I’ve always wanted to be that person who bakes fresh bread daily. The anticipation of slathering butter on a warm slice right after it comes out of the oven makes my mouth water. Now that it is getting cooler in Phoenix, turning on the oven isn’t so painful. I actually found this recipe on Pinterest (what did we do before Pinterest?) and it’s fail-proof. Unlike making sourdough bread from starter which takes me 24 hours, this bread is simple and quick with good results.
It only requires 4 ingredients – flour, yeast, salt and water. I happen to love this Celtic Sea Salt and use it most of the time for all cooking, baking and seasoning. Though I tend to use King Arthur Flour, any non-bleached all purpose flour will do. I’m not a proficient baker so I don’t know if one type of yeast is better than the next, but I did use Red Star Active dry yeast for this recipe. No kneading-just throw the ingredients in a bowl, loosely mix, and let it sit for 12-18 hours. Here’s what it looks like after 13 hours of sitting in a covered bowl.
This recipe is perfect to throw together before bed time so it can sit overnight. Simple, affordable ingredients and you can make your kitchen smell great and provide comfort food for those you love. I did get a little fancy on the bread I made this a.m. Adding lemon zest, gruyere cheese and rosemary is a flavorful spin on the basic recipe.
Doubling the recipe, I divide the dough and let is rest, covered, while I put my Le Creuset pot in the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Yes, heat the empty pot with the lid in the oven. You can use a dutch oven or cast iron pot too.
Be very careful taking out the extremely hot pot and lid. Put one dough ball into the pot, cover and place back in oven for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove the pot from the oven and put the bread on a rack to cool.
Isn’t it beautiful??? I am glad I made 2 loaves as the first one disappeared very quickly!
Below is the basic bread recipe, but here is the Pinterest link for more information about this recipe.
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Quick Crusty Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups Unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Instant or Rapid-rise yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. Cover blow 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. BE VERY CAREFUL HANDLING THE HOT POT. Cover and return to the 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. Makes one loaf.
Notes
Ret Delia says
Hi Mary, I made this recently to go with Julia Child’s beef bourguinon. The bread was a huge hit, delicious and very easy to make. Many thanks for the recipe.
Hope you are all well.
Ret
Mary Crozier says
Ret, I love Julia Child’s beef bourguignon! I recall it takes a full day to make it, right? So glad the bread was a huge hit. So easy to make and so delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Cheryl says
I’m going to have to try this! I am not a bread baker but maybe this will work. First I need to get a pot like yours. Thanks for the recipe!
Gabie - Tea End Blog says
I can smell it through the computer screen… LOL
I love baking bread and this one is so simple and such a beauty… Thanks for sharing!
Scott says
Great Recipe and the bread is delicious !
Barbara at Mantel and Table says
Oh Yummmmm! I actually did make bread every day for several years – oddly, when we lived in Arizona! This one looks SO delicious! I’m with Chas – we should made some! Happy Saturday and Happy Travels!
Chas Greener says
OH when we get together, you might have to show me this. I’ve been wanting to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
Gabie - Tea End Blog says
I absolutely love baking bread…but you’re right…can’t do it everyday LOL I’ll be happy if I grab anything in the morning! I have a bread making machine but this bread recipe is really easy and looks truly delicious! Thanks for sharing and I will be trying this asap!