Dutch Oven Bread

Today I am going to tell you about one of my favorite breads.  We call it "crusty crust" bread because the crust is so crusty but the inside is soft and yummy.  

My mom taught me how to make this bread and it is so simple to make. She got the recipe from my Great-Aunt Maralee.  My dad says it reminds him of bread in Europe. 

The ingredients are so simple that it's easy to memorize the recipe. This bread uses only a tiny amount of yeast and it has a very long rise.  That makes it better for you.

Maralee's Dutch Oven Bread

AKA”Crusty-Crust Bread”

Makes 4 big round loaves.

12 cups flour

1 teaspoon yeast

2 Tablespoons salt

6 cups water

Mix dry ingredients.

Add water. Mix with a wooden spoon just till combined. 

Do not knead, this is a very loose dough.

Cover bowl and leave on counter for 14-18 hours.

When you are ready to shape the bread, flour the counter and 

set out four squares of parchment paper.

Pour out onto the generously floured surface.  

With dough cutter, fold dough into itself two or three times.  

It will still be very loose.  

Cut into 4 balls.  

Place each ball on parchment and cover with a cotton cloth.  

Let rise on counter for about another two hours.

Preheat oven with Dutch oven inside to 510'.  

When heated, plop the parchment and dough into the Dutch oven and put the lid on top.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.  

Then remove lid and continue baking until nice and brown, for 10-15 minutes.  

Turn onto cooling rack.

It is delicious hot or cooled. If you want to eat it hot, slice it as soon as you can stand to touch it.

Serve warm, slathered in butter or dunked in hearty soup.

Here's a printable version:

Maralee's Dutch Oven Bread

AKA"Crusty-Crust Bread”

Makes 4 boules.

12 cups flour

1 teaspoon yeast

2 Tablespoons salt

6 1/2 cups water

Mix dry ingredients. Add water. Mix just till combined. Do not knead, this is a very loose dough.

Cover bowl and leave on counter for 14-18 hours.

Turn out onto a generously floured surface.  With dough cutter, fold dough into itself two or three times.  It will still be very loose.  Form into 4 balls.  Place on parchment and cover with cotton cloths. Leave undisturbed on on counter for another two hours.

Preheat oven with Dutch oven inside to 510'.  When heated, plop the parchment and dough into the Dutch oven and put the lid on top.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and continue baking until nicely browned for 10-15 minutes.  Turn onto cooling rack.  As soon as you can stand to touch it, slice it.  Serve warm, slathered in butter or dunked in hearty soup or cool.

Yummy Focaccia

I love this bread because it is so crusty and oily and delicious.  When you are making it, your hands get all oily and messy.  It's fun!  It is also really good with a chicken and bacon salad, which I will post in the future.

Yummy focaccia with sea salt and half rosemary.

It is not hard, but I will explain the complicated part.  

You start out by mixing a pretty basic olive oil dough.  We use a Bosch.  Let it knead for about 5 minutes until it is very smooth.

Then let it rise.  After the first rise, you have to spread it into the pan.  

This is the oily and messy part!  You have to pour oil into the pan and then spread the dough out.  

This shows you how to stretch and spread your fingers to make the dough fit the pan.

While you are spreading, you separate your fingers and poke holes in the dough.  I know it sounds weird, but that is what gives the focaccia the right look.

This is the loaf after the second rise.  It has been sprinkled with coarse salt and rosemary (on half) and is ready to bake!

Yummy Focaccia

Adapted from Anne Burrell on foodnetwork.com

1 3/4 cups warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

5 cups flour

1 tablespoon salt plus course sea salt for sprinkling

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Optional add-ons: rosemary, whole crushed garlic cloves, chopped kalamata olives

In mixer bowl combine salt, yeast, 1/2 cup olive oil, water, and sugar.

Turn on mixer and add flour until dough cleans the sides of the bowl.

Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 5 to 6 minutes on medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil and put dough into the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap or a lid and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.

Coat a jelly roll pan with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. 

(Chef's Note: This may seem excessive, but focaccia is a oily crusted bread. This is why it is soooooooooo delicious!) Put the dough onto the pan and flip it over to coat the other side. Then begin pressing it out to fit the size of the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. 

(Chef's Note: Yes, this seems strange. But when the dough rises again, the holes will seal and the focaccia will have crags and creases and nooks and crannies. It you don't make the holes all the way through, the dough will “heal” too much and will end up smooth.)

Cover and rise again until the dough has doubled again, about 1 hour. While it is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425'.

Liberally sprinkle the dough with coarse sea salt. (You can also add rosemary, whole smashed garlic cloves, chopped kalamata olives, if you like them, like my mom. But not me. I prefer it with just salt.) Bake until the top of the loaf is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting and enjoying.

The Best Cornbread

This recipe came from a cook book that the ladies in our church made. It is our family's favorite because it is sooo good and sweet. Sometimes we jokingly call it “corn cake” because it has more sugar than cornmeal. We usually grind our own cornmeal from popcorn kernels. I think it also makes it taste really good! 

This recipe makes an 8” square pan. But we have a big family and we really like it. So we usually triple it and bake it in a huge 11 x 15” roasting pan for 40 minutes.

Sweet Cornbread

from Stefanie Gover

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup oils (I usually use olive oil or a mix of olive and coconut oil)

2 eggs

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/4 cups milk

Grease an 8-inch pan.  Mix the dry ingredients.  Mix the wet ingredients.  Add the dry to the wet. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350' for 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.