Healthy Granola (natural sweeteners)

I love granola but am often not compelled to buy it at the store because it can be quite expensive and I can be a bit turned away by the ingredient list, especially the amount of sugar in granola. But it is quite easy to make! I tend to have most of the ingredients on hand, so it is easy and affordable for me to make a batch of tasty and relatively healthy granola. Below are some of my favorite recipes!

Pictured above is the honey, nut, and fruit granola (before topping with fruit) and the chocolate sea salt granola 

Honey, Nut, and Fruit Granola

I have modified Cookie and Kate’s excellent granola recipe in creating my own basic granola recipe!

Ingredients (Makes about 3 cups)

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup nuts/seeds (whatever you have on hand) [I used walnuts, almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds in this picture)

½ cup dried fruit (optional) [I used dried cranberries and dates]

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup melted coconut oil

¼ lite cup honey (just shy of 1/4 cup) [I highly recommend raw unfiltered honey]

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

 

Directions

Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the oats, nuts/seeds, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Melt the coconut oil in a separate bowl, mix in the honey while the coconut oil is still warm, and then mix in the vanilla and almond extract.

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well until all the oats are coated.

Bake 24-28 minutes, stirring after about 15 minutes.

Cool granola for at least one hour.

Top granola with dried fruit

Break the granola into pieces with your hands, stirring with a spoon if you don’t want larger chunks

Granola will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

 

Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Almond, Sea Salt Granola

I modified an excellent recipe from Erin lives whole, swapping maple syrup for agave nectar and reducing some of the sweetness.

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oats

2/3 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup coconut flakes

½ tsp sea salt

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ lite cup agave nectar [just shy of ¼ cup]

¼ cup cocoa powder

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the oats, almonds, coconut flakes, and sea salt in a bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the coconut oil, agave nectar, cocoa powder, and brown sugar (if using) and stir until everything is dissolved and combined (about 3-4 minutes).

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla.

Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour oat mixture onto the baking sheet and bake for 28-30 minutes.

If you are adding chocolate chips, pull the granola out of the oven after 25 minutes, place the chocolate chips over the granola, and bake for the remaining 3-5 minutes.

Allow granola at least one hour to cool before breaking up with a spoon or your hands.

Granola stores in an airtight container at room temperature for two weeks.

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Pizza! (Pear, Caramelized Onion, Gorgonzola)

 

Pizza!

We love pizza and we love fun toppings! This pear, caramelized onion, and gorgonzola pizza is one of our favorites! We also like to top it with bacon or prosciutto, but we also enjoy topping it with fresh, lightly dressed arugula.

We have a pizza stone from pampered chef, which we love, and we highly recommend cooking pizza on a pizza stone. That being said, if you do not have a pizza stone, you can use a large non-stick baking sheet that is comfortable an oven above 400 degrees F. If you do use the non-stick pan, we do recommend using the bottom side (so it is easier to slide the pizza on and off) and brushing with olive oil.

 

Ingredients (1 large pizza):

• Pizza dough (or make your own using the recipe below)
• 1/2 pear (I use bosc), thinly sliced
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• ¾ cup shredded smoked gouda cheese (we have also done without and used extra of the other cheeses)
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• 2-3 pieces of bacon, cooked, optional
• 2-3 slices of prosciutto, cooked, optional
• Fresh arugula, optional

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and add the sliced onions. Cook until they soften and turn a light golden brown (about 10 minutes).                
3. Roll your dough out on your sheet or stone and brush the top of the dough with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Sprinkle the mozzarella and smoked gouda cheeses evenly over the pizza. Top with your pear slices, add your bacon/prosciutto (if using), add your caramelized onions, and add the fresh thyme.
5. Sprinkle evenly with the gorgonzola crumbles.                                   
6. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until the pizza and crust are golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and remove from the pizza stone onto a cutting board or surface for cutting the pizza                                                                                          
8. Allow the pizza to cool a few minutes and then serve
9. OPTIONAL: If you want to top with fresh arugula, prep the arugula while the pizza cools. Toss your *already rinsed and dried* fresh arugula with a little bit of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper. It should just be very lightly dressed. Top each slice of pizza with a hearty scoop of the arugula and enjoy.
10. TIP: Always top with fresh parmesan cheese

