Baking bread doesn’t have to be complicated. Using readily-available ingredients and simple techniques, any baker can whip up a warm batch of comfort, perfect for sharing with a neighbor or friend.
Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons coarse
kosher sea salt
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
warm water
1/2 cup raisins (fresh is best)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped
toasted pecans
Preparation
Whisk the flour, salt, cinnamon and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add the water and stir until incorporated.
Toss in the raisins and pecans, mix the dough gently, and form into a rough ball.
Transfer to a large clean (ungreased) bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free area at room temperature until surface of dough is covered with tiny bubbles and the dough has more than doubled in size for 12-18 hours.
Place a Dutch oven in the cold oven with the lid on and preheat oven to 450°.
Place a piece of parchment paper on counter and dust it generously with flour. Rub flour on hands and scoop dough away from sides of the bowl to remove and place it on the parchment paper.
Lightly dust dough with flour, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and trim parchment paper into a close circle around the dough.
Using a sharp knife, at a 90 degree angle, score an X in the top of the loaf. Each score mark should be about 3 1/2 inches long and about 1/4 inch deep. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top of the bread with water.
Take Dutch oven out, and transfer the dough still on the parchment paper to the Dutch oven.
Place lid on and cook in oven 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue cooking 8-12 minutes or until the top is nice and dark (but not burnt).
Remove from the oven and transfer the loaf of bread to a cooling rack.
