Instant Pot® Rustic Country Bread

Simple country bread recipe that utilizes an Instant Pot® to achieve a well-risen and well-baked loaf of bread. Serve with softened salted butter and jam, or olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper.

Step: 1

Stir bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined; set aside.

Step: 2

Gently whisk 1 1/4 cups warm water and yeast together in a small bowl. Allow to rest at room temperature until foamy and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

Step: 3

Make a shallow well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir together using a spatula until a coarse dough begins to form. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and begin kneading, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Step: 4

Shape dough into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with cooking spray. Cover the bowl with a towel lightly dampened with warm water and set aside in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Step: 5

Lightly grease a 7- to 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper; lightly grease parchment paper with cooking spray; set aside.

Step: 6

Using your fingers, gently press down on dough to deflate slightly and transfer to a work surface that has been very lightly dusted with flour. Gently knead dough 2 or 3 times, preserving as many air bubbles as possible. Using the sides of your hands, shape dough into a ball by pulling the sides under until a smooth and slightly shiny surface develops. Gently transfer dough to the prepared cake pan and lightly dust with flour; cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Step: 7

Add remaining 1 cup water and a steam rack to a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as an Instant Pot®); place cake pan on the rack. Close and lock the lid. Turn vent to Sealing position. Select Manual/Yogurt setting; set timer for 1 hour. Dough will rise in cooker and double in size. Press Cancel.

Step: 8

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step: 9

Select Manual/Pressure Cook setting on the Instant Pot®. Select high pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions; set timer for 40 minutes. Allow 3 to 5 minutes for pressure to build.

Step: 10

Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer’s instructions, 8 to 10 minutes. Unlock and remove lid. Carefully remove the cake pan as it will be hot; remove aluminum foil.

Step: 11

Transfer cake pan to the preheated oven and bake until bread is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove bread from the cake pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing, about 30 minutes. Using a bread knife, slice loaf crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices.

Per Serving: 240 calories; protein 8.8g; carbohydrates 48.8g; fat 1.2g; sodium 645.2mg.

The best flavour of the flour can make a real deal to your bread. Different makers do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a best rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re make wholemeal bread , which doesn’t always rise as well as white bread.

To made this in a breadmaker , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the makers instructions.

A bread first rising can be make in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can work it night before , then finish it off the next day.