Ingredients
- No Knead bread recipe for large cloche
- 6 cups bread flour
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 ½ tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon fine table salt)
- 3 cups warm water
Preparation
Step 1
Mix dough-
The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover w plastic wrap & let sit 12 - 20 hours on counter top
Shape -
The dough will be wet, sticky & bubbly. Dump the dough on a floured surface, & using a wet spatula fold ends of dough over a few times & nudge it into the shape of your cloche.
Generously dust a smooth cotton towel w flour. Set dough, seam side down, on top of the towel & fold the towel over the dough. Let it nap for 2 hours.
Preheat-
When you've got about 20 mins left, slip your cloche into the oven & preheat to 450
Bake-
Your dough should have doubled in size. Holding the towel, turn over & dump the wobbly dough into the preheated cloche. You may need to use your hands to get the dough off the towel. It doesnt matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out.
Cover.
Bake 30 mins
Uncover, bake another 15 - 20 mins or til the crust is beautifully golden
.
Helpful hints:
Any bread recipe is suitable.
Baking in the cloche creates a miniature steam oven, and results in very nice crust.
Lightly grease the inside walls and bottom of the cloche bottom piece. Sprinkle with cornmeal.
You may find that you need to bake a bit longer and a bit hotter…experiment!
Do not use soap to clean cloche. Just brush and rinse. Eventually some discoloration may occur…consider it the cloche’s badge of honor.
Use the cloche for bread baking only.
Do not set a hot cloche on a cold surface.
Enjoy your cloche from the Wizard of Clay www.wizardofclay.com