Country Crumb Bread

Name: Country Crumb Bread
Yield: Makes two 1½-pound loaves
Ingredients: Polenta, cornmeal, or semolina for sprinkling on the pans; 2 cups dried bread crumbs collected from any kind of bread; 8 cups unbleached bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons instant yeast or 2½ tablespoons active dry yeast1; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt; Approximately 2¾ to 3¼ cups water (½ cup buttermilk may be substituted for some of the water if you want to make a softer, loaf-pan bread)

Preparation info

Makes
two
1½ pound loaves

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Brother Juniper’s Bread Book

By Peter Reinhart

Published 1991

About

For this loaf, save bread crumbs in a paper sack or make some from leftover heels and ends. Dry them out overnight or in a low oven, toasting them until the moisture is gone. Use a mixture of crumbs from different breads for a unique flavor.

Ingredients

8 cups unbleached bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups dried bread crumbs collected from any kind of bread

Vegetarian
Bread

Method

To Mix and Knead

Mix all the dry ingredients including either yeast in a bowl, then add the water, reserving a little for adjustments during kneading. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for between 10 and 12 minutes. The dough will have a coarse look because of the crumbs but will be cohesive, stretchy, tacky but not sticky, and resilient. (In all of the recipes I use