Dutch Oven Bread

Ever feel late to the party? I've been married, with a fairly well-stocked kitchen for over 27 years. I've raised 4 kids, fed lots of their hungry friends, hosted Thanksgiving for as many as 50, and had gobs of parties. But I've never owned a real enamel-covered cast iron Dutch oven. Until about 2 months ago.

My daughter Abby got one for an early wedding present back in the spring, and started talking it up. I knew that if I was ever going to master the art of French cooking and make Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon, I'd have to own one, but I never expected to cut my grocery bill practically in half because of it!


I buy a LOT of crusty Italian bread, and at $4 a loaf, it's hard to watch it get consumed so rapidly after exiting the grocery bag. So when Abbs told me that I can make a perfect country loaf in my new Dutch oven for pennies, I was pretty - as she likes to say - stoked (where did that expression come from anyway...I think I've always thought it was a reference to smoking pot...is it???). Why did I wait so long to get my hands of one of these hefty little gems? Why didn't anyone tell me about its miracle little steam oven capabilities?

I had a recipe from a Cucina Italiana magazine once for making that bread...you know, the kind with crust so sharp it cuts your gums, but the inside is soft and chewy, and makes those sore gums worth it. But that method required all kinds of pseudo-masochistic techniques like opening a 500 degree oven and spraying it with water occasionally! And lots of risings, and kneading...what a pain. People would have given up on making bread generations ago if it was always this complicated. Surely there was a simpler way.

Making its rounds on Pinterest, Mark Bittman of the New York Times apparently published an article about the Dutch oven method several years ago (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html?ref=dining), promising that it might transform the bread baking industry. If transforming means demystifying and bankrupting the bread baking industry because all kinds of average people were making something just as perfect, well then, yes, I'd say it's been transformed.

It takes some fore-thought, but it is SO worth it. I purchased World Market's version of a 4-quart Dutch oven (enameled cast iron - it's heavy) for $40, at least a third the cost of Le Creuset, and just as good. But other sizes, and even just plain old cast iron will work, too. A lid is a must; you will basically be creating a mini-steam oven within your regular oven.

The method is quite simple: Mix 3 cups of flour with 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 cups water with a wooden spoon in a large bowl (it will be super wet, impossible to knead...don't worry!). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 12-18 hours. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees; place empty covered Dutch oven in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, to prepare the pot for the baking. Meanwhile, dump dough onto a heavily floured countertop, and sort of mound into a large ball as best you can...it is still pretty wet - I am not shy with the flour at this stage. When the pot is heated, unceremoniously gather up the the dough as best you can and place it into the ungreased, preheated Dutch oven. Place back in the 450 oven for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes. IT WILL BE PERFECT. You will feel like a CHAMP. And you will never be able to pay $4 for an Italian boule ever again.

Thanks to my newlywed daughter Abby for this inspiration and teaching me a new skill!