A little Monday laundry (the “norm”?) and adding the wonderful aroma of bread baking to our home….sourdough craisin pecan bread……I wish I could share with y’all……………
These are baked (one loaf at a time) in a covered cast iron Dutch oven so that the crust is that gorgeous brown crustiness. The recipe for the bread may be found in this post….with this modification…..in place of that water measurement, I use 3/4 cup sourdough starter and 3/4 cup warm water. The rest of the ingredients remain the same. For the cast iron method: Preheat the oven AND the Dutch oven & cover together to 450F (use the rack placed in the lower 1/3 of the oven). Shape the dough into 2 loaves (forming tight balls as described here) and allow to rise on floured cloths in a banneton or bowl til double. I preheat the oven/cast iron for 30 minutes, spray it lightly with oil and sprinkle cornmeal in the bottom of the pan. Flip the risen dough ball (yup!) into the hot pan, make several knife slashes in the loaf top, put the cover on and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 10-15 minutes more to achieve a nice crust. I did the first loaf while the 2nd continued to rise on the counter then repeated the baking process for that loaf. Any covered cloche will work for this method. Optional baking: preheat oven to 350F, allow loaves to raise on a baking sheet til double then bake for 30 minutes or til the internal temperature is 200F (yes, I test via digital thermometer).
Now….back to stitching……………..
Treadlemusic 
Pingback: Simple gifts…………….. | Treadlemusic
You make the most beautiful artisan bread. I can almost taste and smell it.
Doing it in the covered Dutch oven gives it an amazingly chewy crust too!
I like the new recipe with the sourdough starter. Did you make your own starter or get one from a friend?
I made my own starter……basically 2 ingredients: flour and water. http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-sourdough-starter-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-47337 This will get you going. It really is not hard to make and if you don’t use it often, the starter may be frozen or refrigerated.