Pizza Dough Recipe (Passed on to us from our friends, Kyle and Tanya, who do live at high altitudes). I modified their recipe slightly.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 ½ tsp dry active yeast
• ¾ cup warm water
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Whisk together the flours and salt in a bowl (stand mixer bowl, if you have one)
2. Heat your water so that it is lukewarm and whisk together the water, yeast, and olive oil in a separate bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture to the flour mixture.
4. Using a bread hook attachment (or your hands), combine all of the ingredients (you may need to add slightly more water).
5. I allow the bead hook to combine all ingredients until I have a slightly moist ball (not too dry but not too sticky) (~1 minute). Then I knead/mix the dough on the counter-top with my hands for 3-4 minutes.
6. Coat a medium bowl with olive oil, place the dough inside the bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or beeswax and allow to rest for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
7. Remove the dough from the fridge and kneed on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough back in the oiled bowl (you may need to re-oil the bowl) and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
8. Remove the dough from the fridge 30 minutes before you wish to make your pizza 

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Poppy Seed Rolls ("Poppyseed")

 

Poppy Seed Roll

Poppy Seed Rolls, or simply "Poppyseed" as I have always known them, are a sweet dough baked good made from a potato dough that is filled with a thick and bitter-sweet ground poppy seed paste and then rolled up into a log and baked. The perfect roll is light, fluffy, and bursting with poppy seed filling.

As far as I know, poppy seed rolls have their roots in Central and Eastern Europe communities. In particular, this delicious delicacy has origins in communities and peoples that immigrated to the United States from present day Ukraine and Switzerland. A bit of internet searching reveals that this treat is often baked for holiday celebrations with Easter and Christmas being two of the commonly mentioned ones. In my family, we often had poppy seed rolls at Christmas time, whether they were freshly made or out of the freezer. My grandmother would always make or have rolls on hand whenever we visited, and if we were good (lucky?) we would get to take a frozen roll home to enjoy later.

A number of years ago, as my interest in cooking flourished, I set out to learn how to make Poppyseed on my own. I have had a lot of help from both my mother and grandmother, and every year my mother and I have a "baking day" where we make a few rolls of Poppyseed and a few pans of cinnamon rolls. We then divide the rolls up among the immediate family to enjoy immediately or to freeze for a special occasion like Christmas brunch. Learning to make poppy seed rolls has been a year long adventure. They take time, patience, and practice to make well, and we had a number of years where we simply couldn't seem to create the same thing that grandma did!

The recipes we use come from two sources, both hailing from the Mennonite community. The dough is Edna Ruth Byler's Potato Dough from More with Less by Doris Janzen Longacre and the filling is from The Centennial Treasury of Recipes: Swiss (Volhynian) Mennonites by Alice Kaufman. The dough recipe is great in both these rolls and other sweet goods like cinnamon rolls or sticky buns.

Poppyseed is meant to be shared, which often happens for a special occasion, but there is no wrong time to make a few rolls and share them with friends and family. Enjoy!

Required Equiment

• Jelly Roll Pan
• Parchment paper

Ingredients - Dough

• 1 ½ packages of dry instant yeast
• ½ cup warm water (100° F to 110° F)
• 2 cups scalded milk
• 1 cup mashed potatoes (russet potatoes, peeled, no milk or seasonings added)
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ Tbsp salt
• 5 cups flour (maybe less or more)

Ingredients - Poppy Seed Filling

• 2 cups ground poppy seed
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ to 1 cup of marshmallows (approximately 10-12 large)

Instructions - Dough

Yeast bubbling away in warm water

1. Dissolve yeast in the warm water and set aside for a few minutes.
2. Combine scalded milk, mashed potatoes, butter, and sugar in a large bowl, stirring well to combine and completely dissolve the potatoes into the mixture. Any clumps of potato can be smashed using the back of a wooden spoon or other utensil.
3. Let mixture cool to lukewarm (below 110° F) and then add yeast mixture. Stir to combine and then add 3 cups of flour. Mix well to the dough sponge.
   
