Bonnies Almost Artisan Bread Recipes

Steps:

• 1. EQUIPMENT: Small Dutch Oven with tight fitting lid Parchment paper Danish Whisk for mixing
• 2. Gather your ingredients and read through the recipe before you begin. Make sure your ingredients are room temperature.
• 3. The Danish whisk is a wonderful tool for mixing flour and wet dough. I use it all the time for pulling dough away from the sides of the bowl. It is very sticky dough and sticks to your fingers, but it doesn't stick to the Danish whisk.
• 4. When the bread is completely cool, place in a ziplock bag with two large paper towels to keep moisture from forming. The bread can be frozen.
• 5. MIXING THE DOUGH Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. I set the ingredients on the counter at least an hour before I make bread. Using a large mixing bowl, combine all the DRY ingredients and mix until well combined. Measure the room temperature water and pour it over the flour. Take the Danish whisk and mix the dough until you don't see anymore flour. No need to knead!
• 6. This will be a loose dough. Cover the bowl tightly with saran wrap. I put mine in the pantry because there is no draft in there from the air conditioner. Let the mixture rise overnight for 15 to 18 hours. It will double in size, and it will have bubbles all over the top of it. The dough tries to pull away from the sides of the bowl. It smells yeasty. It is ready! :)
• 7. FORMING THE DOUGH Dip your hands in flour and sprinkle some flour around the edges of the bowl. Gently pull the bread away from the sides of the bowl with the Danish whisk.
• 8. Gradually loosen the dough from the bottom of the bowl. Use as little flour as necessary.
• 9. Shape into a loose ball without kneading. Turn it out on a cutting board. Cover the dough with a tea towel, and let it rest for an hour.
• 10. PREHEATING THE OVEN Preheat the oven AND the pot (without the lid) to 425 degrees (for rustic crunchy) or 420 degrees (for a softer crunch) about ten minutes before the dough is ready to bake. (Read more about the temperature in STEP 15) Meanwhile, place parchment paper in a couple of nesting bowls to give it a bowl shape. I put something heavy in it to hold it down until ready to use.
• 11. NOTE: If you like the earthy taste of cornmeal on the bottom of your Artisan bread, sprinkle some on the parchment paper just before you put the bread in the oven.
• 12. BAKING THE BREAD After the dough has rested for an hour, remove the tea towel and cut two to three slits in the top of the dough with a sharp knife.
• 13. Remove the hot pot from the oven. Gently lift the dough and place it in the prepared parchment paper, and gather the edges of the parchment paper in both hands and lift both paper and dough into the center of the hot pot. (Careful it is a hot pot!) This is easier than trying to juggle dough that wants to move and you trying to drop it in the middle of the hot pot. Cover with its lid. Using mitts, return the pot to the hot oven.
• 14. Bake for 40 minutes covered and remove the lid to check how brown it is, and if it is not brown, continue to bake with lid on an additional 10 minutes until golden brown and done in the center. You can also take the temperature with a thermometer. Mine is done all the way through in 50 minutes. So I haven't needed to use a thermometer.
• 15. NOTE: Every oven is different. So watch your bread the last few minutes of baking time. In my oven, the bread bakes perfectly in 50 minutes without peeking at 425 degrees to yield a crunchy bread. However, I have been experimenting, and I tried doubling the recipe, but that didn't turn out well. It is best to make only single loaves with this recipe. Next, I experimented making the most perfect loaf ever, and baked at 420 F for 50 minutes with the lid on, yielded an outstanding, golden brown loaf of sandwich bread, pliable and not crumbly. The crust is slightly softer than the loaf baked at 425 F. I like rustic crunchy, and my husband likes a softer crunch. Success! Tip: When you are baking bread in your oven, take note of what you would like to see changed in the finished product. Modern ovens come with adjustable temperatures. You can experiment and find just the right temperature that will work the best in your oven.
• 16. AFTER BAKING After you have removed the Dutch oven pot from the oven, brush the top of the bread with the melted butter to keep it soft. Remove the bread from the pot and set on a rack to cool, and cover with a tea towel. Allow to cool before slicing....Of course, I do realize that is just wishful thinking! Enjoy!

Steps:

• 1. (1) Gather your ingredients and read through the recipe before you begin. Make sure your ingredients are room temperature. (2) This is a Rustic Artisan Bread, and I bake it at least two or three times a week. It is wonderful hot from the oven with soups and stews, sandwiches and toast. My husband's guilty pleasure is toast with butter and blackberry jam. (3) The Danish whisk is a wonderful tool for mixing flour and dough. I use it all the time for pulling dough away from the sides of the bowl. It is very sticky dough and sticks to your fingers, but it doesn't stick to the Danish whisk. (4) When the bread is completely cool, place in a ziplock bag with two large paper towels to keep moisture from forming. The bread can be frozen.
• 2. MIXING THE DOUGH In a large mixing bowl, mix the Dry ingredients together with the Danish whisk, and add the water and mix well. This will be a loose dough. Cover the bowl tightly with saran wrap. I put mine in the pantry because there is no draft in there from the air conditioner. Let the mixture rise overnight for 15 hours. It will double in size, and it will have bubbles all over the top of it. The dough pulls slightly away from the sides of the bowl, then you know it is ready.
• 3. FORMING THE DOUGH Dip your hands in flour and sprinkle some flour around the edges of the bowl. Gently pull the bread away from the sides of the bowl with the Danish whisk. Gradually loosen the dough from the bottom of the bowl. Use as little flour as necessary. Shape into a loose ball without kneading. Turn it out on a cutting board. Cover the dough with a tea towel, and let it rest for an hour.
• 4. PREHEATING THE OVEN Meanwhile, place parchment paper in the Dutch oven. Preheat the oven AND the pot (without the lid) to 450 degrees about ten minutes before the dough is ready to bake.
• 5. Cook's Tip: If you like the earthy taste of cornmeal on the bottom of your Artisan bread, sprinkle some on the parchment paper just before you put the bread in the oven.
• 6. BAKING THE BREAD After the dough has rested for an hour, remove the tea towel and cut two to three slits in the top of the dough with a sharp knife. Remove the pot from the oven. Gently lift the dough and place it in the hot pot (Careful!) Place the lid and using mitts, return the pot to the hot oven. Bake for 40 minutes covered and remove the lid, and if your bread is not brown enough, bake an additional 10 minutes until golden brown. Be sure to bake it long enough so it is done in the middle.
• 7. Cook's Tip: Every oven is different. So watch your bread the last few minutes of baking time. My bread is brown at 40 minutes but not quite done internally., so I put a foil shield between it and the lid and let it continue to bake with the lid on to prevent over browning.
• 8. AFTER BAKING Remove the pot from the oven, and place the bread on a rack. Brush the top of the bread with the melted butter to keep it soft, and cover with a tea towel. Allow bread to cool before slicing....Of course, I do realize that just isn't going to happen. Enjoy!

Steps:

• 1. Spray a bread pan with kitchen spray and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• 2. Butter the tops of all four slices of bread with two slices of bread to a stack. Place bread stacks in the prepared pan, buttered side up.
• 3. Mix the milk, eggs, Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and a dash of salt with a whisk. Then pour over the bread stacks in the pan. There won't be enough liquid to totally submerge the top layer of bread, which is okay. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until nice and brown.