Pane Cassereccio Recipe Italian Country Bread

PANE CASERECCIO (HOMEMADE BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer, using the paddle.
• Add water in a drizzle until a very sticky dough has formed.
• If dough seems dry, than add a bit more, a spoonful at a time.
• Take bowl from mixer and cover with a towel and leave in a warm (but not hot) place over night.
• Scrape dough out of bowl with a spatula onto a lightly floured surface.
• Flour your hands and form the mass of dough into a ball without kneading.
• Gingerly lay the dough on a lightly floured tea towel, then fold ends of the towel on top of the dough.
• Let the bread rise again until doubles in size, which can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.
• About 30 minutes before second rise is over, preheat oven to 400.
• Put a 4 12 or 5 1/2 quart cast iron casserole (about 10" in diameter) with its cover in oven to preheat along with the oven itself.
• For the next step: Make sure you have heavy oven mitts (it'll be tohot for a towel and proceed with care).
• Take casserole out of oven using oven mitt and lay on a heat resistant surface.
• Remove cover and lay aside.
• Take the towel with dough and quickly flip dough into casserole (it will go in "upside down" which is fine).
• Shake casserole, if need be to center dough and then quick re-cover it.
• Put casserole back in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Take out of oven and remove cover (the bread will be ever so slightly browned).
• Put casserole back in oven, uncovered and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until bread has developed a beautiful golden brown crust.
• Turn bread out onto a cooling rack and leave until it has completely cooled.
• When coolded completely, after about 45 minutes to an hour, it is ready to enjoy.