Here is another variation I have been working on with some whole wheat flour. In this recipe I do not refrigerate the dough. This does seem to develop slightly more flavor. I also have a lot more counter space than fridge space! While no second rise is required if you do decide to allow your dough to set for a second rise or of you find it difficult to pick up the sticky dough up from the counter another option is putting the dough directly on lightly floured parchment paper. Leave the parchment under the dough as you bake the bread. This makes transferring the bread from the counter to the pot far easier with out deflating your loaf.
3 Cups KA white Whole wheat flour
2 Cups KA bread flour
3 1/4 ounce packages of quick or rapid rise yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
Combine all dry ingredients and hand mix.
Then add;
1/4 cup EVOO
3 1/4 cups warm water.
Hand mix.
Cover container plastic wrap and leave on counter for 18-24 hours.
Dough will double in size.
As soon as I place the bread on the parchment and set it in the Le Creuset I mist the bread with water. I then follow the same procedure as above baking covered for 50 minutes and uncoverd an additional ten.
There is a little trick to using the parchment. If there is excess parcment on the ends you used as a handle when lifting the dough from the counter in to your cast iron pot do NOT stuff it in your baking vessel! This can prevent the bread from rising or cause a deformed loaf (gotta hate it when that happens). Just leave it outside the lid. This works far better than cutting the parchment short and trying to stuff the excess in the pot with the dough. If you do that it can prevent the dough from rising in the pot.
