In these days of wars and hurricanes there is something imminently comforting about home made bread. I came across this recipe while researching artisanal bread baking online. It is the essence of simplicity, a crusty, moist, open crumb loaf that you can create in minutes. Yes, this is a sourdough recipe .The dough will take hours to rise. I like to mix the dough before I go to sleep at night and then bake it in the morning. Yum.

Unless you live right next door to a really first class bread bakery, this loaf will taste better than a bread you buy, and it will save you money. Also guests are always impressed by homemade bread. At least that’s been my experience. So here’s the recipe.

Mix together one cup sourdough starter (look in the archives for a recipe) with one cup water and two teaspoons of salt (it’s really one-one-two-three but one two three flows better) Ordinary tap water is fine and it doesn’t need to be tepid.

Add three cups of flour. Whole wheat pastry flour works really well.

Mix it all together in a plastic, ceramic or wooden bowl using a wooden or plastic spoon. Never use metallic spoons or bowls when mixing sourdough. Metals cause sourdough to freak out, not something you want to have happen.

Leave for 8-12 hours-(yes, you’re reading right. sourdough works more slowly than chemical yeast) on your counter covered with a damp cloth until it puffs up. It won’t double the way a yeast bread will but you’ll notice that the blob has filled out.

Preheat your oven to 500 F or 230 C. Put a covered baking dish into the oven. A Dutch oven would do fine but you don’t need to run out and buy one. I improvised with a broken enamel pot and a mismatched lid and I did just fine. The baking dish can be metal. Just make sure the lid fits the baking dish. Leave the covered baking dish inside the oven while you are preheating.

Add enough flour to the dough so that it can form a ball. (one or two handfuls of flour should be enough but this isn’t an exact science)

Form the dough into a ball.

Open the oven . USE OVEN MITTS!!!!

Open the Dutch oven and plop the dough ball inside. Cover and let bake for 30 minutes

After thirty minutes uncover and let it bake for another 15 minutes

Let it cool on a rack and eat. Yum.

You can play with this recipe. Add things to the dough ball or coat the outside of the loaf with oat flakes or sunflower seeds. Let your imagination run wild or enjoy it plain. It isnt at all sour tasting and it’s wonderful.

If you feel creative you can sprinkle oat flakes or sunflower seeds or whatever inspires you into the bottom of the Dutch oven before baking.