FOOLPROOF "BREAD IN A POT" RECIPE

Foolproof

Easiest bread anyone can make - delicious crusty loaf of bread with soft, chewy crumb!

Provided by Marilena Leavitt

Categories Bread

Time 45m

Yield 8-10

Number Of Ingredients 4

Ingredients

3 cups All-Purpose or bread flour
1 tsp. active (or instant) yeast
1½ tsp. sea salt
1½ cups water

Steps:

Measure out your ingredients and warm the water to lukewarm (about 110°F). Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the water to the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is just incorporated. The dough will feel a little wet; do not worry about it and do not add more flour to compensate. Do not knead the dough.
Cover the bowl with a towel and leave it on your counter for 6-8 hours. It should double in volume by that time with some bubbles forming.
Turn on the oven to 450°F. Place a covered, 6-quart Dutch oven (like Staub or Le Creuset or Lodge) or a large ovenproof pot (like an All-Clad) in the oven, and heat it for 30 minutes.
In the meanwhile, sprinkle a work surface with some flour. Flour the top of your dough and your hands as well. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the work surface. Shape the dough into a round shape, folding the sides inwards to form a ball (you can use a dough scraper for this, if you have one). Lift the dough ball and place it (seam down) in the middle of a large piece of parchment paper. Let is sit, covered with a towel while the pot heats in the oven.
Open the oven, slide the rack towards you and carefully remove the lid from the hot pot. Lift the dough and the parchment pepper together and place them in the middle of the pot, making sure not to touch it--at this point, the pot will be piping hot! Re-cover the pot with the lid and bake for 30 minutes (during this time the steam trapped inside the pot will make the dough rise before the crust sets). Uncover the pot and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or, until the crust turns golden brown.
Remove the bread from the Dutch oven or pot, place it on a rack, and let it cool down for 15 minutes before slicing it.