This recipe yields a small bread round perfect for 2 or 3 people to share with a meal, with no leftovers likely. The outside is crunchy and crisp, the inner crumb tender and flecked with holes. This is an easy bread to make; everything is done by hand, and kneading isn't necessary.
Course: Bread
Keyword: yeast bread
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
digital thermometer
cotton towel or napkin
small cast iron skillet or small stoneware dish
parchment paper
Ingredients
1teaspoonactive dry yeast
1teaspoonhoney
2/3cupswarm water 100-110 degrees
1teaspoonkosher salt
1 to 1 2/3cupsall-purpose flour plus more for dusting
Instructions
In a large bowl, stir together the yeast, honey, and warm water. Let it sit about 5 to 10 minutes. The yeast should activate and begin to bloom near the top of the water.
Add flour. Using a sturdy spoon, stir until everything starts to come together, then add the kosher salt. Continue mixing until no dry flour remains in the bowl. The dough should be shaggy and somewhat sticky. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and stash it in a warm spot in the kitchen to rise for an hour. It should double in size.
Set out a small bowl and layer a cotton towel inside. Generously flour the towel. Lightly flour a work surface. Tip the dough onto the work surface. Be gentle as to not lose the bubbles. Shape the dough with cupping and tucking motions, drawing the round to be tighter by tucking the rough bits underneath. Place the formed round in the floured-towel bowl with the seam underneath. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap to rise for 30 minutes.
Begin preheating the oven at 450-degrees. Place the small cast iron or stoneware inside the oven to heat up as well--and please remember to use potholders when handling it throughout the baking process!
Pull out a piece of parchment paper. Tip the risen bread onto the parchment, gently tugging it free with the towel if it sticks in spots. Pull the hot pan from the oven. Use the parchment as a sling to set the parchment and bread inside the pan as levelly as possible.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. The bread should be browned and sound hollow if tapped on the bottom. Let cool about 10 to 15 minutes so that it can be handled to be sliced and enjoyed. If there are any leftovers, store them in a sealed bag at room temperature or to freeze for later. Freshly-made bread is best eaten within a day.