About this batch

The loaf that everything else at Crust & Crumb is measured against: stoneground British wheat, water, salt, and an eighteen-hour fermentation driven by a starter called Doris who has been in the family since 2019. Baked directly on the wood oven floor in the dark hours of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings.

The crust blisters where the steam catches it and cracks like thin toffee when you press it; the crumb is glossy, slightly custardy, and sour in the gentle way that comes from time rather than recipe. It toasts to a shattering gold and stays good for three days wrapped in paper — longer than most bakes because of the acid in the prove.

Ingredients could be written on the back of a receipt: flour, water, salt. That is the entire list. Collection is through Famica collection points on bake days, or the loaf travels out paper-wrapped by next-day post, packed to arrive with its snap intact.

Specification