Dutch Oven Bread

That's right, bread made in a Dutch oven. 

I got a Dutch oven for Christmas and since then I have been looking for recipes so I can utilize it more.  On Pinterest (which, if you know me, you know I am VERY fond of) I found a recipe for bread.  I was shocked, to say the least.  I would never have thought that I could use a Dutch oven to make bread.  And 4 ingredients??  No way! 

Last night, I decided to give it a go.  It takes a while to rise (12-18 hours) so I definitely needed to start this at night for the next day.  I assembled my ingredients, covered the bowl and placed it in the oven and forgot about it until I needed to start baking.

While it was baking, my house smelled so good!  Who doesn't love the smell of baking bread that they made from scratch?  Oh, and a major plus... the bread is a crusty one!  Great for soups or stews or just with homemade butter.  **Yes, I make my own butter as well. ;)**

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients...

3c bread flour
1t active dry yeast
1t salt
1 1/2c warm water

Directions...

1. Whisk flour, yeast and salt in a 3-4 quart bowl with a tight fitting lid. If you don't have a bowl w/lid use plastic wrap on a bowl. Add the water and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is mixed well. The dough will be quite sticky and rough looking, but that's OK. Cover the bowl and set aside for 12-18 hours,(up to 24) overnight is fine.

 

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a cast iron Dutch oven with the lid into the oven while preheating and heat the pot/lid for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, scrape the risen dough from the bowl onto a heavily floured surface. (Dough will still be very sticky.) With floured hands, gently shape the dough into a round loaf, making sure there's enough flour on the surface so dough doesn't stick. Let the dough just sit there until you're pot is preheated.

 

3. Take the hot pot from the oven and gently place the dough into the pot. Cover with the lid and return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid at that time and return the pot to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Gently shake the loaf onto a cooling rack and enjoy the beautiful aroma. Give it a chance to cool before cutting into the loaf. 

 

 

 I absolutely LOVE the rustic look of this bread!  Oh, and in case you were wondering, the bread doesn't stick to the Dutch oven.  Not at all.  

Enjoy!

 

 http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/bread/other-bread/the-best-crusty-bread-dutch-oven.html