Hot Pot Bread

Homemade bread has a flavor and texture that's hard to beat, however, every now and then, I crave a really crusty artisan bread. This recipe satisfies that need, at a fraction of the cost, and you don't have to run to a fancy bakery!

I made my first "hot pot" loaf for Christmas Eve last year. It was a beautiful loaf, dotted with salty olive slices, and sweet, creamy cubes of aged Gruyere cheese. The original recipe, Olive and Cheese Loaf, is a Martha Stewart recipe from Martha Bakes, 1211.

 

Any cast iron 3 1/2 - 4 quart Dutch oven will work, it doesn't have to be enameled.

For my Hot Pot Bread rendition you'll need a cast iron Dutch oven to produce that crispy crust. I use an enameled 3 1/2 quart Dutch oven, but the lid's handle can't be in an oven over 375F so I unscrew the lid's handle and stuff the screw hole with a little aluminum foil to keep the moisture in my pot, which is key to providing the proper humidity for crisping up your crust.

Hot Pot Bread ~ a thing of beauty!

HOT POT BREAD

The night before: Mix up your bread dough.

3 cups unbleached flour, bread or all purpose

1/3 cup bran (I use a mixture of wheat and oat bran)

4 tablespoons flax seed meal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

NOTE: You could also make this bread without the bran and flax meal and decrease the water by 1/4 cup.

• In a medium bowl: Whisk all your dry ingredients together to thoroughly incorporate.
• In a large bowl: Pour in 1 1/2 cups warm water.
• Add dry ingredients; stir with wooden spoon until well mixed.
• Cover with plastic wrap and sit on counter/bench overnight or 12 to 18 hours.
• In the morning: Preheat oven and ungreased Dutch oven to 500F, remembering to remove your lid's handle and stuffing the hole with aluminum foil. This should take about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, on a floured surface knead your bread dough for 1 minute, adding enough flour to keep dough soft, but not sticky.
• Tuck dough under forming a round and place on parchment paper or a tea towel.
• When oven is up to temperature: Pull out rack, carefully remove cover and drop bread into pot smooth side up.
• Snip an X about 1/2-inch deep into the top of bread with kitchen scissors.
• Cover pot and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove lid and bake for another 15 minutes.
• Dump bread out onto cooling rack, cool before slicing.

All those crevices . . . begging for butter!

When we returned home from shopping this evening, I was starving! We threw chicken breasts on the grill but they would take some time so . . . I cut into my Hot Pot Bread! We couldn't stop eating it! First we had a couple slices with butter, then butter and a good slathering of peanut butter! I've taken a rather plain loaf and added bran and flax seed meal to add depth of flavor and make this a healthier, heart-smart, cholesterol lowering, high fiber, artisan bread . . . Over at Julie's!!!

P.S. No one needs to know this bread is actually good for them, because the flavor and texture are incredible!

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