It has a flavor and texture that’s better than anything you’ll find in a store and requires
- No bread machine
- No stand mixer
- No hand kneading
- No baking stone
Takes about 15 minutes of actual work and tastes incredible!
| Equipment: |
| Kitchen scale |
| 4 -6 quart plastic food container with lid. |
| Small pot or dutch oven with heatproof lid, about 7″ across |
Important! A note about the pot lid: Google the manufacturer’s instructions for your pot and make sure that the pot and lid can handle 450°F in the oven.
| Ingredients: | ||
| 500 | grams | Bread Flour, unbleached, un-enriched, if possible. |
| 400 | grams | Water – if you have great tap water, that’s fine. If it smells bad or has chlorine or there’s anything else wrong, use bottled water. |
| 1/4 | teaspoon | Instant Yeast |
| 12 | grams | Kosher Salt |
Directions compliments of Steve W.
Directions:
- Whisk yeast and water together until dissolved.
- Add flour and salt. Stir thoroughly with handle of wooden or plastic spoon until there is no dry flour visible.
- Cover and leave for ½ – 1 hour.
- When it looks like dough, take out of bucket.
- Stretch dough, fold in half, rotate 90°. Repeat 4 – 6 times until you feel the dough tighten up
- Put it back in bowl, cover. Let it double in size, approximately 4 hours.
- Do stretch again as above. Return to bowl. Let it double in size, approximately 4 hours.
- Preheat oven and pot with lid to 450° about ½ hour before baking.
- When doubled in size, transfer dough to hot pot; use gravity to help. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, cover and put into oven.
- Remove lid after about 20-30 minutes and bake another 20 minutes with lid off.
- When the bread looks crusty and dark brown it is done. Cool on rack. Enjoy!
Makes 1 loaf.
Note that the timing isn’t critical as long as it has at least doubled in size. You can happily leave this on the counter then check it in the morning.