Artisan Bread
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
Combine flour, yeast, and salt. Mix to distribute evenly.
1 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar (any vinegar will do)
Add vinegar to water, mix with flour mixture and stir until flour is incorporated; dough should be pretty stiff. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for 12-18 hours at about 70 degrees. When surface is dotted with bubbles, dough is ready.
After the rest, place dough on well floured work surface (1/4 cup of flour) and knead (7-8 kneads) just to get some surface tension.
Clean your bowl, or get a new one, and spray with non-stick spray. Sprinkle bottom of the bowl with sesame seeds if desired; transfer dough, seam side down, to bowl. Cover and let rise till doubled in size, about 2 hours.
After 1 1/2 hours, prepare oven and baking dish. Place covered pot(4-8 qt) in oven and set to 435-450 degrees for 30 minutes. Pot and oven should be blazing hot!
When dough has risen and oven and pot are ready, turn dough over into the pot seam side up. Cover, bake 27 min. Uncover, and continue baking for an additional 6-10 minutes until browned. Cool on a wire rack before cutting.
Here is a little timeline so you don't have to think about it. To have bread ready by 5:30/dinner time:
8 pm: mix the dough
Noon-1 pm: knead the dough
4 pm: turn on oven and heat covered pot
4:30 pm: bake bread
5:10-15 pm: bread should be done!!