Bob's Disgustingly Foolproof Bread
Unless you do something terribly wrong, this recipe is guaranteed to produce the best bread you've ever eaten.
The bread rises overnight in a covered container and is baked in a 4 1/2 to 6 quart Dutch oven or covered casserole dish -- a Le Creuset 4-1/2 Quart #24 is perfect. I made the bread with King Arthur European-style Artisan flour but it's hard to find, expensive to have shipped, comes in tiny packages and, the last time I checked, King Arthur refused to let grocery stores special order it (a monumental marketing error, in my opinion, since it's their best flour). I've since changed to Bob's Red Mill Unbleached White flour (no relation). I think it produces slightly better bread, It's relatively inexpensive to order, and I can get it locally.
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Quick-rise yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Sprinkle of corn meal (optional)
Steps
- Put the flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Mix them up well.
- Pour in the water and mix well with a sturdy wooden spoon. The first two steps will take you under ten minutes. Mix until it seems like the water is evenly distributed through the dough. Don't go crazy here, but try to make sure there are no clumps of dry flour left when you're done. There's no need to trickle the water in while stirring -- just dump it in. I usually use slightly warm water but I don't think it matters. If you are an experienced bread maker, the dough will seem quite wet. Relax, it's fine.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Leave a little sag in the center of the wrap so the expanding bread won't push it off. Put the bowl aside, but don't put it near a heat source. You want a long slow rise. I put it in the microwave.
- Let the dough rise about 16 hours. If you miss by an hour or two, it will still be good, but I find 16 works the best.
- Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface. The dough will be very sticky so you might want to put oil or flour on your hands. It helps to use a non-stick work surface such as marble, wax paper, Roul'pat Pastry Mat, parchment paper, pastry cloth, or wax paper.
- Fold the dough in half twice, flatten it out, and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball by pushing the sides under while rotating the ball. Bury the sides underneath so that the visible surface is smooth.
- Transfer the ball to a non-stick surface dusted with flour and corn meal and cover it with the pastry cloth. The best method is to use a large pastry cloth and just fold it over on the dough
- Let the covered dough rise for one-and-a-half to two hours. The warmer the room, the less time it needs. When you poke the dough with two fingers and the dents don't bounce back, it's done rising.
- While the dough is rising, pre-heat the oven with the baking pan inside to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (230 degrees Celsius). Don't forget to put the baking pan in the oven!
- When the dough is ready, PUT ON GOOD OVEN MITTS WITH NO HOLES IN THEM, slide out the oven rack, take the cover off the container and dump the dough in upside down. The cracks on the bottom of the dough ball will now be on top. It looks funky but, trust me, when it's done, it will look like you planned it. If the dough is uneven in the pan (and it usually will be) shake the pan quickly to level it. Put the cover on, slide it back in, and close the oven door. Try to do this quickly so the oven won't lose too much heat.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. Don't peek.
- Take the cover off and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes. The bread should be a nice golden brown. When you take it out, it should sound hollow when you thump the bottom. If it doesn't, cook it a little longer the next time.
- Dump the bread out onto a cooling rack and let it cool for about an hour.
The bread is best when it's fresh but it freezes surprisingly well if you wrap it tightly in aluminum foil.
Here is a bread calculator that will help you estimate when to mix the bread: Bread Calculator.
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— Bob Ray
