Ingredients
3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups very warm tap water, about 100–110º F
Instructions
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Mix Dough: Mix flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add water, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix until all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be wet and sticky, but not runny. Add more water a tablespoon at a time until a sticky dough is attained.
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Rise: Cover with plastic film and leave on counter for 2 – 3 hours until it doubles in volume and the top is bubbly. If after 1 hour it doesn’t seem to be rising, move it somewhere warmer. I used the Proof setting on my Breville Smart Oven Air.
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Optional – refrigerate to allow for more flavor development. At this point, you can either bake immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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Take chill out of refrigerated dough – if you refrigerated dough, leave the bowl on the counter for 45 minutes to an hour, while the oven is preheating. Cold dough doesn’t rise as well.
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Preheat oven: Place a 10-inch in diameter or larger Dutch oven in oven with lid. Preheat to 450°F for 30 minutes prior to baking.
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Shape dough: Sprinkle work surface with 1 tablespoon or so of flour, scrape dough out of bowl. Sprinkle the top of the dough with about a 1/2 tablespoon of flour.
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Using a dough scraper or cake server, large knife, spatula, fold the sides inwards (about 6 folds) to roughly form a roundish shape. Don’t be too meticulous here – you’re about to deform it, it’s more about deflating the bubbles in the dough and forming a shape you can move.
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Transfer to paper: Slide a large piece of parchment/baking paper (not wax paper) next to the dough, then flip the dough upside down onto the paper so it’s seam side down and the smooth side will be up. Slide or push the dough towards the middle of the parchment, then reshape it into a round(ish) shape. Don’t get too hung up about shape. In fact, lopsided = more ridges = more crunchy bits! You can’t mess this up.
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Dough in pot: Remove piping hot dutch oven from oven. Use paper to place dough into pot, place lid on.
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Bake 30 minutes covered, then 12 minutes uncovered or until deep golden and crispy.
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Cool on rack for at leas 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD/Storage: Rise dough per recipe, then leave in bowl and refrigerate up to 3 days. The flavor gets better with time. Dough will stay bubbly for a day or two, then will deflate, and that’s fine. Shape into round and place on paper per recipe, then leave for 45 – 60 minutes to take the chill out of it, then bake per recipe. Cold dough won’t rise as well.
Baked bread: great fresh for 2 days, then after that, better warmed or toasted. Keep in an airtight container or ziplock bag. This stays more fresh than usual homemade bread, especially if you use bread flour. Or freeze for up to 3 months well wrapped.
FLOUR: Bread flour will give a more the crumb a more chewy, fluffy texture like bakery Artisan bread because it has higher protein, and bread stays fresher for longer. All-purpose flour still works 100% perfectly, texture is just not quite the same.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours rising + 40 minutes baking
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
