Our dutch oven was a wonderful tag sale find, the kind you grab and pay for while shielding it from other hungry tag sale shoppers. This dutch oven has been on numerous camp outs; cooking hearty beef stew and chili, like no other.
Sadly, this delightful cooking apparatus has been in the barn for many years, collecting dust and old memories. Until now! I came across this recipe that's been around for a very long time. I believe it was first published in the New York Times although I'm not sure how many city dwellers would have dutch ovens stashed away in their culinary collections. Perhaps it was in a suburb edition; surely people in far away places such as Connecticut and New Jersey have dutch ovens! In any event, it's extremely easy and although you do have to wait all day for the dough to rise, it's well worth the wait.
1 1/2 cup water - luke warm
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast (active)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
approximately 1//4 cup cornmeal
Add yeast to water and stir until dissolved.
Mix in the salt.....
....then the flour. Blend until moist.
It will be sticky!
Cover with a dry towel and let stand all day or overnight (at least 8 hours).
When the dough is covered with bubbles.....
Sprinkle it with flour and lightly knead for two minutes. Cover it again for 20 minutes.
Shape into a ball and dust lightly with cornmeal.
Cover it and let it sit for 2 hours. During this time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Once it's preheated, put the empty dutch oven in the oven for 20 minutes.
Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and put your dough into it. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
How pretty is this? Bakery quality!
Let cool before slicing.
You'll find a lovely soft texture on the inside with a nice crust on the outside. Absolutely delicious!
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