This cob loaf recipe is the perfect bread for beginning bakers to make. The beautifully crisp, crackly crust is a joy to eat, and the soft interior is great for sopping up sauces and gravies. You'll definitely be wanting a second piece!
If you're looking for other tasty English breads, make sure to try our recipes for English bloomer bread and this Lincolnshire plum bread.
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Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make a delicious cob loaf? Here's the key ingredients that you'll need to whip up this simple bread.
- Bread Flour: Using a good strong flour will create more gluten in the dough, giving the bread a higher rise and chewier texture.
- Yeast: Use either fast-action (instant) or active dry yeast. If you're using active dry, bloom it by dissolving it in the water with a little sugar and letting it stand until foamy (about 10 minutes).
- Salt: It's best to use fine table salt here, not kosher salt, as it dissolves better in the dough.
- Sugar: Just a touch of granulated sugar softens the texture of the bread and helps feed the yeast.
- Water: use filtered water that's at room temperature, or warmed to 115°F to speed up the rise.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Vegan/Dairy Free: Use vegan butter, olive oil, or coconut oil in place of the butter.
- Gluten Free: Use a special blend of GF flours for yeast breads.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients. You'll need bread flour, salt, yeast, sugar, unsalted butter, and water.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, then add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Stir each one in with your finger. The purpose of this step is to keep the salt from touching the yeast, as it can kill the yeast on contact.
- Add the sugar and mix in the butter.
3. Gradually add the water and mix with your hand until all the flour is picked up from the bottom of the bowl. Keep adding liquid until a slightly sticky dough has formed. You may not need all the water, or you might need a little extra, depending on the humidity and the brand of flour you're using.
4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is very smooth and no longer sticky, about 20 minutes. You should be able to stretch a lump of dough thin enough to read through it, as in the photo above.
5. Place the dough into a buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
6. Let the dough rise in a warm place until at least doubled in size, about 1 hour.
7. Punch down the risen dough to release the air pockets. Shape the dough into a tight ball and place on a cookie sheet.
8. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes. The dough should spring back slowly when prodded with a fingertip.
Preheat the oven to 450°F and put a sturdy metal casserole dish on the lowest shelf. Just before baking the dough, cut a few slashes on the loaf with a lame or sharp serrated knife.
9. Put the loaf into the oven and pour some water into the hot metal dish to create steam. Shut the oven door and bake at 450°F for 20 minutes, then remove the steam pan. Bake for another 20 minutes, until it has an internal temperature of 190-200°F.
10. Brush the loaf with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven, then let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving, about 1 hour.
Recipe FAQs
It is an English white bread shaped into a free-form round, and has a crunchy crust.
Sift the flour. This helps create a thinner crust instead of a thick, break-your-teeth crust. Knead thoroughly. Kneading builds up the gluten, encouraging a good rise, lovely texture, and nice crust. Bake with steam. The steam creates a layer of starch gel on the outside of the dough as it bakes, which hardens into the crunchy crust we love.
For those on a balanced diet, it is healthy in moderation. If you cut it into 12 pieces, each piece would be 200 calories. Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe card below to see the full nutrition facts.
Serve
There's many tasty ways to serve your freshly baked cob loaf! My favorite way to enjoy it is spreading it with butter or dipping it into olive oil, or making it into grilled cheese sandwiches. You can use up extra cob loaf in homemade croutons or garlic toast.
Make it into a bread bowl for dip. Cut off the top of the loaf and pull out some of the bread from the center. Fill with your favorite dip, such as spinach and artichoke, bake until warm and bubbly, and enjoy with the pulled-out pieces. (This is popular in Australia.)
Looking for other bread recipes? Make some hoagie rolls or Waterford blaas for a tasty sandwich, or snack on a slice of pane bianco. Taboon bread tastes great with soups and curries, and English crumpets go well with breakfast or afternoon tea.
Store
Leftovers: Leftover bread will keep if sealed in a plastic bag for 2-3 days. However, it will go stale quickly because there are no preservatives in it. It's best to freeze it to keep it fresh for more than overnight.
Freezing: Let the bread cool completely, then pre-slice for ease if desired. Seal it tightly inside of a zip-top freezer bag and press out the extra air. Freeze for up to 1 month.
