Yeast Breads

1. Whisk flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl until combined. Add water and vinegar and stir until a shaggy dough forms, then knead dough in bowl until no dry flour remains, about 1 minute. Cover bowl with plastic and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

2. Scrape dough out onto a well-floured surface and use fingertips to pull edges toward the center. Rotate dough 90 degrees and continue pulling and rotating until dough forms a rough ball. Flip dough, seam side down, on counter, then cup the underside with palms (bottom of dough should still be touching counter) and rotate 90 degrees. Use outside of your palms to tuck edges underneath, then repeat rotating and tucking until dough forms a taut ball, adding more flour to counter and hands as needed.

3. Transfer dough to center of a 15" square of parchment paper, then, grasping corners of parchment, move dough (with paper) to a large bowl. Cover and let sit in a warm place until nearly doubled in size and air bubbles appear on surface, 1 to 2 hours. If desired, use a sharp knife to make three shallow slashes on top of loaf after dough rises, working carefully so as to avoid deflating dough.

4. About 30 minutes before dough is ready, place a large Dutch oven (with lid) on upper-middle rack of oven and heat to 450 degrees. Carefully remove preheated pot from oven, place dough (with paper) inside, cover again, and return to oven. Bake 30 minutes, then uncover, rotate pot, and continue to bake until crust is golden brown and center registers 200 degrees, about 15 more minutes. Turn off oven.

5. Use parchment to remove loaf from pot, then carefully return loaf (without parchment) to oven rack. Prop oven door open and let cool completely, about 2 hours.

Source: Hannaford fresh Magazine, January - February 2020