Crusty Bread

Crusty Bread 

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon Instant or Rapid-rise 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 10 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

Go to  simplysogood.com for more information on the bread.

Other variations:

I did it! I used wheat flour, but I made a few changes. I used 1/4 cup flour less and 1/2 cup more water and cooked it 5 less minutes. But it is perfect! I feel like such a cook! Thanks my husband will be so proud! -COurtney ENgland

Remember I doubled the recipe.  In the large bowl I have 6 cups flour, 3 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon yeast.  After I wisked those ingredients together I added the zest from two lemons, some chopped rosemary (I didn't measure, sorry) and about 2 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere. 

Cranberry, orange and almond.  I didn't double this batch.  In my large bowl I have 3 cups flour, 1 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon yeast.  Add about 3/4 cup cranberries, orange zest from one orange and about 1/2 cups sliced almonds.  Mix it together well and add 1 1/2 cups water.  Stir to form and shaggy dough.