My co-worker said it best when she described yeast as my nemesis. It’s true, years of trying out yeast and I’ve only had flatbreads to show for it (and no, flatbread was not my goal – the bread just never rose). Well after trying a loaf in the good old bread maker, I decided it was time to try making bread the old fashioned way.
So last night, I reached for my Dutch oven and was prepared to make a simple bread. Pouring the warm water into the yeast, I crossed my fingers and hoped that the yeast would react the way it should. When I came back after a several minutes of the yeast sitting in the water, I was greeted with what looked like a science project in progress. The water was a bit murky, something frothy was forming above the water and I could see the yeast bubbling up like little clouds underneath the surface of the water. SUCCESS! I finally figured out what yeast should look like after it’s been dissolved. Ben was even amazed as we hovered over the mixing bowl the last minute or two to see the final sprinkles of yeast dissolve, and I whispered to myself, “They’re alive.” Amazing how something so simple to others has taken me years to figure out, but I’m glad I have.
After hours of letting the dough rise, it was finally time to form the dough into a round ball, wait one last time for rising and then bake away in a steaming hot Dutch oven. Hooray for my first successfully baked loaf of bread – no extra help included!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup warm water (100 – 110 degrees F)
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the water and yeast and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Then add the flour and salt (in that order) and mix on medium speed until just combined and the dough begins to pull away from the side. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand for a minimum of 6 hours; overnight is best.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and flour the top of the dough as it will be sticky. Fold the dough gently onto itself a couple of times until a smooth ball is formed; do not knead. Place the ball of dough on parchment paper, seam side down, cover with a kitchen towel and allow it to rise for another 1 1/2 hours.
- During the last 1/2 hour of rising, preheat the Dutch oven with the lid on in the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the towel from the dough and drop the parchment paper and dough carefully into the heated Dutch oven, cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
- Transfer the Dutch oven to a trivet and allow the bread to cool in the Dutch oven for 1 hour. Remove, slice and serve.
Recipe courtesy of The Merlin Menu
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