I have to admit... I kind of stole this from Joy the Baker... who in turn stole it from the Pioneer Woman. The only difference is... they know each other, and they don't even know I exist. One day, I hope they will. Even though Joy the Baker sent me an email saying how incredibly awesome my blog was... I'm not so sure she'd remember it!
Meet the newest addition to our family...
Some people have children, get a dog... or a fish. We collect Le Creuset...
I made this bread tonight, and I have to give props to Joy... and/or Ree, because they said it was easy... AND IT WAS. I love baking bread, but hate the clean up, and this is the easiest clean up I've ever had, not to mention came together perfectly just like they said it would.
I altered the recipe slightly to fit our lifestyle. It's a little lighter than the original, but if that's not your thing, just do what comes natural... add butter.
I hope you like it!
Easy Spicy Garlic Bread in a Pot (makes 1 round loaf)
**recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman
1 cup (8 ounces) of warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 Teaspoon granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 ounces unsweetened almond milk (or regular milk is fine)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
3 cloves of garlic, minced
about 4 cups (20 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting
a few big pinches of coarse ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
*olive oil, coarse sea salt, and pepper for topping
Sprinkle yeast over warm water, add sugar and stir gently. Allow yeast and warm water to rest, foam for about 5 minutes.
Melt butter in a small saucepan. When butter is melted, remove from heat and add herbs, milk, and garlic. Set aside.
Place flour in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a bread hook. Add salt and pepper. Pour in activated yeast mixture, and butter mixture. Stir on low speed, with the dough hook, for about 10 to 12 minutes. The dough ball should clean the sides of the bowl and not stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl. The dough will be relatively smooth and supple, with some firmness from the bread flour.
Place dough in a large greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rest in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
When doubled in size, place on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 2 minutes.
In a large Dutch oven, coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil. Place dough in pot and slice a fairly deep cross into the dough. Drizzle about more olive oil atop the bread. Sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt and pepper.
Cover with tight fitting lid and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees F, remove lid, and allow to make for about 15-20 minutes more.
