Dutch Oven Boule
The best kind of recipe is one that doesn't take many ingredients, is hard to mess up, and tastes great. It's also a plus if you can give it a name that sounds fancy, like Boule, so it sounds more impressive and you don't have to use the word "crusty" in your post title.
This recipe for a simple crusty round loaf of white bread (also called a boule) could hardly be easier. The most difficult part was being patient enough for the dough to rise! Admittedly, I've gotten too impatient before and ended up with a denser loaf, which to be honest was still awesome. I mean, come on, 12 to 16 hours to rise?
All you need for this recipe is flour, active dry yeast, a little sugar, and salt. Technically you also need water, but I'm going to safely assume, dear reader, that if you have internet you also have modern-day plumbing. A dutch-oven-style pot is also used in this recipe, but if you don't have one, a large metal pot (and lid) will work as long as it's oven-safe to 450 degrees!
EASY DUTCH OVEN BOULE
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Wait Time: 12-16 hours for dough to rise
Bake Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp active dry yeast 1 1/2 cups water, warm
1/8 tsp granulated sugar
Directions
In a small bowl, stir to combine the sugar and 1/4 cup of the warm water. Add the active dry yeast, give a quick stir, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast should cause this mixture to foam. If your yeast doesn't appear to activate, you'll need to start over. This is an important step!
Once you have your yeast mixture ready to go, pour it into a large mixing bowl with the remaining 1 1/4 cups of warm water. Mix in the salt and the flour, but be sure to add the flour incrementally. Make sure the dough becomes well incorporated, but not too dry.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dishtowel, and leave it out on the counter at room temperature for 12-16 hours.
When it's baking time, preheat your oven to 450 F, and put the dutch oven pot in the oven as it heats up. (It's best to use a 3.5 qt pot here, but I have a larger 5 qt pot that has worked fine for me!)
When your oven reaches 450 F, carefully remove the dutch oven and sprinkle a little flour in the bottom. Cover your hands with flour as well, and gently shape the dough into a ball and place it in the pot. No kneading required. Put the lid on, and move the dutch oven back into the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid and bake until the rough edges look dark golden brown, and the main body of the boule is a light gold -- usually around 15 more minutes.
When it's done, remove the pot from the oven and immediately take the bread out to cool. Get your butter, nutella, jam, etc etc etc ready to go. When it's cool enough, slice, and smother!
Happy Eating,
Natalie