Artisan Bread – Sue Richards
Ingredients:
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp yeast
3 cups hot water (from the tap)
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, mix with a spoon or wisk. Run hot water from your tap as hot as you can get it. Pour water into dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. The dough will be rough looking. If all the flour mixture is not moist, add a little more water. Cover and let dough sponge (sit in a warm place) for at least 4 hours or more. You can mix it up when you go to bed and let it sponge all night.
Heat oven to 450 degrees with your dutch oven or clay oven. Make sure the pans have been in the oven long enough to get to room temperature. At the same time turn the dough onto a well floured surface and form the dough into a ball or whatever shape you prefer. Bake at 450 degrees for 35 minutes covered. Remove the lid and bake for 5 more mintues, longer if you want more crust.
You can get creative by adding lots of different ingredients to teh dry mix such as
Craisins
Raisins
Pecans and craisins
Raisins and walnuts