Big Weather's Big Recipe: Easy Bread

Bread. It's just the best. Seriously, I love bread! And I love all kinds. Plus, fresh baked bread makes the whole house smell amazing.

This recipe was sent to me by a viewer named Jan. It is the easiest bread recipe you will ever make and it looks like you spent all day on it when it comes out of the oven. Let's get to it.

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 small Pkg of yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups warm water (up to 130 F)

Parchment Paper

Instructions:

1. I sifted the flour. You do not have too, but the bread will have a much more dense texture.

2. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.

3. Stir in water until it's mixed.

4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it stand for 1 hour.

5. After 45 minutes, place a Dutch oven with lid in a cold oven and preheat to 450 F.

6. After an hour, put the dough on a well-floured surface and sprinkle with more flour.

7. I used a scraper to fold dough over 10-12 times & shape into a ball.

8. Put the dough in a parchment paper lined bowl (not wax paper) and cover with a towel or another bowl. Let stand on counter top for 15 minutes.

9. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven.

10. Using oven gloves, lift the parchment paper with the dough and put it into the hot pot.

11. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

12. After 30 minutes, remove lid and return it, uncovered, to bake for 10 - 15 more minutes.

13. Let it cool on a cooling rack for, at least, 15 minutes before slicing.

That's it. 4 ingredients and lots of yum. Throw some real butter on it and I am it heaven. A special thank you to the Mills family for the sifter! You can support their work at the Durham Rescue Mission.

Finally, this can be a fun one to make with the kids since you get to make the counter a mess. Enjoy!