One versatile dough shaped into three rustic loaves of increasing complexity. Version 2.0 uses bread flour and adjusted hydration for easier success with home cooks. Three shaping options: basic ciabatta (no steam, soft crust), intermediate boule (Dutch oven steam, crispy crust), and grand boule using the full batch for maximum crust and crumb.
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Adapted from a video by Brian Lagerstrom
1 Dough 3 Loaves 2.0 (I Made My Best Bread Recipe Even Easier)
▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.
1
Make the poolish (pre-ferment): Mix 150g room temperature water, 150g bread flour, and a tiny pinch of yeast (about 30–50 granules) in a bowl. Stir to combine and let ferment at room temperature for as little as 4 hours, but preferably 24 hours.
2
Prepare the main dough: In a medium stainless steel bowl, combine 250g warm water (approx 30°C), 2g instant yeast, and 300g ripe poolish. Stir with a sturdy spoon until the flour and liquid are reasonably well combined.
3
Add salt, whole wheat flour, and bread flour: Mix in 12g salt, 50g whole wheat flour, and 400g bread flour. Use a wet hand to grab dough from the edges and fold it into the bowl, repeating until everything is well combined into a shaggy mass.
4
Cover and initial fermentation: Cover the bowl with a lid and ferment for 2 hours. After 30 minutes, perform strength-building folds: with a wet hand, grab the dough from the edges, stretch it up and fold it back into the bowl about 7 times around. Gently round the dough into a ball.
5
Second fold: After another 30 minutes, repeat the stretching and folding process. Cover and continue fermenting for another 60 minutes.
6
First shaping (easy ciabatta): Turn the doubled dough onto a floured board. Flatten gently and pop large bubbles. Roughly shape into a rectangle and cut down the middle into two equal pieces. Place on parchment-lined sheet trays, cover, and proof for about 60 minutes.
7
Bake the easy loaves: Load the sheet tray into a well-preheated 480°F oven and bake for 20 minutes until nicely browned. Without steam, the crust will be softer, but still crispy when eaten fresh.
8
Second shaping (intermediate boule): Flip the dough onto a floured board. Flatten, degas, and shape into a rectangle. Cut in half. For each piece, fold both sides over the middle, press gently to seal and pop large bubbles. Flip seam-side down, place on parchment, cover, and proof for about 60 minutes.
9
Bake the intermediate loaf (with Dutch oven steam): Preheat a 5–6 quart Dutch oven in a 480°F oven for 30 minutes. Drop the loaf into the hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake covered for 20–22 minutes. Remove the lid after 12 minutes and continue baking uncovered until deeply golden brown.
10
Third shaping (grand boule): Use the entire fermented dough. Turn onto a floured board and pop large bubbles. Fold from edges toward center about 7–8 times as in the initial folds. Flip seam-side down and gently roll to tuck seams underneath and degas.
11
Prepare a proofing bowl: Use the same mixing bowl lined with a tea towel. Dust the inside with a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat flour (the bran acts as anti-stick ball bearings). Place the shaped loaf seam-side up, tuck the seams a few more times to seal, and fold the towel closed.
12
Final proof: Proof for 45 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes until roughly doubled in size.
13
Prepare the grand loaf for baking: Remove the preheated Dutch oven from the oven. Sprinkle semolina or cornmeal on the bottom to prevent sticking. Carefully flip the loaf from the proofing bowl into the hot Dutch oven seam-side up. Use scissors to score a slit on top to guide rising.
14
Bake the grand loaf: Cover and bake for 18 minutes. Remove the lid, lower the oven to 465°F, and bake uncovered for another 20–25 minutes until deeply browned and the crust is well set, for a total of about 40–45 minutes.
15
Cool: Transfer all baked loaves to a wire rack to cool. The grand boule will have the thickest crunchiest crust and will sing as it cools.
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