Raisin Ricotta Bread With Chive Butter Recipes

CRUSTY CHIVE BREAD

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt, yeast, and chives in a large bowl until combined. Mix in water, and stir until combined. It will be sticky, but this will change overnight. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and keep it covered (no peekinovernight! Ideally let this rest for 12-18 hours. (I prepare it around 7pm, and don't bake it until around 8am the following morning). Alternatively, you can prep it around 7am and make it around 8pm the same day, if nights are easier for you to bake.
• The next morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Place a 6-quart dutch oven in the oven to preheat it. The bread comes out much better when the oven and the pan are hot.
• Meanwhile, generously flour a dry, clean work surface in the kitchen (this can be your counter, cutting board, etc.). The dough will be bubbly and much puffier than the night before - it's ready to go! Using your hand, gently loosen the dough from the sides, and put it onto the generously floured work surface. Gently coat the dough in the flour and shape it into a ball (no kneading required!). Lay out a sheet of parchment paper, and place the dough ball in the center. Cover the dough with a layer of plastic wrap, and let this sit for 30 minutes while the oven and pan heat up.
• Next, carefully remove the hot pan from the oven (use mitts!!) and take the lid off (again, mitts please!). Take the plastic wrap off of the bread, pick up the parchment paper with the bread in the middle, and place this into the hot dutch oven. Please be very careful, as the pan is VERY hot - I wear the oven mitts as I lower the parchment paper with dough into the pan. Center the dough in the pan as much as you can, replace the lid, and put the pan back into the oven.
• Bake for 30 minutes WITH the lid on. After this, carefully remove the lid, and let it bake for 10-15 minutes WITHOUT the lid. This will all for a great crust to finish.
• The bread will be golden brown and a crust will have formed when done. Take the pan out of the oven, and immediately remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. Be careful doing this, but if you don't do this immediately, the bread can get soggy on the bottom.
• Let cool for 30-60 minutes, and enjoy!