'EXPRESSO' DUTCH OVEN BREAD

This last weekend some 'Hard Red Winter Wheat' flour was picked up from 'Eatwell' farms at the Ferry Plaza'.I am not really sure why they call it Expresso. When there is flour there will be bread. It is time to break out the Chilebrown dutch oven and accesories. Today's bread will be a simple yeast bread. It will be sweetened with a heaping tablespoon of honey. There will be two rises and then it will be cooked in a cast iron dutch oven. If you do not own a dutch oven you can use your home oven.

Ingredients

1. 1 heaping tablespoon of honey
2. 1 teaspoon salt
3. 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat dutch oven
4. 2 cups whole wheat flour (Eatwell)
5. 2 cups bread flour
6. 1 1/2 cup luke warm water
7. 1 tablespoon of yeast

Combine yeast and water and let sit for 5 minutes or until yeast blooms. Add honey, salt oil and 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Mix well. Add 1 1/2 cup of bread flour. Mix well and turn onto floured cutting board. Knead for 10 minutes. Add last 1/2 cup of flour if dough is sticking to cutting board.

Place in lightly oiled bowl and let rise for 2 hours. Oil your dutch oven with oil. Punch down bread and place in oiled dutch oven. Let rise for 1 hour.

Place 18 hot coals on top lid and 9 on bottom. Rotate lid and oven, one quarter turn, every 15 minutes. Cook for approximately 40 minutes. You can check for being done by inserting knife into bread. If it pulls out clean you should be okay. If the top is not brown enough and the bread is nearly done, remove all bottom coals and only use top heat for the last 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the coals and the lid. Let sit for 2 minutes and remove bread to wire cooling rack. Let rest for 20 minutes.

This bread was nutty with a little hint of sweetness. The Expresso flour really shined through. I could of eaten the whole loaf with just a little butter. It was even better the next day for sandwiches.