crusty bread & chili cook-off time

With all the weird weather and bad storms lately,
I postponed my
Annual Chili Cook-Off and bonfire
until this weekend.

Now that the 40 acre woods back and front yards
are cleaned up from storm debris
we have another brush pile
to add some logs to
for the bonfire.
The weather is supposed to be good this weekend...
And there's a bye this week for the state college football team...
I'm thinking it's CHILI COOK OFF time!!!

And, I made some bread!!

Crusty Bread
 easy, no knead!
Really!

(the left loaf is white, the right loaf is wheat with garlic and veggies.)

Crusty Bread recipe
3 cups flour
2 tsp. salt (I use sea salt)
1 tsp. yeast (not instant)
Whisk together in a good sized bowl
and stir in
1 1/2 cups cool water.
Mix only until incorporated, it will be sticky and messy. 
Leave in bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  
LEAVE bread BOWL ON COUNTER 12 TO 18 HOURS to rise. 
12 to 18 hours later:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Put cast iron, lidded pan* into hot oven for 30 minutes to bring to temperature. 
While pot is heating, turn the wet dough onto a heavily floured board or table and shape into a ball, using your floured hands or a dough scraper. 
Cover dough with the same plastic wrap and let rest while pan heats.
After 30 minutes, carefully remove pan from oven, remove lid from pan, and place sticky dough ball into pan. 
Re-lid and return pan to oven. Bake 30 minutes with lid on, then remove lid and bake additional 15 minutes.

Take pan from oven and with hot pads, remove lid and then carefully remove bread loaf.  Cool on rack.  Slice when cooled (if you can wait that long!)  and store in a paper bag. 

You can store in plastic, but it looses it's crunchy, crusty outside.
I have frozen the finished loaf, let it thaw and then re-warmed in a hot oven, it's not quite the same crusty goodness, but close.

I have, of course, changed up the recipe - that's just how I roll... (ha - roll:)
I've added chopped fresh veggies along with freshly grated garlic... yum!
I've swapped out 1/2 cup of the white flour for rye flour & added caraway seeds...yum!
I've swapped out 1/2 cup of the white flour for wheat flour - also yum! but don't go any more in your wheat flour exchange, 'cause it's a not so good bread - too heavy and dense.
I've added grated cheeses (sharp white cheddar often, Gruyere a few times, Asiago mostly)...YUM!
I also have done fresh or dried cranberries with walnuts or almonds; raisins and cinnamon; cherries and chocolate chips;  I'm sure that are more variations that I've done but not remembered to list.  Guess what I'm getting at is if you like it together, put it in...
you probably won't regret it. 

Lastly, this bread recipe should come with a warning. 
So here it is:
WARNING: this bread is so quick and easy to make that it's addictive -
both to make and to eat :) 

Ask me how I know.

I love to make bread,

but I'm not really a bread "fan" when it come to the eating,

but I can scarf down this bread when it's hot from the oven!!!

*Any heavy, lidded pan will work as long as it can take the 450 degree heat.

Have fun!  and don't try to blame me later for any new addictions :)