   

   

   Sponge after standing for 20 minutes

   
   
4. Let sponge stand for about 20 minutes until it foams up.
5. Add beaten egg, salt, and about 4 of the remaining cups of flour, mixing well to combine. Add remaining flour until a soft dough is formed, then turn out on a floured counter and knead until dough is smooth and satiny.
   
   

   

   Dough after rising to doubled in size

   
   
6. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
7. When ready, very lightly deflate before dividing into the 5 portions for assembly (see Instructions - Assembly)

Instructions - Poppy Seed Filling

Making the poppy seed filling

1. Combine ground poppy seed, sugar, and milk in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes or longer to thicken, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat and add the marshmallows. Stir until dissolved.
3. Let cool before spreading on dough.

Instructions - Assembly

1. Fit a piece of parchment paper to the jelly roll pan so the paper hangs about an inch over all sides.
2. Divide the dough into five equal portions. Three will be used for the poppy seed rolls. We often make cinnamon rolls with the other two, but any sweet dough treat can be made!
   
3. Take one piece of dough and roll into a thin rectangle with the side closest to you (and the counter edge) having the same length as the long side of the jelly roll pan. Dough should be about 1/8" thick. Don't roll the dough too thin or it will be prone to ripping or tearing.
   
   

   

   Rolled out dough with poppy seed filling spread on it

   
   
4. Spread 1/3rd of the cooled poppy seed filling onto the rolled out dough using a spatula, leaving a border of about 1". You need enough of a plain border so that when you roll the dough up it can be sealed without any filling leaking into the seal. Filling should be thick and sticky but still spreadable (without tearing the dough).
   
   

   

   Roll dough on long side to create a log

   
   
5. Starting from the side away from you, roll the dough with filling into a log. Tightly pinch the seam and ends shut.
6. Carefully place the roll lengthwise and seem side down on the parchment paper lined jelly roll pan. Three rolls will fit lengthwise in the pan.
   
   

   

   Three rolls in the lined jelly roll pan

   
   
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for all three poppy seed rolls.
   
   

   

   Rolls after rising to fill pan

   
   
8. Cover with plastic and let rolls rise until they nicely fill out the pan. Be careful not to let them over rise.
9. Bake at 350° F for 33-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out fairly clean. (a little moisture from the poppy seed is expected, but it should not have dough on it)
   
   

   

   Rolls after baking

   
   
10. Remove from oven and brush rolls with melted butter. Let rolls cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before removing rolls to a cooling rack by sliding the rolls and parchment paper onto the cooling rack.
    
    

    

    Poppy Seed Roll - cut crosswise. Look at those swirls!
    
    

11. Once cooled to just above room temperature, slice rolls crosswise into ½" thick slices and enjoy!

Notes

• You must use a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper, and you must make three rolls together. This setup ensures that the rolls are not too large (and thus have too much filling to allow a proper rise) and that each roll is well contained to prevent them from flattening and spreading out horizontally. The parchment paper helps contain the inevitable leakage and makes it simple to transfer the rolls out after baking. The jelly roll pan construction is also perfect for ensuring a proper bake - we tried using a glass baking dish once and the result was very disappointing. Learn from our mistake and use the setup described!
• All three rolls do not need to be filled with poppy seed; try sweet fruit fillings or a cinnamon roll style filling - recipes are all over the internet.
• It is typical to have some of the filling leak out around the sides or the ends. A thick filling will leak less than a thinner one, and a slightly thicker dough is less likely to split open than a thicker dough. If you get large amounts of leakage, try making the filling thicker and rolling out the dough a bit thicker next time.
• 1 cup of poppy seed equals about 2 cups of ground poppy seed.
  
