Thank you for the recipe! That seems really easy, so I definitely want to try making it. I do have a couple of questions though.
Don’t you have to combine the yeast with warm water first?
Do you use a cast iron Dutch oven?
Nope - toss it all in together. I add the salt and yeast to the flour, give it a quick stir, then just pour all the water in. The key is the LONG proof time - that replaces then need for mixing and kneading. Let it sit for at least 8 hours - I usually start a batch at 10 PM the night before, and then cook at 4-5 PM the next day when I get home and it’s great.
Be lazy with this recipe and it WILL reward you! It is literally 3 minutes from start of grabbing ingredients to time it’s wrapped and sitting on the counter to proof overnight; I don’t level off or sift anything, just straight Gold Label flour, a quick shake of the measuring cup to make sure it’s “level”, and in it goes. A quick sprinkle of yeast, a couple good pinches of salt, and then 1.5 cups of water and another couple tablespoons for good measure... Cover and let it sit.
The next day, it is literally just 2-3 minutes of work. Flour the cheese cloth, turn out the dough - don’t punch it down, just turn it out - on to the cloth, toss some more flour on top, then wrap the sides of the cheesecloth over it. Let it sit on the counter for an hour. And then when the oven is hot, just roll the dough off the towel right into the dutch oven - it’ll form a nice looking loaf on its own!
It is really less than 10 minutes total “hands on” time to make. Just wait a long time on the proof, and let it cook in the oven for a good amount of time. I once let a dough sit for 48 hours and it had a distinctive sour flavor, almost like a sourdough - you could definitely taste a bit of sourness and slight alcohol flavor as well - it aged nicely as a raw dough!
Sometimes I’ll replace 1 of the cups of white flour with wheat flour - a bit denser loaf, but with a different texture and taste as well. Still rises nicely, still nice and airy, and it still gets a great crust.
I use a cast iron dutch oven - nothing fancy, a Lodge brand unit. About an 8 quart oven, with lid. I have two such ovens - one I use for only baking bread that has really seasoned well with raw flour - no oil ever used in it, just the bread. Never washed - just a quick blow-out of toasted flour dust after each loaf. Some people wonder about germs - well, 450 degrees F for 1.5 hours kills just about everything! :)
I make 3-4 loaves a week and use them for everything from breakfast (great French toast) to lunch and dinner, croutons, and wickedly good bread pudding.