BEST DUTCH OVEN FOR BREAD BAKING RECIPES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in a 3-4 quart bowl with a tight-fitting lid. I like to use my trusty Tupperware. If you don't have a bowl w/lid use plastic wrap on a bowl.
• Add the water and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is mixed well.
• The dough will be quite sticky and shaggy looking, but that's OK.
• Cover the bowl and set aside for 12-18 hours (up to 24 overnight is fine).
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a cast-iron Dutch oven with the lid into the oven while preheating and heat the pot/lid for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, scrape the risen dough from the bowl onto a heavily floured surface. (Dough will still be very sticky.)
• With floured hands, gently shape the dough into a round loaf, making sure there's enough flour on the surface so the dough doesn't stick. Let the dough just sit there until your pot is preheated.
• Take the hot pot from the oven and gently place the dough into the pot.
• Cover with the lid and return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the lid at that time and return the pot to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
• Gently shake the loaf onto a cooling rack and enjoy the beautiful aroma. Give it a chance to cool before cutting into the loaf.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, active dry yeast, and salt
• Add the water, and mix until all ingredients are perfectly combined and they form a ball.
• Transfer to a greased bowl and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a moistened kitchen towel
• Let the dough rise in a draft-free place for 18 to 24 hrs. After the 18 to 24 hrs, the dough will look like this:
• preheat the oven to 450F and put a dutch oven inside the oven while it preheats. Baking the bread in a preheated dish makes it crunchy
• Turn dough into a floured surface
• Gently gather the dough into a ball
• Carefully place the dough into a preheated dutch oven and bake, covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 mins more. Remove from the oven and cool in a rack.