originally posted in August 2015
“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” – James Beard
Bread. Where do I even begin? To me, bread is more than just food – it’s a way of life. Part of that may stem from the fact that I was raised in Germany (aka bread heaven!) but let’s face it, bread is a universal comfort food and a world without bread is a world I don’t want to live in.
Since moving to the States, I’ve realized that not all bread was created equal. I’ve experienced many different versions of “toast” (no offense, but there is a difference between toast and toasted bread) so being welcomed home with multiple loaves on deck has now become a necessary Moore tradition each time I make it across the pond. My mom even once found a way to get a par-baked potato bread to me (she’s my hero). Needless to say, bread was an inevitable add to my foodie repertoire. For those of you that have made bread, you can attest that it’s generally not a quick process, making it near impossible to fit it into a normal weeknight schedule. Enter this Pinterest godsend – simple country bread baked in a dutch oven. The best part – you can have your house smelling like a regular bakery in under 2 hours.
So what are you waiting for?! Let’s make some bread!
Ingredients:
slightly adapted from Just Another Day In Paradise
4-4 1/2 cups of bread flour (I’ve substituted AP flour but bread flour definitely is the way to go) 2 tbsp of dry active yeast 2 tbsp of sugar 1/2 tbsp of salt 2 cups of warm water
Directions:
If you’re like me and have yet to join the KitchenAid Standmixer club, don’t worry. You can still make this bread and you’ll even get a bit of a workout in the process (earn those carbs!). I have this nifty looking dough whisk (!) that helps me out but you can totally just get in there and use your hands.
First step: Proof the yeast. Do this by combining the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl (or bottom of your standmixer). Whisk them together lightly and set aside for 10 min, until foamy.
In the meantime, sift 3 cups of the flour in a separate bowl and combine with the salt.
Once the yeast mixture is ready, add in the sifted flour 1 cup at a time and mix. At this point the mixture will still be pretty sticky.
Add the remainder of the flour in 1/2 cup increments and mix until the dough comes together into a ball. And this is where the techniques part ways – if you are making this recipe in your standmixer, let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes. If you’re not, it’s time to get in there. Flour your counter surface, so the dough won’t stick and knead that dough for about 5 minutes by hand. You may need to add a bit more flour during this step if the dough is sticking.
Place the dough in a greased bowl (it’s going to rise, so make sure your bowl is big enough to accommodate a dough up to 2x its current size). Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rise for 30 min. Tip: keep it near the pre-heating oven for added warmth.
While the dough is rising, place your dutch oven (lid and all) in the oven and pre-heat to 400°.
After 30 min, dust your risen dough with flour (while still in the bowl) and gently slide it into the hot dutch oven. Dust the top with flour and cup three slits into the dough.
Let the loaf bake covered for 30 min. Then remove the lid and bake for another 10 min.
Remove from the dutch oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool. And Voilà – you did it. You just made bread! And if you’re like me, you’re going to cut into it while it’s still warm and go to town, butter in tow. Mmm butter.