Bread. Everyone eats it, but not everyone thinks about making their own. Yesterday, with a lazy day and nothing inspiring at the local store, I decided to try my hand at a crusty bread recipe using what I had on hand. This isn’t sourdough, but it’s a simple oat flour bread with a glorious crust, baked at home using the tools I love - my KitchenAid, banneton, and a 20 cm Le Creuset. If you’re into home baking bread, this is the loaf for you: satisfying, rustic, and perfect for Sunday mornings.

Ingredients for a Crusty Bread Recipe

250 g strong white flour

100 g whole oat flour (harina de avena integral)

1 tsp sea salt

7 g dried yeast (1 sachet)

1 tsp honey

1 tsp vitamin C powder (optional)

230–250 ml warm water

Equipment: KitchenAid mixer, banneton, 20 cm Le Creuset pan

Step-by-Step Oat Flour Bread Method

1️⃣ Activate the yeast
Mix honey + warm water, sprinkle yeast, stir, rest 5–10 min until frothy.

2️⃣ Mix the dough (KitchenAid)
Add flours, salt, and vitamin C to bowl. Pour in yeast mixture.
Speed 1 → combine, speed 2 → knead 6–8 min until smooth and slightly tacky.

3️⃣ First rise
Place dough in oiled bowl, cover, leave in living room (21 °C) 1½–2 h until doubled.

4️⃣ Shape for banneton
Tip onto floured surface, form tight ball, place seam-up in floured banneton.

5️⃣ Second rise
Cover loosely, proof 45–60 min until dough springs back slowly.

6️⃣ Preheat oven
230 °C (fan 210 °C), heat Le Creuset base + lid 30 min.

7️⃣ Bake
Invert the dough seam-down on baking paper. Slash top.
Bake 25 min with the lid on, then for 10–15 min lid off until golden.

8️⃣ Cool
Cool on rack 30 min before slicing – the perfect moment for home baking bread lovers.

Trust me, this is a delicious crusty bread recipe.

Tips for This Crusty Bread Recipe

Same-day: Start mid-morning, eat mid-afternoon.

Overnight: After first rise, refrigerate 8–10 h. Next morning, shape and proof for 60–90 min, then bake. Slower ferment equals richer flavour and a perfect oat flour bread crust.

Sometimes the best bread isn’t from the bakery down the road – it's a crusty bread recipe coming out of your own oven.

I hope you enjoy baking these bread recipes as much as I've enjoyed developing them. More will arrive here as they make it out of the oven and onto the page.

This recipe is part of my Bread Recipes — The Flexible Chef's Complete Collection — sourdough, flatbreads, and everything in between. Explore the full collection.

Wonky photos, proper bread, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef