Butter Hole Artisan Bread

Depending on rise time it can be considered quick artisan bread or quick sour dough bread if you don't have a sour dough starter.

I love this bread for making sandwiches and to eat with jam and butter. It is so good and much better for you then store bought bread. However, homemade bread does not last very long, so be sure to eat it throughout your week or leave in freezer and warm up when you are ready to eat it.

This bread has two rising recommendations depending on how fermented you prefer your dough. I like to wait at least a day before cooking, as the sour dough-esk taste is pleasant to me. However, you can raise your dough anywhere from 4-8 hours if you like a simple white artisan bread with a bit of flavor. I have included optional additives for you loaf, if you enjoy bread with inclusions.

Artisan White Bread or Quick Sour Dough (you decide)

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups of flour

• 2 tsp of kosher salt

• 1 tsp of yeast

• 1 TBSP of honey

• 1 3/4 cup of water-2 cups

• 1 tsp of avocado oil

• 1 Dutch Oven

Optional Ingredients:

• 8 whole cloves or garlic cut into halves or fourths

• 1/8 cup of olive oil

• 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves finely chopped

• 1/2-1 cup of Cheddar cheese

• 1/2-1 cup of Asiago Cheese

Add optional ingredients before cooking, stir ingredients in after 8-15 hours of rise so the bread has the opportunity to rise again with ingredients. Makes for fluffy bread.

Directions

1. Take 1/2 cup of 107 degree water and mix honey, yeast, 3 TBSP of flour into a bow and allow to activate the yeast for 20 mins or so. It should be frothy and bubbly before incorporating it into your flour.

2. Add the rest of your flour into a separate bowl and mix in the warm 107 degree water that is not incorporated into the yeast into the flower.

3. Add salt to the bowl.

4. Take your yeast and add to the bowl

5. The dough should be wet and you old need to stir the dough until it has a small amount of stretch to it.

6. Coat the top of the dough with the oil and wrap in plastic wrap and a towel.

7. Set aside for 4-8 hours if you want a simple artisan loaf that is not tangy.

8. Set aside for 24-48 hours if you want a tangy sour dough loaf.

9. After rising, the dough should begin to pull away from the bowl.

10. Take your Dutch oven, and place in your oven and heat it to 425 degrees. This should take 30-45 mins. While it is heating up prepare your loaf.

11. Do not kneed the dough, simply fold in the four corners of the loaf, cut a line through the top of the loaf (not super deep. Line the inside of your Dutch oven with parchment paper once it has reached ideal temperature.

12. Place loaf in hot Dutch Oven and cook with lid on for 30 mins.

13. Take lid off and cook for another 15-20 mins or until the top of the load is crispy.

14. Take out and let cool. Do not cut into hot bread, leave for at least 1-2 hours before cutting.

NOTE: Bread is not done cooking if you can hear bubbles popping in the loaf. Sometimes the loaf is too hot to hit the bottom of the loaf, but if you can, it should sound hollow. I personally listen to the bread to see if it is bubbling. No bubble sounds, bread is done.