I must add this has become my favourite bread of all time ... nothing Ive made or had can beat the crunchy crust with the chewy soft interior , and as a bonus its a very flexible recipe , can be made with or without a blender with equal success.
This post outlines , my first attempt at making this , almost a year ago now ... since then I have made well over 50 loaves , using a wide variety of flours and flavours :)
Ingredients for a double batch :)
12 Cups of Flour , can be a variety of combinations for this one it was 10 cups AP, 2 cups 12 Whole Grains , if using Whole Wheat I use 8 AP , 4 WW
2 Teaspoons Dry Yeast
7 Teaspoons Sea Salt
6 Cups Warm Water
The rest is optional ... for this batch I used
4 Cloves of garlic, Minced
1 Large pinch of dried basil
2 dutch onions , minced
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| Mix all the dry ingredients first |
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| Stir in water |
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| I did this batch by hand , using two wooden spatulas , took about 5 minutes ... A stand mixer will do the same, in about the same time ... should be a sticky mess |
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| Cover with plastic wrap , and leave on counter for 18 - 24 hours |
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| Should at least double in size over night - At this point you will want to put your dutch ovens into a oven , preheat t 450F ( about 20 minutes or so ) |
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| On a well floured surface , divide into whatever sized loaves you like .. this will require a bit of effort ... you do not want them sticky .. |
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| Drop the dough into the HOT dutch ovens ... no oil required, just a hot pot! |
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| Cover and into the 450F oven for 30 minutes... Just for fun I tried one in a silicone bread pan , with tin foil as a lid , remove the lids after 30 minutes , and continue cooking for another 15 minutes |
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| After 45 minutes ... you will have something like this !!! Mmmmmm |
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| This is my 6.5 Q dutch oven, makes a really nice big oval bread ! |
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| The silicone pan worked out just fine |
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| Thats it ... let them cool on a rack , as long as you can , and then grab some butter and dig in ! |
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| Nice bonus, if done right ... no clean up!! Just a quick wipe of the pot! |
I hope you try this out, and come to love it as much as I do ...
Peace, Love and Good Food!
