This recipe is VERY forgiving and and VERY low maintenance and VERY delicious! The main trick is to just mix the dough the day or night before you want to eat it.
I usually double or quadruple this recipe. It doesn't take much additional time, and then I can either share a loaf with a friend or freeze the extra loaves for another meal. It is best fresh the day of cooking if you like a crispy chewy crust, which around here at our house is the preferred texture!
1 Loaf:
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
*Optional: see version add-in ideas below and just half the amounts
DIRECTIONS:
1. In large bowl, combine water, flour, salt, and yeast. Stir and mix until blended with your hand. You do not need to knead mixture, just mix long enough until dough is blended.
2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at room temperature for 18-24 hours (or longer-see note)
3. After 24 hours, remove dough from bowl. Shape into a round loaf and place on square of parchment. Lightly dust with flour and make desired cuts at this time.
4. Let shaped loaf rise for 1-3 hours.
5. 30 minutes before cooking, Preheat oven to 475 with 5-6 Quart size Dutch oven pan/lid placed on middle rack.
6. Once loaf has doubled and pan has been heated, carefully remove hot pan lid. Lift dough using parchment and place into heated pan. The dough may loose its shape a little bit, but don't worry, it will still turn out great!
7. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove cooked bread from dutch oven and let it cool on rack for at least an hour before slicing.
2 Loaves
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3 cups warm water
6 cups all purpose flour
1 TBS salt
Add In Versions:
Cheese/Onion: 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup dried onion
Rosemary: 4 TBS dried rosemary
Onion Herb: 2 TBS Herb blend such and 1/2 cup dried onion
Herb: 4 TBS Herbs de Provance, dill, or Italian Seasoning
white chocolate: 2 cups white chocolate chips
Craisin/Pecan: 1 cup craisins and 1 cup chopped pecans
Follow cooking directions as listed above under 1 loaf.
Notes:
1. I've let this sit up to three days if I'm not able to get to cooking. After 24 hours, just place bowl in Fridge and then pull it out on day of cooking, shape into loaves, and let rise as the directions say (usually closer to 2 hours).
2. Have fun experimenting with cuts on the top of the bread. Ideas include circle shaped dashes, three slices, scissor cuts, X shape cut. If you dust the cuts with a little extra flour, they turn out extra pretty.
3. If you want the bread to taste like it is fresh from the oven after being frozen, defrost the loaf and then just pop it into the over at 300 for 15 minutes.
3 cups all purpose flour
4. If you want to use wheat flour you can. It will be denser. It works quite well to do 2 parts white flour to 1 part wheat.
5. You can also use a stone to cook the bread, or a cookie sheet, or a glass pyrex pan. It does taste best using a ceramic dutch oven pan, but it will still taste really good if you don't have that tool. Same cooking time applies.
