Description
Is it just me, or does the split in my bread look like a man jumping? Or frolicking? I can’t unsee it.
Anyway, it was a cool, rainy day today, so I thought some baking would do good to my soul. I know A LOT of people have turned to baking during the pandemic. And man, have I mastered bread making! I really enjoy experimenting with fermenting times and different ways to change up the same basic recipe. If you look at most bread recipes, they are ALL the same. But I feel they are all making a one big mistake… not enough honey. I use THREE times the amount of honey traditional bread recipes call for, and I’m telling you, it makes a HUGE difference.
My bread comes out with such a crusty outside but with a light, spongy inside. And there is SO much flavor. Bye bye bland breads. I won’t even buy artisan breads from the store anymore. They just don’t compare. The other week I made a Sun-dried Tomato & Asiago Crusty Artisan Bread, which was fantastic! And that bread was great as a side for any Italian pasta dish or salad. This week, I wanted to make a bread that I could use for sandwiches. Great tasting filling with the tasteful medley of everything bagel seasoning.
You’ll see that the initial steps are very similar to the Sun-dried Tomato & Asiago Crusty Artisan Bread, but instead of an overnight fermenting, I cooked this the same day and it still tasted great! So, once the dough has sat and doubled in size, kneed the dough for about 30 seconds and the tuck the edges under, forming a ball. In a large bowl, take a tablespoon of butter and coat the bottom and sides of the bowl. Take your seasoning (which is easy to throw together, or you can just buy premade!) and sprinkle all over the butter.
Now, drizzle a small amount of olive oil on your hands and coat the ball of dough lightly with your slick hands. With the seamed side down, plop the dough into the bowl and cover again with a towel.
After an hour, the dough will have risen again and will be covered with the seasoning. At the 45 minute mark, preheat your oven with a Dutch oven inside.
Lightly placing your hand on the top of the bowl, gently turn the bowl over and place your dough on parchment paper.
Lightly score the top of the dough with a sharp knife with an ‘X’ across the top. Put the bread in the preheated Dutch oven and cook covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.
The crust should be a golden brown and the seasoning toasted. Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven and set aside to cool. Eat with butter or your favorite sandwich fixings!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Bread Base
500 g all-purpose flour (about 3 loosely scooped cups)
1 packet of yeast (2 1/4 tsps)
2 TB honey
1 1/4 cups warm water (around 110°)
1/2 TB salt
Everything Bagel Seasoning
1 1/2 TB sesame seeds
1 1/2 TB poppy seeds
2 tsps dried minced onion
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Additional Ingredients
1 TB butter
A drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
Whisk the yeast and honey into the water. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until frothy. Whisk to absorb the yeast.
In a standing mixer with the bread hook attachment, mix the flour with the salt. Slowly add the water mixture to the flour, pushing down the sides with a flat rubber spatula, as needed. If needed, mix the last of the flour in by hand within the bowl. Once thoroughly mixed, turn the speed of the mixer to about 4, letting the dough slap the side of the bowl for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the top of the dough. Unstick the dough from the side of the bowl and turn flour side down. Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise ~ about 1 hour.
Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl.
Prepare a large bowl by rubbing the butter along the sides and bottoms. Sprinkle the season around the bowl, swishing and turning the bowl to move the seasoning onto the butter coating.
When the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and kneed for 30 seconds on a lightly floured surface or bread board. Tuck edges under, forming a ball. Drizzle your hands lightly in olive oil and lightly rub over the ball of dough. Seam side down, plop the ball of dough into the prepared bowl of seasoning. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise again for 1 hour.
At the 45 minute mark, start preheating your oven to 450° with your Dutch oven pot inside.
When ready, lightly place your hand on top of the dough and gently turn the dough over, placing it on parchment paper. With a sharp knife, lightly score the top of the dough with an ‘X’.
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough, on the parchment paper, inside the Dutch oven. Place the lid on it and return to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the top is golden and the seasoning toasted.
Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Everything Bagel Crusty Artisan Bread, Everything Bagel, Crusty Bread, Artisan Bread