I’m a little new to baking bread. For some reason it has always intimidated me. I have come across so many different recipes for bread and I’ve thought, “Too bad I can’t bake bread.” Well, today I did. This is by far the easiest recipe I’ve seen. And it’s really yummy too. I’m thinking of doing some experimenting to see what other flavors I can come up with. Maybe I’ll even buy some smaller cast iron pots to make mini loaves for soup.
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 1/4 cups grated medium cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Spread seasoning ( I used Johnny’s Garlic Spread and Seasoning)
1 1/2 cups water
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, yeast, garlic spread and grated cheese.
Add water, and stir together until mixture is fully combined. It should look like soggy oatmeal.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours. This step is very important. Do not put dough in the oven to rise. Just leave it alone until tomorrow. It’s weird but trust me. There is no compromising on this step.
12-18 hours later…
(Sorry for the lack of pictures during this stage. It was early, I was tired, and this is a very messy process.)
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. When the oven is ready, place your cast iron pot and lid in the oven and heat for 30 minutes.
Pour your bread dough onto a heavily floured surface. Shape your dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the counter to rise while your pot is heating.
After 30 minutes, remove your pot from the oven and drop the dough inside. Place the lid on top and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove the lid from the pot and bake the bread uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
When your bread is done, place on a cooling rack uncovered until completely cooled.
Storing
I wrapped my bread in foil and left it on the counter. The crust became softer, but still tasted good. You can also freeze your bread. When you take it out to defrost, place it uncovered on a cooling rack. The crust will become crusty again but the inside with stay soft.
Recipe via Simply So Good
