Super Easy Rustic Restaurant Bread

I found this great bread recipe to share.  It is so easy and tastes like the chewy textured rustic bread served in nice restaurants with dipping olive oil and balsamic.  


3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons vinegar


Mix by hand with a fork just until the flour is mixed in and cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter all night or 8-12 hours.   It will not rise a whole lot but will look like it has little seeds in it. Using a little flour, stir down and dump out,  and shape into a ball the best you can.  It will be very limp and wet.  Let it rise 1 1/2 hours in a 8-10 inch skillet sprayed with PAM or on a piece of parchment sprayed with PAM nestled in the skillet. Cover dough with a lose sheet of plastic wrap sprayed with PAM.   When the bread is almost done rising, preheat a covered Dutch oven (preferably porcelain lined) in a 450 degree oven.  When the temperature is reached, lift the lid and dump in the dough.  If you used parchment, lift the dough out by the corners of the parchment and set into the Dutch oven.  I like this better because the loaf stays more rounded.  You can slash the top of the loaf with a sharp serrated knife now if you want, it looks prettier.  Bake covered for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue baking 5-10 more minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and the Dutch oven and let cool about 2 hours.  Slicing it before it is cool will ruin the crumb and not taste as good.  


Don't leave it out on the counter cooling if you have a golden retriever, just saying.  


This sounds a little difficult but it is very easy.  I made it two nights in a row, wanting fresh bread for lunch.  Don't throw it out if it doesn't look right.  It doesn't look right!  Just keep following the directions.


When you have made it a few times, you can start in experiment with adding whole wheat sourdough starter or rye or other ingredients you might want to try.


You can purchase a great Dutch oven at Wallmart.com.  Tramontina 3.5 quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven for $30.  You can order it online and have it shipped to your nearest Wallmart for pickup for free.  That is a lot cheaper than the Le Creuset for $130.  I use this pot for lots of things, so it gets good use.