Expert Tips
- Always use bread flour. All-purpose simply will not give you the best rise and texture.
- Knead for a while. The time you invest kneading will be well worth the effort, ensuring a crackly, high-rising result.
- Be careful not to add too much flour during the kneading process, as this can make it dry and tough.
- Shape the loaf into a tight ball. This will encourage it to rise up instead of flattening out.
- Want that crackly crust? Bake with a pan of water in the oven and brush the crust with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven.
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Recipe
Easy Cob Loaf Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups bread flour
- 3 teaspoons fast-action yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cups water
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Sift the bread flour into a mixing bowl and add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Mix them into the flour with your finger, then stir in the sugar.
- Dump in the softened butter and half of the water. Stir and crush the mixture with your hand to begin forming the dough. Gradually add more water and mix well until all the flour has been incorporated and a slightly sticky dough has formed. You may need more or less water than the recipe states.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead vigorously for about 20 minutes, until the dough is smooth and quite stretchy. You should be able to stretch a lump of dough thin enough to read through it.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough prove until at least doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Shaping & Proving the Loaf
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and punch it down all over to knock out large pockets of gas.
- Form the dough into a flat circle, and fold the edges into the center to form a hexagon shape. Pinch the edges together, then turn the dough over so the folds are underneath.
- Cup your hands around the loaf so the dough is between your palms. Shape it into a round by turning the dough between your hands and keeping it on the work surface.
- With your hands still cupped around the loaf, use your thumbs to pull the edges of the dough underneath itself to stretch the top of the loaf taut. This tension will help the loaf rise upward instead of spreading out as it proves.
- Place the loaf on a metal baking tray and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Let the dough prove at room temperature until the dough springs back slowly when prodded with a fingertip, about 30 minutes.
- About 10-15 minutes before the final prove is done, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place an old metal casserole dish on a lower shelf to preheat.
Baking the Loaf
- Once the oven is preheated, score the bread with 5 lengthwise slashes using a lame or sharp serrated knife.
- Put the loaf on the middle shelf of the oven. Pour about 2 cups of water into the preheated metal dish and quickly shut the door. The water turns into steam, which creates a crunchy crust.
- Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes. Remove the steam pan and bake for 18-20 minutes longer. Cover it with aluminum foil if it's getting dark. The bread is done cooking when it has an internal temperature of 190-200°F.
- Immediately brush the loaf with butter and let it cool on a wire rack until it's fully cooled, at least 1 hour.
Notes
- Always use bread flour, not all-purpose. This kind of flour produces a good rise, high rise, and chewy texture.
- Don't skimp on the kneading. It takes time to build up the proper gluten structure, which is essential.
- Only add a little flour as you knead. When the dough is properly kneaded, it will no longer be sticky.
- Shape the loaf tightly. Otherwise, it will flatten as it rises, making it rather unattractive.
- Ensure a crackly crust by baking the loaf with a pan of water in the oven and brushing the crust with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Lysanne
My first time making bread and it turned out great!!
Emma
That's wonderful to hear, Lysanne! I hope you'll make many more loaves of bread successfully!
William Somes
I found that the flour to water ratio was a bit off. I needed to add significantly more water (maybe 3/4 of a cup) than the recipe called for. I used King Arthur bread flour, the best available in my area.
Emma
The amount of water does vary depending upon the humidity in the room, not just based on the flour brand. For example, one will often need to add extra water in the winter or in dry climates, and less water in the summer or in more humid climates. The recipe simply provides a general guideline for the liquid amount, as I can't guarantee it will be the same for every bread flour brand in every climate.
Also, make sure you're measuring the flour accurately with a kitchen scale rather than measuring cups. Measuring cups, unless properly used, will pack extra flour into the cup, throwing off the flour to water ratio.
Alex
The cob bread is delicious and has a crunchy and chewy crust. I like the cob bread toasted, too.
Emma
Thanks, Alex! The crust is one of my favorite parts of the cob loaf.
Beth
I love the crusty cob loaf; it is one of my favorite breads, along with Cuban bread and French bread. It tastes great toasted and plain with butter.
Emma
Thanks, Beth! Any homemade white loaf is yummy.