Recipe: 1-Day Crusty Italian Bread
Baked in an Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
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I absolutely LOVE fresh-baked bread, but I rarely plan far enough in advance to have ample rising time during the day or even worse, over night! When I realized I had plenty of delicious soup leftover and no bread, I went on the hunt for a bread recipe that could do two things: 1.) Be ready in a few hours and 2.) Bake in the a dutch oven to avoid the pizza stone / steaming water tray beneath it.
The results? A fantastic crusty crunchy hearty loaf that I will make again and again! If you’re newer to making bread, note that this recipe is wetter than usual and that all breads vary in how much flour they need. Yes, even the same recipe made on different days!! Note that in the instructions we start with some of the flour and add more only as needed.
I hope you enjoy this easy and fun recipe! Never made bread? Give it a go - you won’t regret it!
Dish Type - Bread
Makes 1 large loaf
Ingredients:
Item:
4+ cups (480g) Bread Flour (note - this will vary - start with 3.25 cups or 406g)
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
1.5 cups water (warm)
pinch sugar or honey
Optional - rosemary or other herbs
Cornmeal or semolina for sprinkling parchment
Equipment:
6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid or regular cast iron dutch oven with lid
Parchment Paper
Directions:
Combine yeast with warm water and pinch of sugar or honey (to feed the yeast), stir and set aside
In mixer bowl (or large bowl if doing by hand), combine salt, 3.25 cups (406g) flour and any optional herbs (if using).
Combine the wets and dries and began to mix. It will be a wetter dough, but every dough is different depending on flour type, brand, humidity, temperature and more.
As the dough mixes, if it is still ‘soupy’ add more flour in 1/4 cup increments. This can honestly take anywhere from an extra 1-1.5 cups flour. You want the dough to just come together into a ball and still be a little bit sticky.
Oil a larger bowl with olive oil and scrape/shape the dough into the oiled bowl, cover with plastic and set somewhere warmish/draft-free.
Let rise for 2-3 hours.
When you’re ready to bake, tear a square of parchment paper large enough to line your cast-iron. Crumple it up in your hands so it takes the shape of the pan easily.
Preheat the oven to 450ºF or 232ºC
You DO want to preheat your pan, but enameled cast iron can crack.
Regular cast iron - go ahead and preheat in the cold oven and let it preheat all the way until it’s at temp.
Enameled cast iron - place in the oven for about 10-12 minutes once it’s at temperature
While the pan is preheating, sprinkle your crumpled parchment with cornmeal. Sprinkle the dough ball with a little flour and pat it into a round.
You can do an additional fold to make the dough take shape, place it seam side down on the parchment.
Slice a steam vent across the top of the loaf or snip with scissors down the middle in little pinches.
Carefully place the bread loaf in parchment in the hot pan and cover with the lid.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake for another 30-35 minutes until deeply golden on top
Remove from the oven, remove from the pan and cool on a rack
Let cool for 45 minutes before slicing - sorry!!! It’s a long wait, but it’s VITAL!!!
Enjoy :)
