Crusty Bread

Simply so Good Recipe

The above blog has a VERY detail process shown with the recipe.  Here is my shorter version.  The basic recipe is below.  You can make it your own by adding any herbs, cheeses or fruits of your liking.

Crusty Bread
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 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. 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 and shape into a ball. 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.

Add dry ingredients to large bowl.

I decided to add 1-1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese and a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of home grown Oregano. Mix all dry ingredients, start adding water and cheese.  Mix until all flour is obsorbed.  Dough will be wet.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 12-18 hours. 

Here is what my dough looked like after 16 hours.

Yup, it's a sticky mess.

There is a reason why Simply so Good suggests a "heavy" coating of flour on your board.

Let rest for 30 minutes while your oven and covered dutch oven are heating up.

Once your oven reaches the 450 degrees, take the pre-heated dutch oven out and place your dough in the HOT pot.  Cover.  Be very careful do not burn yourself on the VERY hot dutch oven.

In Simply so Goods blog she recommends using the Le Creuset dutch oven which is enamel coated.  I do not have a coated dutch oven so I used my old fashioned black cast iron one.  I did not oil it, and placed the dough right in the HOT pan and put the lid on.  Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, after the 30 minutes, remove lid and bake up to 15 minutes to brown the crust.   

Cool and enjoy!