What is good bread?

Flavor

Complex flavor is created through a long, delayed fermentation. This means it could take days to produce the best, most flavorful breads. Even the most basic loaf , using only flour, water, salt and yeast should draw your attention to its unique flavor and add to your meal.

Crumb

Slice open a loaf of bread and look inside. For sandwich bread, the crumb might be close together or tight, but for a french baguette, you would expect to see large "holes". Very tight crumb for some types of bread means that the dough has low hydration and may taste dry. Nice, open crumb means that the baker used higher hydration and the bread will be more flavorful.

Crust

For some types of bread, a thick crust, with deep caramel color is best. When steam is employed during the initial stages of baking, a nice hard crust is formed.

Sourdough

Some breads can be created using a "wild" yeast - cultivated and "fed" daily. The use of this wild yeast instead of commercial yeast will add complex flavor and extend the shelf live of your bread.