# What is "crusty bread"?



## pacanis

I see "crusty bread" written quite often in the, what are you having for dinner threads.  What actually is "crusty bread"? Is it a specific bread recipe, or a style of bread that encompasses a few, such as Italian bread or French bread that come in loaf shape? Is it just a fancy way to say I'm having bread with my dinner? I mean, all breads have a crust, don't they?

This "enquiring" mind wants to know 

Thanks


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## Andy M.

The term crusty bread refers to breads with a hard crust that crunches when you bite into it.  Sometimes, if you're lucky, small bits of the hard crust will break off and stick into your gums.


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## Barb L.

I so agree, when I speak of crusty bread, it may be french, Itl, sourdough heated in the oven to get it warn and Crusty.


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## pacanis

Andy M. said:


> The term crusty bread refers to breads with a hard crust that crunches when you bite into it. Sometimes, if you're lucky, small bits of the hard crust will break off and stick into your gums.


 
 As I was reading that I thought you were going to say fall into your soup, not stick into your gums 

I guess the first loaf of bread I made in my breadmachine with the color set to medium could have been considered a crusty bread 

Thanks for clearing that up for me, Andy.


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## buckytom

pacanis, a good crusty bread can be many shapes and varieties, as you've assumed.

but the crust should be hard and fairly thick, upwards of 1/8th of an inch or more. not like the soft, thin crust of, say, a wonder white bread, or even the thicker but relatively chewy crust on a good polish rye. lika andy mentioned, it shouldn't bend much before it cracks.

i've had good, crusty bread in lots of forms: from round whites, ryes, and pumpernickels; to oval portugese/spanish style; to longer, fatter italian white or semolina; to even longer thinner french. 

we have 2 great bakeries right up the block from us (1 italian, 1 polish) , so i often pick up a fresh, still-warm loaf on the way home from work. 

just to guild the lily, if the bread is cold - but still less than a day, we often pop it in the oven to reheat and recrisp the crust. a lot of people don't do that at home, but it makes a world of difference. all of the aromas and nuttiness come right out again. try it, you'll see.


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## pacanis

Thanks again for all the info.

So, if I were to try making some rolls and brushed them with egg whites before popping them in the oven, they may or may not be considered crusty bread depending on how thick the crust got...... correct?
So do you just leave them bake longer?
Or, I remember buying some kind of fabric roll from King Arthur where the rep said to wrap my dough in it to help draw out the moisture before baking.... I'm thinking now _that_ is how you get crusty bread if you are making it yourself.


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## buckytom

i'm sorry, i can't help with the baking. i'm not a baker, in any sense of my imagination. my family and i are just bread (eating) people. since you often judge a restaurant by first impressions, the bread does it for us.


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## GotGarlic

Here's a beautiful crusty bread, along with a recipe: Bread Blog » No Knead Bread with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Asiago Cheese 

In fact, this blog is dedicated to bread recipes.


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## pacanis

The last comment was made by a link back to this thread..... Interesting. Is that some sort of form of internet ettiquette? When one posts a link on one site to another site, you should also post a link over there back? I've never seen that done before.

I'm a pretty basic bread eater. I would not take a slice of that bread if another were available. Too much color and swirls for me  I appreciate the link though. 
I'm also one of "those people" that don't eat Jello with chunks of stuff in it


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## GotGarlic

pacanis said:


> The last comment was made by a link back to this thread..... Interesting. Is that some sort of form of internet ettiquette? When one posts a link on one site to another site, you should also post a link over there back? I've never seen that done before.



That's called a Trackback - the blog software automagically "knows" when someone has linked to a given article and shows the link in context. Here's more: Trackback - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



pacanis said:


> I'm a pretty basic bread eater. I would not take a slice of that bread if another were available. Too much color and swirls for me  I appreciate the link though.
> I'm also one of "those people" that don't eat Jello with chunks of stuff in it



I know whatcha mean, although sun-dried tomato sourdough is one of my faves. There are lots of crusty breads without add-ins, though. Great stuff


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## pacanis

Trackback.. they even have a name for it  Learn something new everyday.

I proabably need to expand my bread palatability... if that's a word


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## GotGarlic

pacanis said:


> Trackback.. they even have a name for it  Learn something new everyday.
> 
> I proabably need to expand my bread palatability... if that's a word



I think you'd like this one: http://steamykitchen.com/blog/2007/09/10/no-knead-bread-revisited/ This is about the New York Times' No-Knead Bread - so easy, her 4-year-old son can make it  The writing is exceptional


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## buckytom

that's a neat site, thanks gg.


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## Robo410

some crusty breads are dry and flaky, others are chewy and full of holes like swiss cheese, others are dense.  Love the crusty chewy ones with soup and cheese.


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## GotGarlic

buckytom said:


> that's a neat site, thanks gg.



You're welcome. It's one of my favorites. I should mention that she sometimes swears, if people are sensitive to that.