  

  

  Grinding poppy seed

  
  
• Grinding poppy seed can be challenging. Use a dedicated poppy seed grinder (pictured above, example here) or a clean(!) electric spice grinder. I have an "antique" grinder that has been passed down in the family from my great-grandmother to my great-aunt and now to me.
• The mashed potatoes should be plain (no seasonings added). If a little liquid is needed for mashing, use the cooking liquid from boiling the potatoes.
• If the poppy seed filling does not thicken up enough, add one or two tablespoons of cornstarch and mix in well.
• The bread proofing setting on your oven (if it has one) can help speed along the rising steps!
• Baking time will vary depending on your oven. The original recipe we have says bake for 30 minutes, but in the current oven it takes at least 35 minutes. If the top is getting too dark but you think the roll needs more time, cover it with foil to prevent further browning. It is better to slightly overbake the roll than it is to under bake, as an under baked roll really cannot be salvaged.

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Bagel Bites Stuffed with Cream Cheese (Air Fryer!!)

Stuffed bagel bites in the air fryer has become a weekend regular in our household! I love bagels [check out my favorite bagel place when you are in Seattle!], but they are time intensive and not always a task I want to dive into on a Saturday morning. Thus, I was pumped when I found this air fryer bagel bite recipe from skinnytaste! The recipe is very simple, includes ingredients I often already have in my house, and it is quick to make in the air fryer! The original recipe has directions for making these in the oven, but I have only ever made them in our air fryer. 

This recipe makes 8 bagel bites.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup of all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

1 cup Greek yogurt [I use 0% Fage]

4oz cream cheese, cut into 8 cubes

1 egg white, beaten

Everything bagel seasoning [you can buy this at Trader Joes but we make our own!]

Directions:

1. Prepare the everything bagel seasoning: 1 tsp. sesame seeds, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp poppy seed, salt and pepper to season
2. Spray the air fryer basket
3. Pre-heat the air fryer to 325 degrees F
4. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl
5. Add the yogurt to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork [it will look like small crumbles]
6. Dusk your counter or work surface and knead the dough a few times until it is no longer sticky but tacky
7. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls [I use a kitchen scale, diving the dough first in half, and then each half into half again, and then each piece half again]
8. Flatten out each piece of dough into a disk/circle and place one piece of cream cheese on the dough. Fold the dough over the cream cheese to make a ball and roll on the counter to seal the ball.
9. Top the bagel bites with the egg wash and the everything bagel seasoning
10. Cook the first 4 bagel bites in the air fryer for 12 minutes. Then cook the remaining 4 bagel bites.
11. Allow bagel bites to cool for 10 minutes before eating.

*Pro-tip: I love chives in cream cheese. You can also cut up chive and mix in chive and garlic powder into your cream cheese before dividing into 8 parts if you want flavored cream cheese. 

 

            

                     

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Gingered Pear Danish

 

This gingered pear Danish was my attempt at a sweet treat with puff pastry! It was delicious. I love pears, especially in winter, and I also love ginger. I’m also a sucker for cream cheese and almond, so of course I had to make an almond cream cheese spread to go with the gingered pear filling!

Ingredients (Makes 4 Danishes)

-          Puff pastry (about 1 sheet frozen)

-           1 bosc pear, peeled and thinly sliced

-          1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

-          1 Tbsp brown sugar

-          1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (I used a micro-plane)

-          1 tsp pure vanilla extract

-          ½ tsp ground cinnamon

-          ½-1 Tbsp demerara sugar

-          4oz of cream cheese, softened

-          2 Tbsp white sugar

-          ½ tsp almond extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the puff pastry on a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll out into a square that is approximately 14-16in on all sides (see photo). Alternatively, you can roll out into a rectangle about 5-6in wide and 16in long. Cut the pastry into 4 roughly even squares. I did not trim the edges but you could do so. 

