Wake and Bake

One of the other ways I decided to save some money was to bake my own bread. Now I've always enjoyed working in the kitchen and I love to bake. It's just that bread always seemed so daunting, that is until one day when I ran across a new recipe. It required none of the labor that regular bread baking does. All you need is a desire for fresh baked bread, a dutch oven and about 24 hours. Of course most of that time you will be doing something else while the yeast and the flour get together and dance.

Now, I've gotten to the point where I bake 4-5 loaves at a time, keeps me from having to spend all my time in the kitchen. You may want to start out with one loaf at first until you get a feel for the way things work. If you time it right and you don't mind getting up early your family can have fresh baked bread for breakfast. Here's my recipe, feel free to give it a try and don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them.

Artisan Peasant Loaf

4 cups all purpose unbleached flour (17 ounces)

1/4 teaspoon yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (regular table salt works too.)

1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons warm water (110 -115)

In a large bowl (this is the bowl you'll be rising dough in so it should about 6-8 qt) combine flour, salt and yeast.

Add warm water and stir the dough together until all the dry flour is incorporated, a good stiff wooden spoon works great for this.

Now cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm spot for 14 - 20 hrs.

After the dough has risen for the above amount of time dump it out onto a well floured surface. Place a dishtowel, I really like flour sack towels for this job, on the counter and sprinkle some cornmeal in the center. With floured hands pick up the dough and form it into a ball by turning the edges under.







Set the ball of dough on the prepared towel, sprinkle a little more cornmeal on top of dough and fold towel over dough. Set your timer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. When timer goes off put dutch oven on middle rack of oven set temp to 450F, set timer for 30 minutes. After timer goes take dutch oven out of oven, careful it's hot, slide hand under towel and turn dough into dutch oven bottom side up. Put lid on dutch oven and put back on middle rack of oven. Bake for 30 minutes covered after 30 minutes uncover and bake for anothe 12-15 minutes. Turn bread out onto cooling rack, and as hard as it is going to be wait 30 minutes or so before cutting into your masterpiece.