The only catch is that it tastes best in a dutch oven, so try to have one handy.
Ingredients:
3 c. all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 c. for the cutting board
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baker's yeast (a packet contains 2.5 tsp, so you will use about half a packet)
3 tbsp ground flax meal (optional)
1 1/2 c. warm water (do not use chlorinated water, so buy bottled if you must).
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. It will look like this:
Add, the warm water and stir to mix thoroughly. The dough will be slightly tacky and appear over moist. It should stick to the sides of the bowl. If it isn't damp enough, add a little more warm water 1-2 tbsp at a time. If you don't use the flax seed meal, you will probably not need the extra water.
Then, allow to rise 8-24 hours covered in plastic wrap or a damp flour sack towel (really, it can't over rise...I accidentally left mine for 48 hours once, it kind of tasted like sourdough...kind of). The dough does prefer a warm spot.
After the bread has risen, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Farenheit with the dutch oven and lid in the oven! You want the dutch oven to heat slowly.
Meanwhile, turn the dough onto a floured cutting board. Roll into loaf form. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp flour sack towel. Let rise until the oven has preheated, about 30 minutes.
Carefully transfer the bread to the dutch oven (the dutch oven will be hot!). Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for 5-8 more minutes. When you remove the loaf, it should look like this:
Now, this is the hard part. Do Not cut into the loaf for at least an hour. I know you want fresh baked bread. However, the moisture in the bread needs a little time to settle. So, have patience and wait. Unless you plan on eating it all within the hour. That works too.
Enjoy!
