Quite a few years ago I bought a cook book, Bread for All Seasons. There have been 2 recipes that I’ve made consistently over the years I’ve had it. This is one of them. Surprisingly this is one of the few recipes I’ve posted where I haven’t changed anything. Well other than HOW I bake it.

Like many people I hopped on the Sourdough band wagon during the pandemic. So I read a lot of recipes, watched a lot of videos, tried a lot of different ways to make sourdough. The it occurred to me, why don’t I try one of the most recommended methods of baking bread, a dutch oven. This is the result and I’ll tell you this came out waaaay bigger, fluffier than any other time I’ve made this.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water (105° to 115°)
• 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup coarse-grind whole-wheat flour
• pinch of salt*
• pinch of sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl or electric mixer combine the yeast & water with a pinch of sugar. Beat in 1 cup of unbleached flour and all of the whole-wheat flour. Beat hard until combined, about 1 minute. cover and let stand 1 hour or until bubbly.

Beat in 1 cup of flour with the salt until smooth, again about 1 minute. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is soft and clears the sides of the bowl. The amount of flour can vary but stop adding when it starts to clear the sides of the mixer bowl, too much flour will make for a tough bread.

Turn out the dough and knead vigorously until it’s smooth and pliable, or use a dough hook on the mixer. This will take about 5-8 minutes. Place the ball of dough in to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (until it’s doubled in size).

Glatten gently and form the dough into a tight round ball. Place it into a dutch oven lined with parchment paper (really prevent it from sticking). Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Heat your over to 425° and put the rack in the lowest position. Score the top, I did a square pattern, and bake covered for 25 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes or until the top is dark golden brown. Remove it from the dutch oven when done as it will get a soggy bottom if you don’t and allow to cool.

*why the asterisk on salt? This was the original recipe suggestion but an alternative, which is below, has more salt. And salt equals flavor, so more salt makes for a more flavorful bread. Less salt though means longer shelf life.

Alternative with Olives

Add 1 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/3 cup of green and 1/3 cup of black olives. Add the olives added all the flour and right before the 5-8 minutes of kneading.

This bread recipe is a little different from most as it has nuts in it. The ground nuts add an additional depth to the bread without making it too nutty. And it pairs well with the cheese, especially if you use cheddar.  I like to use a combination of Beecher’s Flagship and Tillamook Cheddar. Enjoy!

Cheese Bread

• 1/3 cup ground almonds
• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• pinch of sugar
• 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 Tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 6 cups bread flour
• 3 cups shredded cheese
• Sea salt

Directions

Toast the ground almonds, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool.

In a stand mixer, I like to use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer with the paddle attachment, add the water with the yeast and pinch of sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the oil, salt, toasted almonds, and 2 cups of flour. Beat hard for about 2 minutes until smooth. Add half of the shredded cheese and beat hard again. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides. Switch to the dough hook and beat hard for another 5 to 6 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. Place the dough in a large bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spray the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Put in a warm place and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide into half. Roll out to a long rectangle, about 12″ or the size of a bread pan. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and roll up. Stretch the ends over and tuck under the loaf. Let raise for another 10 to 15 minutes, covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Heat an oven to 375 degrees. Use a serrated knife to gently score the tops, sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

There’s nothing like fresh bread right out of the oven. But be warned, making bread takes time! I like to make this with pasta, turning it into garlic bread or use I a loaf with my previously published olive tapenade recipe. Enjoy!

French Bread

• 5 tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 to 115 degrees)
• 8 cups sifted bread flour
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp cold water
• Pinch of sugar

Directions

Stir the yeast and a pinch of sugar into the water until it’s dissolved. Using a stand mixer, I like my KitchenAid 6-Qt. Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, add 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat thoroughly. Add salt and butter. Beat in the flour 1/2 cup at a time until it starts to pull away from the sides. Switch to a dough hook and beat for another 5 minutes until the dough is stiff.

Turn out into a lightly greased large bowl, I used non-stick spray. Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm spot and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let rise again for another hour.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and roll out into a rectangle about 15″ x 12″. Starting along the long side, roll up tightly. Gently pull the dough over the ends and tuck them underneath the loaf. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, seam side down. Use a serrated knife to cut 1/8″ deep slits 1/2″ apart.

Beat together the egg white and water, brush the tops and sides with it.

Put the sheet in a warm spot. Take some tall heavy glasses, such as pint glasses, and put one at each corner of the pan. Take a thin towel, soak it in hot water, wring it out, and drap it over the glasses so it covers the loaves but doesn’t touch them. Let rise until doubled, between 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Take a shallow pan and fill it with hot water and put it on the lowest rack. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. Brush with the egg/water again and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.