dutch oven artisan bread

 I mentioned to my hubby that I saw on Pinterest a bread that you bake in a dutch oven and his ears perked right up.

I mentioned it because it looked so good and his ears perked up because he is a dutch oven kinda guy.

So from my idea mention to his gentle prodding, we (meaning me) tried this "artisan bread".

I'll try to keep it simple.

Here's the break down.



RECIPE:

3 cups flour

1 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

Simple right?

flour

salt

yeast

mixed

cover

Mix dry ingredients (all three of them), then add water.  Mix thoroughly. 

Cover, and that's it.

Let it sit 12-18 hours.

Still simple.

After an all nighter, this is what it looks like.  

bubb-ly

 heavily floured surface

After it sits 12-18 hours, plop it out on a heavily floured surface and then into the dutch oven.

 450 for 30 min lid on, then 10-15 more with lid off

after 45 minutes total

let cool

 I'll be honest.  When it came out of the oven, I thought hmpf.  That's it?  Yeah, it's pretty.  Yeah, it smells good, but how is this gonna feed my family?!  Then I tried the heel with butter and didn't care.  It's so delicious I'd make double loaves every night.  It's that good.

so delicious!

 My hubby tried it and said if he were a pioneer, he'd use his flour ration to make this.

He also loved it because it didn't taste so "yeasty".  

Some things to consider, I think I'd maybe bake for 40 minutes total. Not 45.  With the lid off for only 10.  I love a crusty crust, but this might have been a bit too crusty.  I guess all ovens vary and mine is gas and honestly I think it cooks hotter. Maybe even at 425 instead of 450.  Experiment.  No two ovens are alike.

Another thing is that as easy and great tasting as this is, it's pretty small.  I think I'll double the recipe and put all the dough in next time.  We have seven mouths to feed and with a 14 year old football player, that's like 10 mouths...  Try it and let me know what you think.  

*Editors note:

I did try doubling the batch and it just didn't work.  It didn't raise well and came out too doughy.  I'll stick to one batch at a time...