Artisan Bread

Ingredients

* 3 cups BREAD flour 

* 2 tsp rapid rise yeast (at my store they sell them in the little packets and its the whole packet)

* 3 tsp cooking / kosher salt , NOT table salt

* 1 1/2 cups to 2c very warm tap water , NOT boiling or super hot - you want a wet dough - not a dough you could knead. 

* 1 1/2 tbsp flour , for dusting

Instructions:

* Mix Dough: Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix until all the flour is incorporated. Dough will be wet and sloppy – not kneadable, but not runny like cake batter. Adjust with more water if needed for right consistency.

* Rise: Cover with cling wrap, leave on counter for 2 – 3 hours until it doubles in volume, it’s wobbly like jelly and the top is bubbly. If after 1 hour it doesn’t seem to be rising, move it somewhere warmer.

* Optional – refrigerate for flavor development : At this stage, you can either bake immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

* Take chill out of refrigerated dough – if you refrigerated dough, leave the bowl on the counter for 45 – 60 minutes while the oven is preheating.

* Preheat oven – Put dutch oven in oven with lid on 10” or larger). Preheat to 450°F 30 minutes prior to baking.

* Shape dough: Sprinkle work surface with 1 tbsp flour, scrape dough out of bowl. Sprinkle top with 1/2 tbsp flour.

* Using a dough scraper or anything of similar shape (fold the sides inwards (about 6 folds) to roughly form a roundish shape. Don’t be too meticulous here – I let my 3 year old do this part by herself.

* Transfer to paper: Slide a large piece of parchment/baking paper (not wax paper) next to the dough, then flip the dough upside down onto the paper (ie seam side down, smooth side up). Don’t get too hung up about shape. In fact, lopsided = more ridges = more crunchy bits!

* Dough in pot: Remove piping hot dutch oven from oven. Use paper to place dough into pot, place lid on.

* Bake 35 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered or until deep golden and crispy.

* Cool on rack for 10 minutes before slicing.