Easiest Bread Ever

January 31, 2020

Easiest Bread Ever

I am a bread fanatic. At my house bread is life. You will rarely catch our home without some sort of bread in the pantry or freezer. Homemade bread is our favorite, but sometime life doesn't allow for hours of rising and kneading time.

I knew there had to be a way to get out of all that kneading and rise time. So I started searching for "easy" bread recipes and came across one to try. The way you baked it had me intrigued to say the least. So much so I went and searched for my enameled cast iron dutch oven to make it.

Don't worry if you don't have one you can get by with a glass bowl and sheet pan as a lid. Trust me when I say that you want the lid. By using the lid you create steam ( like the bakery ovens have) and in turn you get the best crust.

We love the beautiful golden brown and crispy, crackly crust and soft tender inside.
That poor loaf of bread barely cooled before it was devoured. So I baked another.. and well it didn't last long either.

Easiest Bread Ever

3 cups of flour - ( bread, whole wheat, all purpose or a mixture all work well)
1 1/2 cups of hot water ( not above 125 degrees)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast ( can be original or rapid)

In a medium bowl combine flour, salt and yeast. I like to use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients.

Add your hot water to your flour mixture combine well. A wooden spoon is great to get you started then I switch to my hands to get the stubborn bits of flour on the bottom. Some days you may need an extra tablespoon of flour to get everything combined.

My little baking assistant, assisting.

After everything is combined cover your bowl with plastic wrap. A tight fitting lid works well too. Leave it at room temp for at least 3 hours, up to 24 hours. The dough does not need to be in a warm place, in fact I recommend putting it in the fridge if you are going to let it stand more than 8 hours. Not to worry it still rises beautifully and tastes just as good as the 3 hour dough.

When you are ready to bake place your pan in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. I like to use a enameled cast iron dutch oven with the lid. Don't panic if you don't have one you can use a a glass bowl. Don't be tempted to oil your pan, it won't end well.

While your oven is preheating, dump your dough out on a lightly floured surface. It will be pretty sticky so lightly flour the top of the dough as well. Knead the dough for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Basically just enough to get the dough smooth and in a ball shape. Place on parchment paper and let stand until your oven and pan are preheated. It takes my oven anywhere from 30-40 minutes to heat to 450 degrees.

Yeah, it's supposed to look like that.

When your oven has preheated, Carefully take out your pan remove the lid and carefully place your parchment paper and dough in the pan. Carefully place the lid on the pan. It's okay if your parchment is sticking out! Carefully return pan to the oven and allow the bread to bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes carefully remove the lid and allow to bake for an additional 15 minutes. I know I said carefully a lot but trust me when I say you don't want to accidentally touch a 450 degree pan.