No-Knead Dutch-Oven Nutty Boule
When you’re preparing to host a Christmas dinner in France, the choice of the bread(s) is as important as any course you will be serving. Usually each course gets accompanied by a different bread, each thoughfully paired with the food. Spice bread slices get toasted and served with foie gras. Dark breads such as rye or a viking banette get served with smoked salmon and seafood. Simple baguettes or rustic baguettes (such as traditon, festival or a meule de pierre) usually get served with the main dish. Finally, the cheese…
- Prep time
- 11 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 cups + 2 Tablespoons (390g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (or table salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (about 95°F (35°C))
- 125g nuts, seeds and/or dried fruits (of your choosing, I used a combination of walnuts, pistachios and sunflower seeds)
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sea salt, yeast, water and honey.
- 2
Stir in the nuts, seeds and/or dried fruits. Roughly mix with your hands until all the ingredients come together and shape into a rough ball. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, leave on a countertop at room temperature, and allow to rise for 12-18 hours. The dough will double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and be covered in air bubbles.
- 3
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball as best you can (it WILL be a bit sticky). Transfer the ball dough to a large piece of parchment paper. (Large enough to fit inside your dutch-oven – like the parchment you see inside the dutch oven on the photos).
- 4
Using a very sharp knife (or a baker’s razor blade), score an X into the top of the ball. Cover dough with a kitchen cloth and set aside for 30 minutes
- 5
During this 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 475°F. Place the dutch oven with its lid inside (so it is very hot once the dough is palced into it). After 30 minutes, carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven and place the dough inside (with the parchment paper). Cover with the lid and bake for 25 minutes.
- 6
Remove the lid and continue baking for 10 minutes, until the bread is golden.
- 7
Remove the Boule from the pot immediately, and allow to rest on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.