Baking Bread in a Closed Clay Pot

      

Waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread is the beginning of another dream. 

Ingredients

250 grams all-purpose flour
250 grams whole-wheat flour
300-350 ml mineral water
20 grams fresh yeast
9-10 grams salt 
 5 grams caster sugar

Method

1. Add the yeast to the mineral water and stir until the yeast is dissolved completely.

2. Add salt and sugar to the yeast-mineral water mixture. 

3. Add the flour slowly. Knead for some 10 minutes until you shape it into a ball. 

4. Put the dough into the bowl and a damp cloth over the bowl. Leave the bowl somewhere warm for one to two hours until the dough doubles in volume. 

5. Punch the dough down and shape it using a bit more flour to prevent sticking, if necessary. 

6. Put the dough into the bowl again and cover it with a damp cloth again. Leave the bowl in a warm place for another 30 minutes. The dough should rise some more.

7. Meanwhile, apply a light coating of vegetable oil to the inside of clay pot/baker or Dutch oven and heat it to 250°C. 

8. Get the clay pot/baker or Dutch oven out, place the loaf inside of  the clay pot/baker or Dutch oven. Put it back in the oven.

9. Bake for about 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 200°C and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.*

10. Let it cool down completely before slicing. 

*You can double the amounts of ingredients here. In that case, remember to bake the dough longer.