A simple swap from water to apple juice transforms this basic bread recipe into a subtly sweet loaf that is perfect to tear into at breakfast time with a smear of good butter on top, but it also takes a PB&J to the next level. The subtle, but unmistakable, undercurrent of apple sweetness struck me as a bit of a magic trick in a bread that, otherwise, to the eye and hand was just a soft white loaf.
I first encountered the idea at the small four-seat teppanyaki restaurant in the back of the Suiran Hotel in Kyoto, Japan, where chef Tsubasa Yamaguchi served it before my first course; it was a perfect way to start the meal. When I asked him what he did differently to prepare it, he said he just took the same rustic bread recipe he baked elsewhere and used apple juice in place of water. I was incredulous. That was it? The same amount? The same technique? Yes and yes, he said. I was hooked. It turns out the water-to-juice switcheroo gives an added taste of fall without taking anything away from the shape and texture. It’s become an instant favorite at my house both breakfast and lunch, and I expect it will be at yours.
Take care when you’re lowering the bread into the Dutch oven; it is a slightly nerve-wracking moment but a little attention is all that’s needed. You can do it!
More apple recipes here: 37 Apple Desserts That Make Us Want to Pick the Whole Orchard
Recipe information
Total Time
4 hours (plus cooling)
Yield
Makes 1 large loaf
Ingredients
4
1¾
1
1
1
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Mix 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, 1¾ cups apple juice, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and one ¼-oz. envelope instant yeast (about 2¼ tsp.) in a large bowl just until flour is hydrated and a very shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes.
Step 2
Set a small bowl of room-temperature water on work surface for easy reaching. Uncover dough, dip your hand in water and stretch one side of dough up and over to meet opposite side; turn bowl 90°. Repeat 3 more times, turning bowl 90° after each fold. (This constitutes 1 full fold.) If dough doesn’t always stretch to meet opposite side, just aim for the middle. Wet your hands and shake off excess water any time dough begins to feel sticky. Cover dough and let sit 30 minutes (set a timer). Repeat folding process to make 1 full fold. Re-cover and let dough sit another 30 minutes. Repeat folding process and resting one more time. By the last fold, dough should be significantly smoother and tighter.
Step 3
Transfer dough to a generously floured surface, dust with flour, and shape into a tight ball. Dust dough with more flour. Dust a kitchen towel with flour and place inside a high-sided bowl to line. Arrange dough, seam side up, in bowl on top of towel. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough sit in a warm spot until puffy, about 45 minutes.
Step 4
Place a rack in middle of oven, then set a large ovenproof Dutch oven with a lid on it; preheat oven to 400°. Place a 12" square of parchment paper on a flat surface. Cut a 2"-long slit in each corner toward the center. Very carefully, tip dough out onto center of parchment, trying your best not to deflate it or ruin its shape. (It’s easiest to place parchment on a flat plate so you can easily turn dough out of bowl.) Working very quickly and using a pair of kitchen shears lightly coated in vegetable oil, cut an X in center of bread. Remove pot from oven and very carefully lower dough into pot. Cover pot and return to oven.
Step 5
Bake bread 35 minutes. Uncover pot, reduce oven temperature to 375°, and continue to bake bread until crust is deeply browned, 35–40 minutes more. Carefully tip loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour before slicing.
Do Ahead: Bread can be baked 3 days ahead. Let cool completely; store airtight at room temperature.