why bakers love darker crusts

People ask why certain varieties of artisan bread - such as Peasant Levain - are baked to the dark edge of golden brown.

Simple: To create the the most delicious complex flavor and a beautiful, chewy texture.

In fact, something like magic happens when you bake bread in a hearth oven.

Loaves slide onto the oven’s molten-hot hearth and doors clank shut. Great puffs of steam swirl around inside, giving each loaf a crackling crust. The bread goes into the oven pale and soft and comes out sturdy and brick red. Later, on the cooling rack, it ‘sings’ – emitting a chorus of faint crackles and pops as the crust cools to room temperature.

So, to recap: Why is artisan bread so dark? Because it tastes better that way.

Watch our video to get a taste.