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## Baketech

pacanis said:


> I mean, all breads have a crust, don't they?


 
Technically yes...but the distinction is generally in how they are baked.

What you are calling "crusty" bread is in industry terms "hearth" bread. It is baked directly on the hearth, allowing nearly all of the bread to be exposed to the hot air of the oven. (Sometimes they are baked on a sheet in the oven to facilitate handling.) There are many different types of hearth bread...quite a few have been mentioned already.

The more modern "pan" bread, (baked in a pan, often with a lid) has a much softer crust...sometimes nearly as soft as the crumb. Most of this bread is used for feeding small children, but is probably best suited as livestock fodder...


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## texasgirl

GotGarlic said:


> Here's a beautiful crusty bread, along with a recipe: Bread Blog » No Knead Bread with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Asiago Cheese
> 
> In fact, this blog is dedicated to bread recipes.


 

OMG, GG!!
I'm salivating!! Thanks for the link!!


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## pacanis

Thanks, GG!
...............


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## jennyema

pacanis said:


> Thanks again for all the info.
> 
> So, if I were to try making some rolls and brushed them with egg whites before popping them in the oven, they may or may not be considered crusty bread depending on how thick the crust got...... correct?
> So do you just leave them bake longer?
> Or, I remember buying some kind of fabric roll from King Arthur where the rep said to wrap my dough in it to help draw out the moisture before baking.... I'm thinking now _that_ is how you get crusty bread if you are making it yourself.


 

No the egg wash won't make it crusty. Neither will the wrap.

Crusty bread is what you will get if you use the NYTimes no-knead bread recipe I told you about a while back when you first became interested in making bread. Either the original or the simplified. Both yield lovely crusty bread.


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## pacanis

This narrows it down even futher.
So you're saying it can only be gotten with specific no-knead recipes?


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## Caine

pacanis said:


> This narrows it down even futher.
> So you're saying it can only be gotten with specific no-knead recipes?


No, that is not true. You can get a crusty bread from any basic bread recipe if you steam the oven periodically. My grape yeast sourdough comes out crusty, as does my Italian bread recipe shown below.

But, let it be known that, if you take a crusty loaf of bread and store it in a plastic bag, the crust will soften. How much depends on how long you keep it in the plastic bag.


*ITALIAN BREAD*​ 
*Starter:*

1 1/2 cups warm (105F) water 
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl and mix in a Kitchen Aid mixer, with a dough hook, on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until a stiff, elastic batter is formed. Divide the starter into two equal pieces. Wrap one piece in oiled plastic wrap and freeze for later use. Place the remaining starter into an oiled glass bowl, cover, and allow to rise until triple in volume. This should take about 8 hours at room temperature or at least 14 hours in the refrigerator. 

*Bread Dough:*

1 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm (105F) water 
1 cup cool water 
Starter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups bread (preferred) or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbs kosher salt 

Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes. 

Add the cool water and sponge to the yeast mixture and mix by hand for about 2 minutes, breaking up the sponge, until the sponge is completely dissolved. Pour this mixture into the Kitchen Aid bowl, and, using a dough hook at low speed, add the flour and salt, scraping the sides of the bowl, until the dough gathers into a mass. The dough should be wet and sticky with long strands of dough hanging from the hook. Increase mixer speed to medium low and allow to knead for about 5 minutes, until it pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and wraps itself around the dough hook. Move the dough to a work surface lightly dusted with flour and shape the dough into a ball. Allow the dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Knead the dough by hand for 3 to 5 minutes, until it is stretchy and smooth yet still slightly sticky. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled glass bowl, cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size. 

Place the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and shape into baguettes for bread, or into balls smaller than a tennis ball for rolls. Place the loaves or rolls on a heavily floured surface leaving plenty of space in between. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour. 

Preheat your oven, and a baking stone if you have one, to 475F. If you have a baking stone, place the loaves or rolls directly on the baking stone. Otherwise, sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal, place the loaves or rolls on the baking sheet, allowing enough room for expansion, and place the baking sheet in the pre-heated oven. Using a spray bottle of warm water, quickly mist the oven, not the bread, 8 to 10 times, then quickly shut the oven door. Mist again after 1 minute, then again 1 minute later. Bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 450F and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer for rolls, or 10 to 15 minutes for loaves, until the crust is well browned (if the crust is not completely browned, it will soften when cooled) and they sound hollow when tapped. Transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool for 15 minutes.


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## jennyema

pacanis said:


> This narrows it down even futher.
> So you're saying it can only be gotten with specific no-knead recipes?


 
No. Sorry. 

What I mean is those recipes are ones for crusty bread. And they are obscenely easy, though the better one requires some planning.

Crusty breads generally have little more than flour, yeast, salt and water as ingredients and are generally baked on stones or in something like a dutch oven at high heat, often with a pan of water to provide steam.  

Like a baguette.

Cain's is another good example.


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## pacanis

Lots of different "crusty breads" out there....


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