Artisan Bread

Yesterday I decided to try something new, Artisan Bread. I found a recipe that required the dough to sit for 18 hours, then I found another one that required it to sit for 4 hours. I decided to try that one. Everyone showed up earlier than I expected so the dough only had one hour to raise, but it turned out great! I will definatly make this one again.

ARTISAN BREAD

3 C. Flour
2 1/2 tsp. Yeast
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbs. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Water


Mix all ingrediants together with a fork. Cover and let sit for four hours ... or one hour. *If you do one hour, use WARM water in the dough. 30 minutes before cooking, turn oven on to 450°, put a cast iron or ceramic dutch oven in the oven to heat up. Meanwhile, punch down the dough, turn over a few times, make a ball, sprinkle with flower and let sit, covered, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add dough to hot dutch oven. Do NOT put oil in the dutch oven... I made that mistake and the bottom was a little too tough. Cook for 30 minutes with lid on. Remove lid after 30 minutes and let cook until golden brown for another 15-20 minutes.

The crust on this is crusty and the inside is chewy and delicious.

I should note, I doubled the recipe and let it raise in a sunny spot on my kitchen table. (Sorry, no pictures of that process). Next time I will try a little variety, add some cheese, spices, herbs, nuts, dried fruit, etc.