BONNIE'S ARTISAN DUTCH OVEN SANDWICH BREAD

Steps:

• 1. EQUIPMENT: Small Dutch Oven with tight fitting lid Parchment paper Danish Whisk for mixing
• 2. Gather your ingredients and read through the recipe before you begin. Make sure your ingredients are room temperature.
• 3. The Danish whisk is a wonderful tool for mixing flour and wet dough. I use it all the time for pulling dough away from the sides of the bowl. It is very sticky dough and sticks to your fingers, but it doesn't stick to the Danish whisk.
• 4. When the bread is completely cool, place in a ziplock bag with two large paper towels to keep moisture from forming. The bread can be frozen.
• 5. MIXING THE DOUGH Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. I set the ingredients on the counter at least an hour before I make bread. Using a large mixing bowl, combine all the DRY ingredients and mix until well combined. Measure the room temperature water and pour it over the flour. Take the Danish whisk and mix the dough until you don't see anymore flour. No need to knead!
• 6. This will be a loose dough. Cover the bowl tightly with saran wrap. I put mine in the pantry because there is no draft in there from the air conditioner. Let the mixture rise overnight for 15 to 18 hours. It will double in size, and it will have bubbles all over the top of it. The dough tries to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It smells yeasty. It is ready! :)
• 7. FORMING THE DOUGH Dip your hands in flour and sprinkle some flour around the edges of the bowl. Gently pull the bread away from the sides of the bowl with the Danish whisk.
• 8. Gradually loosen the dough from the bottom of the bowl. Use as little flour as necessary.
• 9. Shape into a loose ball without kneading. Turn it out on a cutting board. Cover the dough with a tea towel, and let it rest for an hour.
• 10. PREHEATING THE OVEN Preheat the oven AND the pot (without the lid) to 425 degrees (for rustic crunchy) or 420 degrees (for a softer crunch) about ten minutes before the dough is ready to bake. (Read more about the temperature in STEP 15) Meanwhile, place parchment paper in a couple of nesting bowls to give it a bowl shape. I put something heavy in it to hold it down until ready to use.
• 11. NOTE: If you like the earthy taste of cornmeal on the bottom of your Artisan bread, sprinkle some on the parchment paper just before you put the bread in the oven.
• 12. BAKING THE BREAD After the dough has rested for an hour, remove the tea towel and cut two to three slits in the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
• 13. Remove the hot pot from the oven. Gently lift the dough and place it in the prepared parchment paper, and gather the edges of the parchment paper in both hands and lift both paper and dough into the center of the hot pot. (Careful it is a hot pot!) This is easier than trying to juggle dough that wants to move and you trying to drop it in the middle of the hot pot. Cover with its lid. Using mitts, return the pot to the hot oven.
• 14. Bake for 40 minutes covered and remove the lid to check how brown it is, and if it is not brown, continue to bake with lid on an additional 10 minutes until golden brown and done in the center. You can also take the temperature with a thermometer. Mine is done all the way through in 50 minutes. So I haven't needed to use a thermometer.
• 15. NOTE: Every oven is different. So watch your bread the last few minutes of baking time. In my oven, the bread bakes perfectly in 50 minutes without peeking at 425 degrees to yield a crunchy bread. However, I have been experimenting, and I tried doubling the recipe, but that didn't turn out well. It is best to make only single loaves with this recipe. Next, I experimented making the most perfect loaf ever, and baked at 420 F for 50 minutes with the lid on, yielded an outstanding, golden brown loaf of sandwich bread, pliable and not crumbly. The crust is slightly softer than the loaf baked at 425 F. I like rustic crunchy, and my husband likes a softer crunch. Success! Tip: When you are baking bread in your oven, take note of what you would like to see changed in the finished product. Modern ovens come with adjustable temperatures. You can experiment and find just the right temperature that will work the best in your oven.
• 16. AFTER BAKING After you have removed the Dutch oven pot from the oven, brush the top of the bread with the melted butter to keep it soft. Remove the bread from the pot and set on a rack to cool, and cover with a tea towel. Allow to cool before slicing....Of course, I do realize that is just wishful thinking! Enjoy!