I add more water because I find it gets gassy'er (is there such a word?) and yes, I use a lot of flour when placed on cheese cloth and as I mould it. The dough absorbs what it needs while it is resting, waiting for the pots to be heated. If you see my picture of the dough resting, they are completely covered in flour.
My reasoning for the olive oil splash (and by splash, (it's a good amount of olive oil - tonight I will measure just how much I put in) is so the crust doesn't form as thick and as quickly. I believe this allows the bread inside to cook for a longer period of time before the crust is formed.
I don't have sticky dough by the time I place in the pots and I've never had it stick to the cheese cloth (tea towel if that is being used).
When it hits the pot it should form an almost instant seal and be able to slide around if need be. If it's not, maybe your pot isn't hot enough.
Are you cooking it as one loaf? When I cook as one loaf I extend the covered cooking time by almost 15 mins because it is too wet/dense for my liking. Maybe that is the shine you're talking about? I haven't made just one loaf in a long time. I always make at least 2 out of the dough, but more often then not it is 4-8 pieces that get cooked.
No Fuss. No knead. Homemade Boules of Bread
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Maximus
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No Fuss. No knead. Homemade Boules of Bread
Pile the flour on. Don't be afraid to over flour it. Cheese cloth or a pastry cloth is an amazing asset to making any dough recipe.Brebis wrote:QR_BBPOST We've been making it for quite a few years now. It's so simple my DH loves to make it and can't mess it up!
Only problem I find with it is the gooey, floured tea towel that needs to be washed after! I'm also not fond of playing with very hot heavy cast iron pots, so be careful. Otherwise, it's a great bread recipe and highly recommended!
Thanks for reminding me about it just may have to make some this weekend....
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No Fuss. No knead. Homemade Boules of Bread
Thanks for the info...I plan on trying your recipe soon. 
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Norma 
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Maximus
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No Fuss. No knead. Homemade Boules of Bread
I made a spelt version of this today. I love spelt anything. It's soft and luxurious. I was first turned onto spelt bread by a bread bakery in Kingston call 'Fred's Bread'. Simply the best!!!
2 2/3 cups of spelt flour
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups of warm water
No olive oil in this one.
I let it sit longer because spelt and I aren't always friends when it comes to making bread. So it sat on the counter for 18-19hrs.
When I scraped out of bowl onto floured cheese cloth, I smoothered it in spelt flour and let the dough sit and absorb necessary flour for an hour. I preheated pot and oven while I let the boule do its thing. Then covered the boule in flour before transferring to hot pot for the repeated Dutch oven method.
Turned out fantastic!
By the way, spelt bread, IMO, makes the best cinnamon French toast! (Oven method). So incredibly full of flavour and delish!
2 2/3 cups of spelt flour
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups of warm water
No olive oil in this one.
I let it sit longer because spelt and I aren't always friends when it comes to making bread. So it sat on the counter for 18-19hrs.
When I scraped out of bowl onto floured cheese cloth, I smoothered it in spelt flour and let the dough sit and absorb necessary flour for an hour. I preheated pot and oven while I let the boule do its thing. Then covered the boule in flour before transferring to hot pot for the repeated Dutch oven method.
Turned out fantastic!
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No Fuss. No knead. Homemade Boules of Bread
Mmmm. That sounds lovely and very rustic. I'm going to copy that recipe.
I have also been making bread since retiring. I used to make it when I was a stay-at-home mom many years ago, too. But now I get to experiment with different mixtures of ingredients. I usually been make it at night to slice it in the morning when it is nice and soft!
There is a term for that very loose dough left for the first proofing. I'm going to look it up!
I have also been making bread since retiring. I used to make it when I was a stay-at-home mom many years ago, too. But now I get to experiment with different mixtures of ingredients. I usually been make it at night to slice it in the morning when it is nice and soft!
There is a term for that very loose dough left for the first proofing. I'm going to look it up!
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No Fuss. No knead. Homemade Boules of Bread
OK... It's called a "sponge". This is the info I got from: http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ ... king-termsKimChick wrote:QR_BBPOSTKimChick wrote:QR_BBPOST Mmmm. That sounds lovely and very rustic. I'm going to copy that recipe.
I have also been making bread since retiring. I used to make it when I was a stay-at-home mom many years ago, too. But now I get to experiment with different mixtures of ingredients. I usually been make it at night to slice it in the morning when it is nice and soft!
There is a term for that very loose dough left for the first proofing. I'm going to look it up!
Poolish - A type of preferment, poolish is a wet sponge made of equal parts flour and water by weight and a small amount of commercial yeast.
Preferment - A portion of dough that is already populated with yeast (either wild or commercial) and added to freshly-mixed bread dough to accelerate fermentation and improve flavor.[/quote]
And this site - http://www.breadexperience.com/bread-baking-terms/ - has more terms, like "benching" is the first rise; "proofing" is the second rise when shaped into a loaf.
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