Slice of bread. There is a rustic towel on a wooden table. On the towel are a wooden board and a slice of bread.

Not sweet+bread+Yeast baking

Overnight Bread

Prep Time: 1 hr / Cook Time: 20 hrs / Total Time: 21 hrs

The traditional way of baking bread is to keep everything fairly warm (the flour, water, room temperature) and then let the bread rise in a warm environment, including rising bread in the oven.

In this case, the bread turns out to be unique and fragrant, despite the fact that very little action is required from you! TIME will do the main work for you.

Author and photographs: Olga

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Overnight bread is a recipe that you can prep ahead and then bake the next day.

You only need 4 ingredients ( flour, water, yeast, salt) to make it and it bakes up light and airy with a crusty, chewy crust.

Just like those expensive artisan bread loaves you see at the store but so much cheaper (and more delicious) when you make it at home.

Overnight Bread

Yield: 2 pieces

Ingredients

BIGA

175 gr. warm water (30C)
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
225 gr flour (11.5-12% protein)

Autolysis

180 gr warm water (30C)
250 gr flour (11.5-12% protein)

FINAL knead

40 gr warm water (30C)
5 gr dry yeast
10 gr salt (no, that's not much!)
All Biga
The entire mass sent for autolysis

Instructions

BIGA

Add water, yeast, and flour to a tall bowl and stir until no dry lumps of flour remain.

Leave to ferment at room temperature for 6-24 hours.

My biga fermented for 14 hours.

Autolysis

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the water and flour on low speed until smooth.

Cover with a towel and let stand for 30 minutes.

Final kneading

Add warm water, yeast, salt, and biga to the autolysis and mix at low speed for 3-5 minutes. Increase the speed to high and mix for another 5-8 minutes.

When the dough is sufficiently mixed, it will no longer stick to the sides of the mixer bowl and will begin to shine.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl (look at the photo).

Cover and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Finaly kneated dought. Dough hangs from the hook of the mixer in a dense ribbon.

Dought in the bowl. Bread dough is placed on an oiled plate.

BENDS

Difficult to explain, but easy to do. (see video)

In our minds, we divide a piece of dough into 4 triangles - we don’t cut anything! Just imagine what would happen if we cross-cut the dough. We take the edge of one of the "triangles" adjacent to the plate, stretch it up, and put it on top of the opposite side. We turn the plate 90 degrees, take the next triangle - stretch it, and apply it. And so are the other 2. The process is similar to swaddling a baby. Then carefully turn the dough upside down and cover it with a lid. We leave for another 30 minutes. (If my explanation isn't clear, google "stretch and fold sourdough")

We sprinkle the table with water and wet our hands abundantly.

We distribute a piece of dough on the table into a rectangle. (see video) Now we put the right third of the dough on the central one, and the left third put on the central one.

And roll it up.

Transfer back to the bowl, seam side down, cover, and leave at room temperature for 1 hour. The dough should be gaseous and alive at this point.

Lightly flour your work surface and carefully remove the dough onto the counter. Use a spatula to test. Stretch the dough into a square with gentle clapping of the palms.

And then with a spatula - divide into 2 equal rectangles.

Prepare 2 pieces of parchment, each larger than your piece of dough, and flour the parchment liberally.

Carefully transfer the dough onto the parchment paper. Cover with a towel and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.

BAKE PRODUCT

Preheat oven to 260C. If you have a stone for bread - put it into the oven. Also, you can use a roaster or a large pot is also great - preheat a stone (or roaster or pot) on the middle rack of the oven.

If not, just use a baking sheet.

There is a roaster and a cake maker with bread dough in the oven. There is a roaster and a cake maker with bread dough in the oven.

Add boiling water to the oven

Transfer both pieces of dough to a stone along with paper (or a baking sheet or a pot or a pan) - I baked 1 piece of bread in a pot, and the second in a rectangular cupcake.

Pour 150 ml of boiling water into an ovenproof dish and place UNDER the bread ON THE BOTTOM OF THE OVEN.

If you have a saucepan with a lid - close it, if not - any "cap" that does not burn in the oven will do - it can even be a foil turkey baking dish.

Reduce T to 250C and bake for 12 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue to bake for 15 minutes until the crust is dark golden brown.