Salty Crusty Bread

Salt. It’s my favorite! Which means Salty Crusty Bread is at the top of my list! This recipe is prominently, yet not overly, salty. It’s a choice accompaniment for a rustic cheese platter or for dipping in olive and balsamic vinegar. For the latter two, try Bariani. Bariani is family owned and committed to sustainable farming methods, producing small batch, pure oil. The resulting flavor and quality are stellar! Much controversy floats around these days regarding purity of olive oils. Lesser quality olive oils can be blended with potentially inflammatory oils in effort to cut costs. See here for details. So, I suggest choosing trustworthy brands.

Salty Crusty Bread is a recipe I’ve tweaked to my liking and hope you enjoy. The secret to the crust? Bake it in a covered Dutch Oven! I use this Lodge version with predictably good results. The steam and heat retention generated in the covered cast iron lend themselves to a fluffy, crusty loaf!

And…a surprise for YOU! This bread is no-knead! Hallelujah!

Salty Crusty Bread

3 cups sprouted and freshly milled flour (Most any grain will perform well. Hard Red Wheat and Kamut are suggested)
2 teaspoons Real Salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (100-110 degrees)

Combine flour, salt and yeast in a stainless steel mixing bowl. Pour in warm water using a dough whisk. Mix until the ingredients form a shaggy but cohesive dough. Do not over-work the dough or your bread will end up too dense. Using the dough whisk helps avoid overworking the dough (and your forearms).

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow dough to rest at room temperature for twenty-four hours. Dough will rise beautifully without one bit of kneading!

After rising time is complete, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place Dutch Oven into the preheating oven for thirty minutes.

During the preheat, plop the dough onto a floured surface. With minimal handling, gently form into a ball. Cover dough with the mixing bowl turned upside down, and allow it to rest while the Dutch Oven is preheating.

Once thirty minutes expire, carefully remove the hot Dutch Oven. Drizzle sufficient olive oil or butter to cover the bottom of the Dutch Oven, then place the bread dough into it.

Cover with lid and bake for twenty to twenty-five minutes or until internal temperature reaches 185-195 degrees. Remove from oven, carefully take off the lid, replace in oven and bake for another five to eight minutes. Watch it carefully during this time so it doesn’t over bake, as ovens are finicky and variable.

Remove from oven.

Allow to cool until you can safely handle it. Then using tongs, grab loaf and place on a cooling rack until ready to serve.

PS: This recipe does require a Dutch Oven with lid, but you may be able to successfully use another type of oven-safe, covered baking dish. If you do, please let me know how your bread turned out!

“You are the salt of the earth.”

Matthew 5:13

With love and butter,

Jessica