Easy Crusty Vegan Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of crusty bread? ›

Use a pizza stone or cloche

So heat and steam are a key part of getting that crust of dreams. To help even more, pre-heat a pizza stone in the oven before starting to bake. Place the baking tray or tin directly onto the baking stone. This brings a hot surface into (almost) direct contact with the bread you're baking.

The best way to brown and crisp your bread's bottom crust – as well as enhance its rise – is to bake it on a preheated pizza stone or baking steel. The stone or steel, super-hot from your oven's heat, delivers a jolt of that heat to the loaf, causing it to rise quickly.

Multigrain breads, whole grain breads, and breads that use sprouted grains, such as ezekiel bread are packed with health benefits and are great for a plant-based diet. Breads made from refined flours do not contain the fiber and protein that whole grain, multigrain, or sprouted grain breads offer.

When the hot air hits the cold air, the water vapor condenses, or “sweats.” If you cover your bread with a towel or bowl, you can trap that water in your bread, resulting in a softer crust. I've turned otherwise rock-hard loaves into soft, tasty treats this way.

If you let the bread cool in room temperature, that moisture will set on the surface turning the bread "less crusty".

Storing your bread on the countertop in a plastic bag (or well-sealed plastic wrap) will help keep it from going stale, but be warned: the crust will suffer and grow mold due to trapped moisture. Toasting the bread (if it's too soft but not yet moldy, of course) will bring some of the crust's crunchy texture back.

Water – crispy crust

Water may be brushed on or spritzed. Water keeps the dough skin from forming the crust, enabling the dough to expand. It also smooths out the crust, creating a more refined appearance. Apply just before baking.

While there are many types of French bread, some of the most popular kinds—like baguettes and boules—have an extremely crusty exterior and a chewy crumb, making them perfect for tearing, dipping or slathering with butter. It's not uncommon for these breads to require a lengthy preparation process.

What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

Bread containing eggs, honey, royal jelly, gelatin, or dairy-based ingredients like milk, butter, buttermilk, whey, or casein isn't considered vegan. You may also come across these ingredients that are usually — but not always — vegan: Mono and diglycerides.

What causes crusty bread to become soft or soggy? ›

As the loaf cools, any moisture which is left in the loaf escapes through the crust as steam and this is what causes the softening.

The more moisture there is on the surface of the dough, the more abundant the starch gel, and the crisper and more crackly the eventual crust. Steam plays a hand in crust color, too, and prevents it from burning.

Add moisture.

Brush or spritz water all over the bread. Use more if the loaf is very dry and/or has a thick crust. Use less if the loaf has a thin crust or just needs a little pick-me-up. I've actually run the crust of a stale loaf directly under the faucet for a brief second without the bread getting soggy.

Slash the bread: Before baking, make sure to slash or score the top of the bread to release some of the steam, which will help the crust become crispy. 5. Brush with egg wash: Brushing the top of the bread with an egg wash (beaten egg and water) before baking can also promote browning and create a shiny golden crust.

The short answer is: yes, bread crusts do contain more nutrients. The reason for this is that the baking process causes the exterior of the bread to become firmer and more browned. This chemical baking process also results in changes to the nutrients in the crust of bread.