Crusty Bread

I'm totally borrowing this from another website - Simply So Good - which is pretty much where any of my good/great ideas come from - but for my first post I wanted to make sure it was something SUPREME so here you go...

Here is the simplified version, including ingredients and directions.

Crusty Bread

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.  Overnight works great.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.  

For those of you who enjoy photos with your directions HERE is the link on the blog which shows step by step instructions including how to ADD IN flavors and tastes.

This is one of the easiest things I have every made.  It takes a few minutes to mix dry ingredients, stir in wet ingredient and then you MUST let it rise for at least 12 hours.  I make my dough at night after I put kids to bed - around 9 pm - and I bake my bread in the morning.  You MUST have a cast iron pot! I bought a cheap lodge dutch oven at my local Walmart for $35.  Any kind of cast iron pot will do.  

Since I found this recipe via our favorite new site Pinterest I have probably made a dozen loafs of bread, not exaggerating one iota.  I made two this morning.  One I will freeze to go along with freezer crock pot meals I am preparing.  The other we will consume this week and when I say we I mean me and when I say this week I mean probably in two days.  This is to die for and it really is that easy.  Enjoy and don't blame me if your carb count quadruples in a week!!

Here are my two loaves from this morning, the one to the left has cheese in it that's why it looks a little different.  It's my first attempt at an add-in and I know it will be delicious.