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My Market White

The loaf that started it all. A simple, forgiving base dough that becomes plain white, herb, garlic, olive, or cheddar bread from the same mix. Yeasted for same-day baking, sourdough for deeper flavor and better keeping.

By Henry Hunter Jr., founder of Crust & Crumb Academy and Baking Great Bread at Home.

Prep
15 min
Rise
2-3 hours
Bake
30 min
Total
3-4 hours
Yield
1 loaf (approximately 850g)
Difficulty
beginner
Hydration
68%

Ingredients

Main Dough (Yeasted)

  • 500g (4 cups) Bread flour
  • 340g (1½ cups) Water (room temperature) — 68% hydration — the sweet spot for this dough. Comfortable to handle, holds shape, sells well.
  • 10g (2 teaspoons) Salt
  • 7g (2 teaspoons) Instant yeast

Total flour: 500g

Hydration: 68%

Equipment

  • mixing-bowl
  • kitchen-scale
  • bench-scraper
  • banneton or bread pan
  • dutch-oven
  • lame
  • cooling-rack

Method

Mix the Dough

Combine everything into a shaggy dough. No fancy technique needed at this stage.

  1. Weigh ingredients. Use a kitchen scale. Volume measurements work, but weight is more accurate.
  2. Combine and mix. Add flour, salt, and instant yeast to the water. Stir until a shaggy dough forms with no dry spots.
  3. Cover. Damp towel or plastic wrap over the bowl.

Rest

A 30-minute rest lets the flour hydrate and starts gluten development on its own.

  1. Rest. Sit covered for 30 minutes.

Wait: 30 minutes

Knead

Develop the gluten until the dough is smooth and elastic.

  1. Turn out. Lightly floured surface.
  2. Knead. 8-10 minutes by hand, or 5-6 minutes in a stand mixer with the dough hook on low.
  3. Windowpane test. Stretch a small piece thin. If it holds without tearing, you're done.

Tip: Sticky dough? Wet your hands. Adding flour changes the hydration and stiffens the crumb.

First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)

Let the yeast do the work during bulk fermentation. Dough should roughly double.

  1. Oil the bowl. Lightly coat a clean bowl.
  2. Place dough. Turn once to coat.
  3. Cover and rise. Warm spot, 1-2 hours, until doubled.

Wait: 1-2 hours

Tip: Aim for 75-78°F (24-26°C). Oven with the light on works.

Shape

Build surface tension for a good oven spring.

  1. Turn out. Gently onto a lightly floured surface.
  2. Deflate. Press to release the biggest bubbles.
  3. Shape. Boule for the Dutch oven, log for a 9×5" pan.
  4. Transfer. Into a floured banneton (seam up), a parchment sling, or a greased loaf pan.

Second Rise (Proof)

Final proofing before baking.

  1. Cover. Damp cloth or plastic.
  2. Rise. 30-60 minutes until puffy.
  3. Poke test. Gently poke. Slow spring-back means it's ready.

Wait: 30-60 minutes

Cold Retard (Optional)

The easiest upgrade in bread baking. Costs you nothing but patience.

  1. Cover tight. Plastic wrap or a shower cap over the banneton.
  2. Refrigerate. 4-48 hours. Two days turns a good loaf into a great one.
  3. Bake from cold. Straight from fridge to preheated Dutch oven.

Wait: 4-48 hours

Preheat

Get the oven and vessel screaming hot.

  1. Preheat oven. 450°F (230°C).
  2. Heat vessel. Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes.

Score and Bake

Scoring controls where the loaf opens. Bake until deep golden brown.

  1. Transfer. Invert onto parchment if you used a banneton.
  2. Score. One clean cut at least ½ inch deep with your lame. Shallow cuts are decoration only.
  3. Load. Into the preheated Dutch oven.
  4. Bake. Covered 20 minutes, lid off 15-20 minutes more, until deep golden and internal temp reads 205-210°F (96-99°C).

Tip: For a pan loaf: 400°F (200°C), 35 minutes, internal 200°F (93°C).

Cool

Let the interior finish setting. Cutting early makes the crumb gummy.

  1. Transfer to rack. Wire cooling rack.
  2. Wait. At least 1 hour before slicing.

Wait: 1 hour

Storage

  • Room temperature: Yeasted: 2 days in a paper bag or bread box. Sourdough: 4-5 days.
  • Frozen: Up to 3 months. Slice before freezing so you can toast from frozen.

Run a day-old loaf briefly under water, bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8-10 minutes to revive the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this called "Market White"?

This is the loaf I baked for farmers markets. It worked every week, looked beautiful on the table, and could become a dozen different products from the same mix. Plain one week, rosemary and garlic the next, olive or cheddar the next. Same dough, different loaf.

Yeasted or sourdough — which should I bake?

Yeasted is faster, forgiving, and doesn't need a starter. Great for a same-day loaf. Sourdough takes longer and needs an active starter, but the flavor is deeper and the loaf keeps 4-5 days at room temperature instead of 2. Try both.

Can I add stuff to this dough?

That's the whole point. Fold in cheese, olives, roasted garlic, or fresh herbs after bulk fermentation. Roll the shaped loaf in seeds before baking. Same dough, different loaf every time.

What if my dough is too sticky?

Wet hands instead of extra flour. The dough firms up during shaping and again during cold retard. Adding flour changes the hydration and stiffens the crumb.

No Dutch oven — can I still bake this?

Yes. Bake on a preheated baking stone or heavy sheet pan. Put a metal pan of hot water on the bottom rack for the first 15 minutes to create steam.

Can I turn this into a sandwich loaf?

Absolutely. Shape into a log and place seam-down in a greased 9×5" loaf pan. Proof until the dough crowns 1" above the rim. Bake 400°F (200°C) for 35 minutes, internal temperature 200°F (93°C).

Nutrition

Per serving (1 slice (about 55g)): 130 calories, 26g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 0.5g fat, 1g fiber, 150mg sodium. Makes 16 servings.