Pane Casereccio (Homemade Bread)

Submitted by Bonnie G #2

"Don't know where this recipe came from originally (other than the internet) but a friend made it and it looked great. Now I need to safe it to make myself, pretty simple recipe for a lovely, rustic loaf of bread."

 

• Ready In: 57mins
• Ingredients: 4
• Yields: 1 Medium loaf
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)
• 1 1⁄2 cups cold water
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dry yeast
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer, using the paddle.
2. Add water in a drizzle until a very sticky dough has formed.
3. If dough seems dry, than add a bit more, a spoonful at a time.
4. Take bowl from mixer and cover with a towel and leave in a warm (but not hot) place over night.
5. Scrape dough out of bowl with a spatula onto a lightly floured surface.
6. Flour your hands and form the mass of dough into a ball without kneading.
7. Gingerly lay the dough on a lightly floured tea towel, then fold ends of the towel on top of the dough.
8. Let the bread rise again until doubles in size, which can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.
9. About 30 minutes before second rise is over, preheat oven to 400.
10. Put a 4 12 or 5 1/2 quart cast iron casserole (about 10" in diameter) with its cover in oven to preheat along with the oven itself.
11. For the next step: Make sure you have heavy oven mitts (it'll be tohot for a towel and proceed with care).
12. Take casserole out of oven using oven mitt and lay on a heat resistant surface.
13. Remove cover and lay aside.
14. Take the towel with dough and quickly flip dough into casserole (it will go in "upside down" which is fine).
15. Shake casserole, if need be to center dough and then quick re-cover it.
16. Put casserole back in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
17. Take out of oven and remove cover (the bread will be ever so slightly browned).
18. Put casserole back in oven, uncovered and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until bread has developed a beautiful golden brown crust.
19. Turn bread out onto a cooling rack and leave until it has completely cooled.
20. When coolded completely, after about 45 minutes to an hour, it is ready to enjoy.