NO KNEAD CRUSTY DUTCH OVEN BREAD

NO KNEAD CRUSTY DUTCH OVEN BREAD image

So easy and delicious.

Provided by Elaine Laskowski

Time 40m

Number Of Ingredients 4

Ingredients

3 c flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c tepid water

Steps:

1. Directions 1 Whisk dry ingredients together. Add warm water. 2 Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours (up to 24). Overnight works great.( But I put mine in the refrigerator overnight as I like a denser loaf.) I made this bread both on the counter overnight and in the refrigerator overnight but like the overnight in the refrigerator better. 3 Preheat oven to 450. 4 Place a cast iron Dutch oven with a lid or any pot with a lid to withstand the high temperature (NOT GREASED) in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. 5 Meanwhile, pour the sticky dough on a heavily floured surface. Flour your hands and shape into a ball. 6 Cover with a tea towel until the Dutch oven is hot. 7 Remove hot lid from pot in the oven and drop the dough in. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. 8 Then, remove the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove bread from oven and from pot and place on a cooling rack. 9 Notes: The original recipe said to bake 30 minutes covered and then 10 - 15 minutes uncovered. I took mine out after baking for 13 minutes after the lid is removed because it was looking quite brown. I'll do mine for 10 minutes next time. Mine sat overnight on the counter in a pampered chef glass measuring bowl with the lid on for 16 hours. (* you could use an ordinary bowl covered with a towel) Again, I like to put my dough overnight in the refrigerator for a denser loaf. 10 This bread is awesome. After I'd mixed the dough, I read about these variations. Make sure if you are adding any flavors to your bread, add them to the flour mixture before adding the water and stir to mix before adding the liquid. 11 Pepper Jack Cheese 12 Jalapeno and Cheddar 13 Raisin, Walnut, and Cinnamon 14 Pecan, Cinnamon, sugar 15 Pumpkin, sunflower, and poppy seed 16 Rosemary, lemon, Gruyere 17 Lemon, Thyme, Asiago cheese, Rosemary, Chives, and Thyme 18 Garlic and Basil