Rustic Crusty Bread: Simple Bread Machine Recipe You’ll Love
Sneak Preview: This rustic Crusty Bread Machine Recipe starts life with a simple sponge mixture the night before. Complex, yeasty flavors and a crusty exterior are your payoff for thinking ahead.
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Are you looking for bread to dip into olive oil or sop up the tasty juices from your entree? Do you want rustic bread that won’t require you to knead by hand? What if it only has five ingredients?
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- Perfect for dipping and soaking
- No kneading—your bread machine does the work
- Simple ingredients: flour, water, yeast, salt, and optional sugar
- Uses a two-step process for enhanced flavor and texture
- Flexible: Make it with a bread machine (paid link), stand mixer, or by hand
- Results in a Tuscan-style loaf with a soft crumb and chewy crust
Please note: You won’t get big holes and spider web texture with this recipe. It’s not that kind of bread. If that’s what you’re after, check out my Ciabatta Bread for a bread machine.
Happy Bakers Speak Up
Beautiful! I usually have bad luck with bread machine crusty loaf. The sponge is the key to this bread’s success in my opinion. Worth the extra step for such good results.
Thanks!” —DFG
Why This Bread is Especially Tasty
This crusty bread starts life as a “sponge,” also referred to as a biga.
A “sponge” sounds gross, but this mixture looks like a sponge after it rests for several hours. Don’t you think?
After the sponge has developed for 6-8 hours (or overnight), add the remainder of the flour, water, and salt to the bread machine pan to make the dough.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- ALL-PURPOSE, UNBLEACHED FLOUR:
- Use all-purpose or bread flour.
- Weights will remain the same.
- YEAST:
- Instant, bread machine, or rapid-rise yeast.
- They’re interchangeable.
- WATER:
- Spring or tap water.
- No need to preheat the water when using a bread machine
- SUGAR:
- SALT:
- Use a table or sea salt.
- For Kosher salt, add ¼ teaspoon more.
- For traditional Tuscan bread, omit salt entirely (affects the rise time)
How To Make the Dough for Crusty Bread with a Breadmaker
- Make the sponge: Mix water, flour, and yeast on the DOUGH cycle for 1 minute. Turn the machine off and ensure all flour is incorporated. Let the sponge rest for 6–8 hours or overnight.
2. Add Ingredients: Add remaining flour, water, sugar (if using), salt, and yeast. Start the DOUGH cycle.
- Check the dough after 12–15 minutes. Adjust consistency if needed:
- Too wet? Add flour 1 tbsp at a time.
- Too dry? Add water 1 tbsp at a time.
3. Finish Dough:
Let the machine complete the DOUGH cycle. If the dough hasn’t doubled, leave it in the machine until it rises fully.
Shaping and Baking
5. Immediately place the loaf into a conventional oven that has been preheated to 500˚F (260˚C) and turn the heat down to 425˚F (220˚C). Bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200˚F (93˚C).
FAQs
- Can I bake this entirely in a bread machine?
- Yes, but the crust won’t be as crisp.
- The loaf will always be the shape of your bread machine pan.
- Do I need a bread machine for this recipe?
- No, you can mix by hand or use a stand mixer. See the recipe notes.
- How long will it stay fresh?
- Best eaten within 2–3 days. Freeze for longer storage.
Parting thoughts: This bread requires a bit of planning, but the payoff is a flavorful, chewy loaf with a golden crust. The hands-on time is minimal—most of the magic happens while you sleep.
More Recipes and Tips
- Really Crusty Dinner Rolls from Your Bread Machine
- 6+ Bread Maker Tips You Need To Make Marvelous Bread
- Crusty French Bread (Mixed in a Bread Machine)
- What You Should Know About the Preheat Phase on a Bread Machine
- Can You Double a Bread Machine Recipe?
Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
Crusty Bread Machine Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Sponge or Preferment:
- 1 cup (227 g) cold water
- 1½ cups (180 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon instant or bread machine yeast
Dough:
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) cold water
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional, but it makes a nice crust
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 cups (240 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon bread machine or instant yeast
Instructions
Making the Sponge:
- Place 1 cup (227 g) cold water, 1½ cups (180 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour, and 1 teaspoon instant or bread machine yeast in a bread machine pan and select the “DOUGH” cycle. Mix for 1 minute. Use a small spatula to carefully push flour stuck in the corners into the mixing area. Unplug the bread machine, close the lid, and let the flour mixture stand at room temperature overnight or about 8 hours. Do not leave over 16 hours.
Making the Dough
- Open the lid of the bread machine and add the remaining 3 tablespoons (43 g) cold water, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1½ teaspoons salt, 2 cups (240 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour, and ¼ teaspoon bread machine or instant yeast.
- Restart dough cycle. Check dough after 5-10 minutes of mixing. If necessary, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time to form a smooth but slightly tacky ball. If the dough is too dry and bounces off the sides, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough sticks to the sides then pulls away cleanly.
- When the DOUGH cycle ends, check to make sure the dough has doubled in size. If not, leave the dough in the machine to continue rising in the machine until double in size. It could take a while if your kitchen is chilly or drafty.
- If you are new to bread machines, see Six Bread Machine Tips for Beginners for more help with step 3.
Preparing and Baking the Loaf
- Remove dough from the bread machine pan to a lightly-floured surface or silicone baking mat (my preference). Use your hands to form the dough into a smooth ball by pulling the dough around to the bottom until the top is smooth. Pinch the bottom with your fingers. Place the ball of dough onto a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Cover loosely with lightly-oiled plastic wrap or a tea towel and place in a warm place to rise until almost doubled in size.
- About 15 minutes before the bread is ready to bake, preheat a conventional oven to 500˚F (260˚C). Just before putting bread into the oven, sprinkle the top with flour, if desired. Using a single-edge razor blade (or a sharp, serrated knife), make several cuts across the top of the loaf about 1/2 to 1-inch deep.
- Turn the oven back to 425˚F (220˚C). Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 200˚F ( 93˚C). Allow the loaf to cool on a rack before slicing. You will get prettier slices if you wait at least an hour to cut the bread.
Notes
- Add ingredients to the bowl in the same order.
- Turn on LOW to mix until all ingredients are moistened.
- Using a dough hook, turn the speed to 2 or 3.
- Continue beating/kneading until dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 5-10 minutes).
- Cover and allow to rise in a warm place.
- Deflate dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
- Combine all ingredients into a shaggy ball in a large bowl.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead with your hands until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Kneading will likely take 10-20 minutes, depending on your experience.
- Place the dough ball into a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double.
- Deflate the dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.