Rustic White Bread

Unlike the Basic Artisan Bread which is a no-knead version that takes 24 hours to rise, this version takes about 4 hours start to finish.

Ingredients:

1. 16oz All-Purpose flour (about 3 cups), plus perhaps another 1/2 cup for work surface kneading

2. 2 teaspoons Kosher salt

3. 3/4 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast

4. 1.5 cups warm (not hot) water

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, salt and yeast; stir or whisk to combine thoroughly.

2. Add water, and using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix well until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains.

3. Onto a clean work surface, sprinkle two tablespoons(ish) of additional flour and spread out.

4. Turn dough out onto work surface. Sprinkle another 2 tablespoons on top of dough. Press down on dough and fold in half. Keep pressing and folding, sprinkling more flour onto the work surface and top of dough if it starts to stick to your hand or the work surface. Continue this process for about five minutes.

5. Form dough into a ball. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl (cooking spray works great here), and cover with a clean, lightly dampened cloth. Allow to rest in a warm place undisturbed for 1 hour.

6. After 1 hour, turn dough back out onto clean, lightly floured work surface. Flatten dough out and fold it back over itself in thirds (like a letter), then in half one more time to make it squareish.

7. Return to greased bowl and cover, let rest 1 more hour.

8. 1 hour and 15 minutes before you want to eat your bread, place a dutch oven or other oven safe casserole dish with a lid, deep enough to allow the dough to double in size, onto the center rack of your oven. Preheat oven to 450° with the dish inside it.

9. When oven is up to temp, remove dutch oven and lid. Spray with cooking spray. Turn dough out into dutch oven (it may sizzle a little bit), and place the lid on top. Return to the oven and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

10. After 30 minutes, carefully remove loaf from dutch oven and return to the center rack. Allow to bake directly on the wire rack for another 15 minutes. (If you have a convection setting and like your bread super crispy, you can set it for convection in the last 4 minutes).

11. After 15 minutes, remove from oven and allow to rest, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes before eating.