In a bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, ginger, half the vanilla extract (1/2 tsp), cinnamon, and the pear slices. Mix well. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

While the pear mixture sits, mix the softened cream cheese, white sugar, almond extract, and remaining vanilla extract (1/2 tsp) in a bowl. If you can use an electric mixer, that is great!

Spread the cream cheese mixture on each of the four pastry squares you have. The amount is up to you, but I used about 1 Tbsp per pastry square (see photo below). 

Then evenly distribute the pear filling across the four pastries. You don’t want the pears to go right up to the edge, so you likely want about ¼- ½ in between the edges and the pear mixture. You might find you don’t use quite all of the pear mixture.

Sprinkle the pastries with the demerara sugar.

I then folded up the sides (they will unravel a bit in the baking) to help contain some of the juices. However, as you can see from the picture, I still had some runover of pear juices. It didn’t affect the taste!

You can shape these how you want but I chose to fold up the edges a little into a circle-like Danish.

Place in the oven and bake about 16-18 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. 

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Beef & Cheddar Turnover

My goal in adventuring with puff pastry was to make both a savory and a sweet treat. For my savory puff pastry adventure, I decided to make a savory turnover. I settled on a beef and cheddar turnover since we had all the ingredients! It was delicious! Mark's final words were "you gotta make this again."

Recipe (Makes 2 turnovers)

- puff pastry (enough for two 5x5in squares rolled out) [cold]

- 1/4 lb. ground beef (I used 85% lean)

- 1/3 cup onion, diced

- 1 large clove of garlic, minced

- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

- 1 egg, whisked

- salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to season

Directions:

If you are using store bought puff pastry, you need to defrost it in the fridge. It should be cold but not frozen. 

Roll out your puff pastry until you have approximately a 5x5 or 6x6in square. I then cut the edges so that I did have an approximate square with straight edges.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add your onions and cook for about 3-5 minutes (until they are translucent). Then add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add your ground beef to the pan and season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Cook until the beef is no longer red, or about 5 minutes (more or less depending on how much beef you are actually using).

Add in the mustard and mix to combine into the beef.

Brush the pastry square with the egg, making sure that you get a good coat around the edges.

Add half the beef filling (if making 2).

Fold the puff pastry to form a triangle.

Using a fork, press the edges of your triangle together, making sure that the pastry is well sealed.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg.

Repeat for the second turnover.

Place turnovers on a baking sheet (with a silicone matt or parchment paper) in the freeze for approximately 5-10 minutes while you pre-heat the oven.

Heat the oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take the turnovers out of the freezer and bake for 25 minutes. 

 

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Adventures in Puff Pastry

 Inauguration Day seemed like a good day to try something new (and tasty)! So I decided to make some puff pastry. It is actually surprisingly easy! You need cold butter. I used butter straight out of the fridge (not freezer) and that worked very well. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cup of cold butter (2.5 sticks)
• 1/2-3/4 cup of cold water

Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into 1/4-in chunks. Add to the flour and toss to coat. 

 

Stir in the water (start with 1/2 cup) until a thick dough like the picture below forms. I found that I actually needed to add a bit more water (so I added closer to 3/4 cup in total) to get a dough ball that I could work with. 

Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap it in plastic wrap (or beeswax if you are eco-conscious like me!). Chill the dough for one hour in the fridge. 

                                 

Dust your work surface with flour. Unwrap the dough and roll into a rectangle (as best you can...mine was more an oval). Fold the dough in thirds, like an envelope. Then turn 90 degrees, roll it into a rectangle again, and fold in thirds again. I repeated this two more times. 

Wrap the dough again and chill in the fridge for 2 hours before using. 

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No-knead Bread

A lovely boule!

