Get creative and add different combinations of ingredients for a gourmet loaf that will be a great addition to any entertaining table. Try olives and rosemary, thyme and grapes, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and craisins, millet, quinoa and oats, sundried tomato and garlic or asiago and basil.
Courtesy of Tamara Green of The Living Kitchen.
ingredients
directions
Sift the flour, yeast and sea salt into a large bowl.
Add the water and mix until shaggy dough forms, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let it sit for 12-18 hours overnight.
When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450ºF. When the oven has reached the desired temperature put a Dutch oven into the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the dough on a floured surface and form into a ball. You do not need to knead the dough, so even though it may be tempting, refrain from doing it! Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest until it’s ready to go into the oven.
When the oven has been preheated for 30 minutes, take the Dutch oven out, sprinkle the bottom of it with a small handful of oats (this prevents the bottom of the dough from immediately sticking and burning).
Place the dough in the Dutch oven, put it back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes covered and then a final 15 minutes uncovered.
Take it out, let it cool for 10 minutes.