Farm Share Mania!

I have been wanting to make a good bread at home for years but have always been afraid to give it a try.  I worried that we would need a bread maker or that it wouldn’t come out as good as I expected.

I recently decided to add breads to my cooking repertoire. I remembered seeing a NY Times segment on the TV  or on a plane about making bread in your Dutch Oven and searched the internet for the recipe.

I told Andy that if I can just figure out how to make an awesome loaf of bread it would ensure invitations to all the best summer parties!

Well we have the bread!  Let the party invitations begin!

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting.  (I am planning to try whole wheat next time.)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, and salt.  Add the water and stir until blended.  The dough will be sticky and wet.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 12 – 18 hours (we did 24 hours), at room temperature (about 70 degrees).

2. 12 – 18 hours later, the dough will be dotted with bubbles.  Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it.  Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour and fold-over itself a couple of times.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

3. Using flour to keep the dough from sticking, gently shape it into a ball.  Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour.  Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour.  Cover with another dishtowel and let rise for 1 – 2 hours.  (I used one dishtowel and just folded it over the dough.) When the dough is ready it will have doubled in size and will not spring back when poked with a finger.

4. 20 minutes before the dough will be ready, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.  Put a heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it is preheating.

5. When dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid.  Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up.  The dough may lose its shape in the process.  This is normal.  You may want to shake the pan to distribute the dough evenly.  It does not need to be perfect.

6. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes or until the loaf is browned.

7. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for 1 hour before slicing.

8. I find the best way to store the bread is wrapped in a clean dishtowel.  But you aren’t likely to have any leftovers!  Enjoy!

Here is a short YouTube video that will take you through the process:

This recipe was adapted from a Mother Earth News article titled Easy, No-knead Crusty Bread by Roger Doiron published in the December 2007/January 2008 issue.  http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-12-01/Easy-No-Knead-Dutch-Oven-Crusty-Bread.aspx