title
Large Loaf — Soft Crust with Egg
ingredients
[{"amount": 600, "unit": "g", "name": "bread flour"}, {"amount": 315, "unit": "g", "name": "water (reduced from 349.2g -- the egg's own liquid content makes up the difference, keeps total hydration about the same)"}, {"amount": 120, "unit": "g", "name": "active sourdough starter"}, {"amount": 13.2, "unit": "g", "name": "salt"}, {"amount": 6, "unit": "g", "name": "malt"}, {"amount": 30, "unit": "g", "name": "oil (about 2 tbsp)"}, {"amount": 1, "unit": "whole", "name": "large egg (about 50g), lightly beaten -- the key addition for this version"}, {"amount": 30, "unit": "g", "name": "honey, OPTIONAL (about 1.5-2 tbsp) -- skip for a non-sweet loaf"}, {"amount": 0, "unit": "as needed", "name": "melted butter, for brushing after baking"}]
steps
[{"text": "Mix 600g flour, 315g water, 120g starter, 13.2g salt, 6g malt, 30g oil, the beaten egg, and 30g honey IF using (optional) until no dry bits remain."}, {"text": "Stretch & fold every 30-60min through bulk -- 3-4 folds total is typical. The dough will feel noticeably silkier/more extensible than even the oil-only version -- the egg's lecithin is doing real emulsifying work here."}, {"text": "Bulk ferment until puffed and jiggly, not just risen -- judge by feel, not the clock."}, {"text": "Shape into a round or batard (free-form, no pan) and place seam-side UP into your lined rattan banneton, well floured so it releases cleanly."}, {"text": "Proof at room temp 1-2hr, or retard in the fridge overnight -- either works fine here."}, {"text": "Preheat your Dutch oven (lid on) inside the oven to 450F for at least 30-45min."}, {"text": "Turn the dough out of the banneton onto parchment paper. Lightly mist the top with water from a spray bottle."}, {"text": "Score lightly (shallower than usual)."}, {"text": "Lower the dough (on the parchment) into the hot Dutch oven, lid on. Bake covered for about 35-40min -- same lid-on-heavy approach as the oil-only version."}, {"text": "WATCH CLOSELY during the lid-off finish -- 5-8min max, same as before, but the egg's proteins brown faster (Maillard reaction) than the oil-only dough, so this loaf can go from perfectly golden to too-dark quicker than you're used to. Check at 4-5min instead of waiting the full 8."}, {"text": "Pull at 205-210F internal, same as your other sourdough bakes."}, {"text": "Remove from the Dutch oven right away. While still hot, brush the top generously with melted butter."}, {"text": "Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel while cooling on a rack."}, {"text": "Cool at least 1hr before slicing."}]
source
USR369 + web research
notes
Egg-enriched variant of Large Loaf -- Soft Crust (recipe #32) -- same free-form Dutch oven + rattan banneton method, with one egg added to the dough itself.
WHY EGG, AND WHAT IT ACTUALLY DOES (web-researched 09/06/26): egg yolk contains lecithin, a natural emulsifier that blends the dough's fat and water together more smoothly than oil alone -- this produces a noticeably softer, more tender crumb than the oil-only version. Egg proteins also set during baking (similar to a fried egg firming up), which adds real structure/stability to the loaf, not just richness. Two side effects worth expecting: (1) the crumb turns a more golden/yellow color inside, not just white, (2) the crust browns FASTER and deeper thanks to Maillard-reactive egg proteins -- this is why the lid-off finishing step now says to check earlier than the oil-only version.
WATER REDUCED to account for the egg's own liquid: egg is roughly 75% water by weight, so a ~50g egg contributes about 35-37g of liquid on its own -- water dropped from 349.2g to 315g to keep total hydration in the same range as recipe #32, rather than ending up with a noticeably wetter dough.
Egg wash NOT used on top -- per the research, brushing egg wash on the crust before baking actually firms/shines it (more bakery-roll finish), which pulls against the soft-crust goal here. Egg's softening benefit comes from being IN the dough, not brushed on top -- butter-after-baking stays the move for the crust itself, same as recipe #32.
Same honest tradeoff as #32 applies: Dutch oven baking still won't get quite as soft a crust as a covered loaf pan would, egg or no egg -- this pushes the crumb noticeably softer and richer, but the vessel itself is still the ceiling on how soft the crust gets.
REAL BAKE AT 1100g-FLOUR SCALE (09/12/26, Bake #16, item #61): USR369 mixed a bigger combined "Soft Crust" batch at 1100g flour (recipe #39, Soft Crust Dough -- Base Ratios) instead of this recipe's base 600g, then split it by percentage of actual dough weight rather than fixed grams -- this loaf's portion came out to 1200g of a ~2200g total dough (54.5%). Folds: every 45min, 3 total (vs. the 1hr+10min pattern used at the smaller scale in recipe #38 -- not yet confirmed as a standing change, just what was done this time). Retarded 10hr in the fridge overnight, then baked in an oblong Dutch oven with the LID ON THE ENTIRE BAKE (never removed) -- roughly 65 minutes total to an internal temp around 204-206F. At the 45min mark it was browning too much under the closed lid (expected -- egg/honey enrichment browns fast per the note above); USR369 laid a sheet of aluminum foil directly on top of the dough itself (lid closed back over that) as a heat shield, which is the right technique even with the lid never coming off -- the browning under a closed Dutch oven comes mainly from radiant heat off the hot lid sitting close above the loaf, not from open direct heat, so foil directly on the dough blocks that the same way tenting works for an over-browning pie crust. Result: looked really good. Taste not yet reported as of this note.