A golden-brown, glossy crust is achieved when sugars and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) in the dough react together at high temperatures in the oven. For a simple dough of flour, water, salt and yeast, bake at 220 – 225C.

Your Bread Has Too Much Flour

This produces dry bread with more crumbs. The key is to find a balance between the flour and liquid ingredients in your recipe.