Country bread

Country bread baked in an iron pot with a lid, or enamelled pot with a lid, is a great way to bake

 

Country bread

Country bread baked in an iron pot with a lid, or enamelled pot with a lid, is a great way to bake. You get a bread that gets a crispy nice crust around the whole bread, and which rises in the pan itself. Country bread is French inspired, but you will find similar breads around most of the Mediterranean. Country bread is perfect for soups, stews, with tapenades, and it is great to dip or have olive oil on.

 

You need a pot that has a volume of 3 litres. This gives a suitable country bread size to this recipe. The country bread will just fill up to the lid, when it rises during baking in the oven. If you use a larger pot, the bread may become flat. Enamelled pots with lids are often called French ovens, and iron pots with lids are often called Dutch ovens. You do not need to buy an expensive pot. If you invest some money, you will get a pot that lasts a long time and you can enjoy it for many years. For example. Le Creuset has a 5-year guarantee on its products, but if you treat it well, you will have the pot for many more years than that.

 

Ingredients

600 g fine spelled flour
100 g whole-spelled flour
50 g oatmeal flour
0.6 dl Extra virgin olive oil
5 dl tempered water
7 g dry yeast
7 g of salt

 

Directions

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large baking bowl. Add the olive oil and tempered water. (I.e., the water should not exceed 37 C. If you feel the water with your fingers, and it feels a little warm, it will mainly be above 37 °C) Mix everything well.
2. Put some flour on a baking table and knead the dough for 5-6 minutes. Use more flour if necessary.
3. Put the dough in the baking bowl and cover it. Set it to rise until it has doubled in size. At the same time, put the iron pot or the enamelled pot with a lid in the oven. Set the oven at 250 °C (482 °F). When the dough has doubled, put olive oil on the baking surface, now knead the dough again for 5-6 minutes. Until it has become elastic and elastic. You will probably need more oil on the baking surface as you knead.
4. Put the dough again in a baking bowl, which you cover. Let the dough rise for approx. 15-minute time.
5. When the oven has reached 250 °C and the dough has risen, remove the pan. Quickly pour the dough into the pot. Put the lid back on, and then put it in the oven with the lid on.

 

Baking No. 1: 250 °C (482 °F) for 30 minutes

Then take the pot out. Remove the lid, brush the top of the bread with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with a little flour. Put it back oven, but now without lid.

Baking No. 2: 220 °C (428 °F) for 18-20 minutes. You have to experiment with the time on your oven. When the bread is golden and well done, it is ready. Take out the pot and pour the bread onto a rack. Then leave the bread on a rack under a cloth to cool down.

 

Country bread served: For soups, stews, great for dipping in olive oil, with good butter, tapenades and the like.

Allergy: Gluten. Lactose free. Low FODMAP

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Dutch oven or French oven. Read more here: Dutch oven

Read more about spelt, and why this is a more nutritious flour than wheat: Spelt