Homemade Bread

If you didn’t know, I love the 2 ingredient bagels. They are easy, delicious, and filling. I have started to use bread flour instead of all purpose flour. I feel like it’s a complete game changer. They a have perfect bread chew. It’s hard to describe but you will have to try it yourself or just trust me lol.

Now I am on a mission to make more kinds of bread. We tried an emergency bread (no yeast, just flour and water, dash of salt). In a pinch it could work, on the day you bake it. Afterwards is awful I do not recommend. Pictures for proof lol.

This time around I tried a crusty Italian like loaf in the Dutch oven. Using my stand mixer and dough hook, I added about 3-3 ½ cups bread flour, 1 packet active dry yeast and a tsp. salt. I mixed until all combined, then slowly added 1 ½ cups warm water until the dough begins to form. I use a spatula to make sure all the flour mixed together. I coved the bowl with a tea towel for about 2-3 hrs. to allow the dough to rise.

After the first hour and a half, I preheated the oven to 450 with my Dutch oven inside. I set the timer for about 45 more minutes. First I took the dough out of the bowl onto a flour dusted counter. I did knead the dough, but just folded it into itself a few times creating a nice round ball shape and cut a X in the top with a knife. Then added parchment paper and the dough to the Dutch oven. I covered with a lid and baked for about 30 minutes. I then removed the lid and baked for an additional 5 minutes/until the top was nice and golden brown. I removed the loaf to a cooling rack to ensure that the outside stay crispy and doesn’t continue to cook in the hot pot.

The bread turned out so good! Better than I thought. The outside was crispy, but inside it was soft and chewy. I surprised myself after the first time was such a fail LOL. But now I am ready to try other kinds, loafs, rolls etc. May have started a new series…what type of bread is next!?

Live to Eat,
Tiv