Artisan Bread in the Deep Covered Baker

 This is a fantastic bread recipe and very easy.  Prepare the dough in the evening and let it rise overnight.  Need it and let it rest another 2 hours and bake. 

I made this bread two days in a row it was so good!

YUM!

Artisan Bread in the Deep Covered Baker

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups tap water

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 ½ cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Liberally flour a Pastry Mat using the Flour/Sugar Shaker, and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself 3 or 4 times. Fold the 2 sides of the Pastry Mat over the bread and let it stand on the counter for 2 hours to rise.

3. 1 ½ hours into the 2 hour rising time, preheat oven to 450 degrees and place the empty Covered Baker with lid on in oven for 30 minutes. You want the Covered Baker blazing hot. Dump the dough into the Covered Baker, put the lid on and put back in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes then take the lid off. Bake for few minutes until the bread is golden brown on top. Cool on a rack. OK, go ahead and eat it. We don’t have the patience to let it cool in our house either.

If you buy the 50 lb bag of bread flour and the yeast in bulk at Costco ( Keep most of the yeast frozen until needed), this bread costs about 30 cents a loaf and takes about 4 minutes of your actual time!

***When letting the bowl set, you can put it in the microwave so that it is kept away from a draft.  I had mine on the counter and it didn’t fully rise until I put it in the microwave since it’s chilly out right now***