Artisan Bread

This recipe was sent to me from Aunt Carolyn.  Everyone likes an awesome bread recipe.  I can't wait to  give it a try.

15oz (3 cups) all purpose flour
7 oz water
3 oz beer (not a dark beer, use a pale ale, etc.)
1½ t salt
¼ t regular yeast (much less than one package of yeast)
1 T white vinegar

The recipe works best if you can measure the flour, water and beer by weight. Otherwise use 3 cups of flour and 1⅛ cups of liquid.

1. Measure flour, salt and yeast into a medium bowl.

2. Add water, beer and vinegar.

3. Mix with wooden spoon until dough make ball.

4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise on counter for 8 to 18 hours.

5. Punch down dough.

6. Flour working surface, knead dough approximately 10 to 15 times, shaping into a ball.

7. In a skillet (approximately the same diameter of the cast iron, enamel dutch oven in which the bread will be baked) cut and place a piece of parchment paper about 2 to 2½ long. Spray the parchment paper with Pam. Place dough on parchment paper in skillet and cover with plastic wrap.

8. Let dough rise for 2 hours, then score the top of the dough ball with an “X” with a sharp knife, being careful to not deflate the risen dough.

9. While the dough is rising:
    a. After dough has risen for 1 hour and 15 minutes, preheat oven to 475ºF.
    b. When oven is up to temperature, preheat dutch oven and lid for 30 minutes.

10. When dutch oven is preheated, remove it from the oven, reduce oven temperature to 425ºF, and using the parchment sling, transfer the dough ball into the dutch oven.

11. Place the lid on the dutch oven (it’s okay for parchment paper to be hanging out of the dutch oven), put back in the oven and bake, covered for 30 minutes at 425ºF.

12. Remove the lid from the dutch oven and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes uncovered 425ºF.

13. Remove dutch oven from oven, place bread on cooling rack and cool for a minimum of two hours before cutting into the bread.