This is a great, easy no fuss recipe for a novice bread baker. It results in a rustic, crusty loaf. Simply take a few minutes to mix together the ingredients, and then let it rise. The best part? This dough can sit in your refrigerator for up to 7 days! And, it makes up to 4 loaves with 1 recipe!
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Total Time: 4 1/2 hours- 7 days
Serving Size: 3-4 loaves
USA PAN® Large Cookie Sheet
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups lukewarm water 1 T salt 1 1/2 T instant yeast
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. You could do this in a stand mixer, on medium for about one minute. You could also just use a very large bowl and mix by hand until very sticky, rough dough is formed. Cover and let rise for about 2 hours. This dough will increase considerably, so make sure to use a large bowl, or plastic bucket. Then, transfer dough to refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 7 days. This does take up a bit of refrigerator space! The longer it stays refrigerated; it will become more like a sourdough bread. When ready to bake one loaf, sprinkle top of dough with flour and pull off a piece about the size of a softball (14-19 ounces). You will get 3-4 loaves out of this one recipe. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a metal or cast-iron pan on bottom oven rack. Have 1 c hot water ready to go. Using a floured work surface, form into a ball or log. Sift a coating of flour on top of shaped dough and let rise for about an hour to come to room temp. When ready to bake, place on your USA PAN® cookie sheet or sheet pan. You can also do more than one loaf if you’d like. Take a sharp knife and slash the top of dough 2-3 times. Place bread in oven and pour 1 c hot water into the pan on the bottom of oven to create steam. Quickly close oven door and bake for 20-30 minutes.