Whole Wheat Cast Iron Bread

1. 1

   ["(Important note: I don't include volume measurements for the flour or liquids in this recipe because variations in weight with those two ingredients can make a noticeable difference in the outcome of the bread. A cup of all-purpose flour, commercial white whole wheat flour, and freshly ground white whole wheat flour all have different weights for the same amount of volume, and the method people use when measuring by volume can differ a lot too. It's also easy to have slight differences when measuring liquids by volume, and when making bread, even a couple of tablespoons of liquid can make a difference in the outcome as well. For very small increments of weight, like the salt and yeast, I included the volume measurements because some cheaper digital scales don't always register such small amounts very well. Also note there is a difference between using coarsely or finely ground salt when measuring by volume. If you use a finely ground salt instead of the coarse kosher salt, you may need to decrease the total amount of salt to one teaspoon).", "The afternoon/evening before:

2. 2

   Measure the flour, using a digital scale, into the mixer bowl. Stir in the teaspoon of instant yeast. Measure the liquids using the digital scale and add to the flour. Mix well until the liquid is completely incorporated into the flour. Cover and set aside to autolyse for an hour.", "After an hour, stir or work the salt into the mixture. Using the dough hook, knead the dough on medium speed for ten minutes until you can pull a windowpane from a small piece of the dough. Remove the dough, roll into a loose ball, and place it back in the mixer bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm area until doubled in bulk, from two to four hours. After the dough has risen completely, remove the dough and shape it into a tight round by rolling it between your hands on the countertop, gathering and pinching the ends together on the bottom, and rolling again to finish. Place the dough on a large piece of parchment paper, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight.", "The next morning:

3. 3

   Using the parchment paper, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it in the cast-iron dutch oven. Using scissors, carefully trim the paper back evenly all the way around the dutch oven so the edge of the paper is below the rim of the dutch oven. Also carefully cut vertical slits into the paper surrounding the dough so that the paper lies flat against the sides of the dutch oven, letting the dough rise evenly. Cover the dutch oven with its lid, and let continue to rise in a warm area for one hour.", "While the bread finishes rising, preheat the oven to 450u00b0F. At the end of one hour, remove the lid on the dutch oven. Drizzle almost a tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the dough and very gently smooth it over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little salt. Score the top of the dough in a cross pattern, using a razor blade or serrated knife, about 1/4-inch deep. Place the lid back on the dutch oven, and place the covered dutch oven containing the dough on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid, lower the oven temperature to 375u00b0F, and bake the bread an additional 10 minutes until the top is deep golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be at least 200u00b0F when tested with an instant-read thermometer."]

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.