Like seemingly everyone else, we ventured into bread making over the past year. Despite its chart-topping popularity, it took us a long time to come across the No-Knead Bread recipe by Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman. But, eventually, thanks to some good friends, we discovered the wonders of the overnight rising, no-knead loaf. The recipe can also be found freely available on Epicurious. The rest of this post contains our adaptation and method, which is a cross between the NYT and Epicurious recipes. Whether you make this bread using our recipe, the NYT one, or the Epicurious one, we highly suggest watching this YouTube video from the NYT. Not only is it a great throwback to the days before high-definition video, it is a great visual aid for the process.

The premise of this recipe is simple: four ingredients and a minimal amount of effort leads to an excellent loaf of bread. All you need is flour (ideally bread, but AP works great, too), a little bit of salt, a tiny amount of yeast, water, and time. Our current favorite flour to use is King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, and we typically use fine ground sea salt instead of kosher or table salt. The yeast comes from a packet of instant yeast (you know the ones - they come in a three pack) from the grocery store baking aisle. Each standard 1/4 oz packet, which is approximately 2 1/4 tsp, is good for 8 or 9 loafs bread.

Tools

• your hands
• a large bowl or container for mixing and rising
• plastic wrap or similar to cover bowl
• 4 1/2- to 5 1/2-quart heavy pot with lid (we use an enameled cast-iron dutch oven)
• cotton or linen tea towel (not terry cloth)

Ingredients

• 430g bread flour (or AP flour), plus more for dusting
• 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

• Combine bread flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Mix with your hand to combine.
• Add 1 1/2 cups water and mix together dough with your hand or a wooden spoon. Dough will be wet and sticky.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise on the counter for at least 12 hours, but ideally 18 to 24 hours. We like to mix the dough around dinner time and let rise overnight. Dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.
• Lightly flour a work surface then lightly flour your hands and turn out the dough onto the surface. The dough will be sticky and loose, clinging to the bowl in long strands. Don't add more flour, even though you will be tempted!
• Using lightly floured hands, form a dough ball by grabbing the edge of the dough, lightly stretching it out a little, then folding it into the center. Repeat this action around all sides of the ball. You can give the dough a few pinches in the center where all the edges have been gathered in if desired.
• Place your cotton or linen tea towel on the work surface and generously dust with flour. With your lightly floured hands, gently lift the dough ball onto the towel, placing it seem side down. Dust the top of the dough ball with flour and fold the towel over the dough. Let rise for 2 hours.
• After 1 1/2 hours, preheat your oven, with your heavy pot inside it on a rack in the lower third of the oven, to 450F.
• After the 2 hour rise, carefully remove the pot from the oven (using oven mitts - it is hot!) and remove the lid. Rip off a piece of parchment paper large enough for the dough ball and so that some will come up the sides when it is in the pot. Unfold the towel covering the bread, lightly dust the top if needed, then carefully flip the dough onto the parchment paper so the seem side is up. Carefully lower the dough (now on the parchment paper) into the heavy pot and cover the pot with its lid.
• Bake, covered, for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. The bread should be a pleasant pale golden after the initial 30 minutes, and it will be finished when it is a deep chestnut color, but not burnt.
• Remove pot from oven and place bread onto a wire rack to cool. Let cool for at least 1 hour.
• Enjoy! We particularly enjoy dipping these loaves into infused olive oil mixtures or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sliced 1/4" thick it makes outstanding sandwiches.

Notes

• This recipe is incredibly forgiving. No bread flour? Not a problem. Only 12 hour rise? No problem!
• Placing the dough ball onto parchment paper before placing into the pot for baking makes easy work of both inserting the dough and removing the baked loaf.
• After uncovering during the bake, the loaf will take anywhere from 15 to 30 more minutes. Our oven usually takes only 15 more minutes to produce a crusty, but not overly hard crust, that creates an excellent dipping or sandwich bread. The crust is there but it won't impale the top of your mouth if you bite it the wrong way.
• You must let the loaf cool for at least an hour! This might be the most painful experience of your day, but it is totally worth it to create that perfect bread texture.

Dough after mixing - wet and shaggy

Dough after rising overnight (~18 hours)

Dough ball before baking

The finished product - sliced and ready to eat!

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