The Reference Loaf

The Reference Loaf is the recipe that forms the basis of all other breads. It makes good bread, if basic. It’s a great recipe to practice technique and lore with, like kneading and interpreting when your dough is proofed. The recipe below makes what is essentially a white bread – not dissimilar from store-bought sliced bread, sans additives, and in a more rustic round shape. There is nothing fancy about this bread. And yet, studying what makes up this bread gives us the reference for deconstructing it, and then rebuilding it in endless variation.

This recipe is made with all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, water, and salt. Why yeast and not a sourdough starter? Two reasons – first, instant yeast doesn’t need to be maintained beyond properly storing it in a pantry; and second – packaged yeast is a consistent leavener with a very subtle flavor contribution to the final bread, which is important when trying to highlight the flavors contributed by the grain (and later, with more unconventional ingredients). Don’t get me wrong, sourdough bread is wonderful, and Matthew Breaderick (my starter) claims a coveted corner of my fridge. But he has too much character for The Reference Loaf.

Final note – this recipe is scaled to about 300 g flour. This makes one decent-sized round loaf. Great for rapid experimentation and taste testing, but if you want to make more, double it, then divide (or not) before the final proof.

The Ingredients

Ingredient	Weight (g)	Percentage (%)
All-Purpose Flour	50	100
Water	50	100
Instant Yeast	0.75 (~1/4 tsp)	1.5

Ingredient	Weight (g)	Percentage (%)
Poolish (everything above)
Water	175 (150+25)	70
All-Purpose Flour	250	100
Salt	7	2.8

Ingredient	Weight (g)	Percentage (%)
All-Purpose Flour	300	100
Water	225	75
Salt	7	2.3

The Recipe

Step 1 – The night before you plan to bake The Reference Loaf, mix 0.75 g or approximately 1/4 teaspoon of instant yeast in a large mixing bowl (this will be the dough bowl you use the next day) with 50 g of lukewarm water. Let stand for a few minutes; it may show signs of life, such as producing small bubbles or foam, or smell sweet and nutty. Add 50 g of bread flour and mix with a spoon until you have a wet slurry. Cover tightly and leave out at room temperature.

Step 2 – By the morning, the poolish should look bubbly and smell sweet. Add 150 g water into the mixing bowl and use your fingertips to disperse the poolish. Add all 250 g of the flour and hand mix until there is no dry flour left, about 3-5 minutes. Pinch out and disperse any clumps. Cover and let rest for 20-30 minutes to let the flour fully hydrate (this is known as the “autolyze”). Congratulations, you now have a dough. (Note: since all of the flour and the yeast is added at this point, this is where I start the bulk fermentation timer. Some recipes add yeast after the autolyze step and start bulk fermentation at that point.)

Step 3 – Dissolve 7 g salt in 25 g of water. Pour it over the dough and mix it in. Aside from enhancing flavor, this also supports strong gluten development in the dough. Knead by either folding in the bowl or by slap-and-folding on the counter until dough feels tangibly bouncy and is no longer “loose.” This step could take up to 5 minutes depending on the age, quality, and protein content of the flour.

Step 4 – Cover the dough and bulk ferment for 3.5 hours (counting the autolyze, this will actually add up to 4 hours of bulk time). Execute one four-corner fold every hour after the first hour, then let rest for the final half hour (so a total of 3 more four-corner folds after Step 3). Remember to re-cover the dough container after each fold.

Step 5 – Lightly dust your counter with flour. Roll the dough out of the bowl onto the dusted countertop. With lightly floured hands, preshape the dough into a loose packet. Pinch the seam and roll the dough over so that the seam is down. Cover with the upturned mixing bowl and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Step 6 – Dust a banneton with rice flour*. Give the rested dough its final shaping. I do this by twisting the dough seam side down into a tight, springy ball. Using a dough scraper, lift and flip the shaped dough into the banneton. Dust the now upturned seam side of the dough with some more rice flour, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and leave out for proofing. This will take anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hours depending on the ambient temperature (proofing will complete sooner at warmer temperatures). Proofing is done when the dough is pushing up against the plastic wrap.

Step 7 – Pre-heat oven to 475F. Invert banneton into your Dutch oven, score, then place the lid on. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 425F. Bake for a further 10 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, or until well-browned on top.

Step 8 – Remove from oven; let rest on a wire rack for up to 1 hour before slicing and tasting.

Analysis

• Total dough weight: 533g
• Total hydration: 75%
• Poolish content: 19%
• Flour Protein content: 10%
• Flour Starch content: 77%
• Crumb: Tight
• Crust: Thin, soft
• Flavor: mild, lightly sweet, wheaty

* Rice flour has a natural negative electrical charge that helps the dough release from the banneton more easily. If you don’t have rice flour, all-purpose flour will work well enough.