Easy Crusty Vegan Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of crusty bread? ›

To make crusty bread, create steam in the oven.

They have a professional secret: the steam-injected oven. Nothing offers the baker quite as nice a crust as an oven filled with steam for the first part of the baking process.

So introducing steam actually helps slow crust formation while your dough finishes rising. Then, towards the end of your baking time, open up the oven to release the steam and finish baking to dry out and crisp your bread's crust.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Large crusty loaves can be stored unwrapped (to preserve their crispy crust) at room temperature for a day or so, cut side down on the counter. For optimum long-term storage (longer than a couple of days), wrap bread in single-day portions and freeze.

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.

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

In-home ovens do not get as hot as the ovens at pizza restaurants, and the stone or steel underneath the crust while baking helps make the best use of temperature. Always bake your pizza pie on the lowest rack in the oven. This allows your pizza crust to get closer to the heat source, allowing it to become more crispy.

Sweat It Out

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.

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.

Vegan milk is any milk that is made from plant-only sources — an alternative that is just as suitable for all the same purposes of regular milk. The majority are sourced from beans and nuts including soy, almond, and macadamia, but can also be sourced from oats, coconuts, and even rice.

Which cereal is vegan? ›

A vegan diet excludes all animal products, such as dairy, eggs, honey, and gelatin. Popular cereal brands such as Cheerios, Special K, Raisin Bran, and Frosted Flakes are vegan-friendly. Specialized vegan cereals include Nature's Path, One Degree Organic Foods, Kashi, and Cascadian Farm.

Does Rising Bread Affect Its Texture? For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough.

In the last 10 minutes or so of baking, open the oven and spray some water on the top of the loaf. If you have a clean oven, also spray some water on the bottom of the oven or place a water-filled shallow heat-proof dish in the oven with your bread to create steam which will help form a crust.

Baking quick breads at too high temperatures can cause a hard outside crust. Most quick breads bake in a moderate oven (350°F to 375°F). Double check your recipe to see the temperature they recommend. Oven thermostats can vary over time, requiring adjustments by the baker or calibration by a professional.

What are the best techniques for creating dark color and shine on bread crusts? To create dark, burnished crusts on their loaves, professional bakers brush milk, egg, or water onto the surface of the risen dough before baking.

An egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of cream produces a very shiny deep-brown crust, beaten with 1 teaspoon of milk, it gives a shiny, medium-brown crust. Melted butter or oil makes for a soft velvety crust. Glazes can also be used to "glue" or attach seeds to bread before baking.

After your dough is formed and ready for the oven, brush a light coating of the egg wash onto the dough and put it in the oven. After that, cook as you normally would. Another thing you can try is to use a recipe with a little sugar in it.