Sandwich Loaf With Crisper Crust

Our answer

Nigella's Old-Fashioned Sandwich Loaf (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) is made with a combination of acidic dairy ingredients and some fat. Additionally, the dough only has a minimal amount of kneading. This gives a loaf with a very soft crumb and also means that the crust is firm but not too crisp or chewy.

Because of these factors it is difficult to get a very crisp crust on the bread and we would not particularly want to change the crust on the loaf. If you want a very crisp, chewy crust then we would suggest trying the Basic No-Knead Bread instead. It is just as easy to make as the sandwich loaf, and as it has quite a lot of water in the dough and also cooks in a very hot oven, it bakes into a bread with an open texture and a crisp crust.