Post by Granny Smith on Aug 6, 2013 10:56:54 GMT -5
Like the name implies, this is seriously crusty bread. It's an artisan loaf with a thick, crisp crust and a nice, chewy texture that reminds me of English muffins.
Crusty Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Instant or Rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups water
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours. Overnight works great.
Heat oven to 450 degrees. (I heated mine to 425 because it seems to run a little hotter than normal. Do whatever you think best) When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes*. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface (I used a spatula to sort of scrape it out of the bowl onto the table) and gently shape into a ball - just round it up until the top is smooth - no need to knead. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.
Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough**. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
*This makes a fair amount of smoke if your pan is seasoned, so turn on the vent fan or open a window (or both) to keep the house from smoking up too badly.
** After I took out the pan, I sprayed the bottom with a little pan spray before dropping in the dough, but I am pretty sure that was completely unnecessary.
Crusty Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Instant or Rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups water
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours. Overnight works great.
Heat oven to 450 degrees. (I heated mine to 425 because it seems to run a little hotter than normal. Do whatever you think best) When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes*. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface (I used a spatula to sort of scrape it out of the bowl onto the table) and gently shape into a ball - just round it up until the top is smooth - no need to knead. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.
Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough**. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
*This makes a fair amount of smoke if your pan is seasoned, so turn on the vent fan or open a window (or both) to keep the house from smoking up too badly.
** After I took out the pan, I sprayed the bottom with a little pan spray before dropping in the dough, but I am pretty sure that was completely unnecessary.