Flax And Caraway Seed Sourdough Bread Food

CARAWAY BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine caraway seeds, salt, honey, yeast mixture, whole wheat flour and 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Grease a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; sprinkle with cornmeal. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a round loaf; place on prepared pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°., Using a sharp knife, cut a large "X" in top of loaf. Bake on a lower oven rack 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

FLAXSEED MEAL SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Mixing and Gluten Development
• Holding some of the water back, thoroughly mix the ingredients in a bowl. Add the held back water slowly and only if it's needed to incorporate the dry ingredients. Cover and let the dough rest 30 minutes.
• Coil fold the dough several times until it tightens, then let it rest about 30 minutes. Repeat the coil folding and resting 1-2 more times.
• This dough will take longer than most to ferment (12 or so hours at 65F) because of the oil in the flaxseed meal. I stopped the bulk fermentation after the dough had doubled.
• Pre-Shape, Bench Rest and Shape
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly flour countertop and shape it into a ball, seam down. Cover and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Flour the top of the rested dough ball and flip it over. Shape the dough into a boule or batard, place it into the proofing basket seam-side up, and cover.
• Final Proof
• Let the dough proof 1-3 hours at room temperature or 10-14 hours in the refrigerator (or a combination of room and refrigerator proofing).
• Scoring and Baking
• Preheat your baking vessel 30 minutes at 500F.
• When the oven and dough are ready, flip the dough onto parchment paper, brush it with flour and score it.
• If you want to do a complicated score, trace lines with cooking string across the dough to create sections. Make cuts in the center of the dough and then work your way around section by section. See the photo gallery for more details.
• Load the dough into the baking vessel, cover and bake:
• 20 minutes at 500F
• 10 minutes at 450F
• Remove the lid and bake for 5-10 more minutes.
• The internal temperature of the bread should be 205F or higher. Let it cool at least an hour before cutting.

SOURDOUGH FLAX SEED BREAD

Steps:

• (Optional) Put the sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and poppy seeds in a hot, clean, dry skillet and stir them. Let them roast, with frequent stirrings, until they become fragrant. Be careful to make sure they don't scorch! Toasting the seeds makes them - and the bread - much more tasty. You may also roast the seeds in a 375F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix the active starter, water, oil and honey together. (I use my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook for this process.).
• Add the (optional) seeds.
• Stir in the flax meal.
• Add the salt and then stir in the flour one cup at a time until the dough is too thick to stir.
• Pour the dough onto a floured work surface (or turn up the speed on your Kitchen Aid) and knead until the dough is resilient. The dough is a rather sticky dough; it's important not to over-flour the dough.
• Once the dough is well kneaded, turn it out into an oiled bowl, turn and cover.
• Let it rise until doubled.
• Deflate the dough, knead briefly, cut and shape into rough loaves.
• Let the dough sit, covered, for 30 minutes, then shape into final loaves.
• Let rise, covered, until doubled.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Bake 30 to 45 minutes.
• Note:.
• Flax seeds are easily found in health food stores. The oils in them can become rancid, so either buy just what you need, or store the seeds in the refrigerator or freezer.

SOURDOUGH BREAD WITH CARAWAY SEEDS AND MOLASSES

Steps:

• Mix together the starter ingredients and tip into a clean jar. Leave it to rise in a warm place for 4-6 hours to at least double (but not collapse).
• When the starter has been rising for around 3-4 hours - in a large bowl, combine the molasses and water and mix it well. Add in the flour and mix it together into a rough dough. Ensure all the dough has been wet through. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let the dough rest.
• Once the starter has doubled, add it to the dough along with the caraway seeds and salt. Use wet hands to squish it all together until well combined. It's a bit messy and sticky but working quickly helps.
• Tip this sticky dough into a baking dish or tray and let it rest for 30 minutes before starting the coil-folding.
• Coil folding - Using wet hands, coax the sides of the dough up with your fingers and lift it up from the middle and back onto itself. See the video below for a demonstration. Turn the dough and repeat on all sides, until it forms a ball. If the dough sticks too much to your hands, wet them again.
• Repeat this every 30 minutes for three hours.
• Bulk ferment - let the dough rest in a warm spot until bulked out by 50%. It should look a lot puffier. How long this takes greatly depends on the warmth of your room. You can create a warm spot by gently preheating, then turning off the oven and placing the dough in there. Keeping the oven light on can make it a little warmer too.
• Line a banneton basket or bowl with a towel and flour it well.
• Tip your dough out on to floured work surface and gently form it into a rectangle. Take care at this shaping stage to not squash the dough too much and lose all the gases that have been forming.
• Take the bottom third of the dough and fold it up so it meets the middle. Take the right side of the dough and fold it to meet the middle, then do the same with the left side.
• Bring the top third of the dough down to meet the bottom. Now you have a sort of ball shape.
• Stitch this ball together by grabbing a little bit of dough from the top left and a little from the top right and bring them together to meet in the middle.
• Carry on doing this down the length of the dough. When you get to the bottom, grab a flap of dough and carry it up over the top of the stitched dough to meet at the top. This will again create a sort of ball.
• Gently grab this ball and roll it gently towards you on the bench. This will create some surface tension. All the while, take care not to de-gas your dough too much.
• Place in the floured bowl or basket, smooth side down.
• Cover with a floured tea towel and place in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours. This is when the flavor develops in the bread.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C as well as the cast-iron dutch oven. Let them preheat for at least 30 minutes until very hot. If you have no dutch oven, you can preheat an oven tray instead and later add ice cubes or water for steam.
• Once hot, remove the dutch oven from the oven and flour the bottom pan well. Remove the sourdough loaf from the fridge and gently tip it into the pan so the smooth side of the loaf is showing.
• Use a razor blade or sharp knife to score gashes into the loaf. This gives the steam a place to escape from when the bread bakes.
• Add on the lid of the dutch oven and place it in the oven. Bake covered for around 20 minutes.
• Remove the lid then bake uncovered for a further 15-20 minutes until browned to your liking.
• Let the loaf cool for 2 hours before slicing.

FLAX AND CARAWAY SEED SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• When making sourdough bread, since this is an active fermentation recipe, you will want to use the highest quality ingredients as possible. I recommend organic, unbleached and stone-ground flours only. Bread flour has a higher gluten content than all-purpose. Rye flour is one of my personal favorites and pairs really well with the caraway seeds. You can also use whole wheat or spelt flour. Use organic seeds. In this loaf I used gold flax seeds and caraway but you can also use brown flax seeds, sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame seeds! Only use filtered water as tap water will not work well for the fermentation process. Salt - also a very important ingredient. I recommend unrefined and unbleached sea salt or kosher salt. Use fine not coarse or flaky.
• If you are just starting out and don't have all of the sourdough bread tools yet, don't worry there are alternatives. You will need: 1. Kitchen Scale 2. Bowl (for mixing and proofing) 3. Kitchen Towel (lint free) Nice to Haves: 1. Dutch Oven 2. Bench Scraper 3. Proofing Basket (Banneton) 4. Lame (scoring tool)
• To make the levain, get a glass jar or bowl with a loose lid and add: 24 grams mature starter, 48 grams organic bread flour, 48 grams organic whole wheat flour, and 96 grams of filtered water. Note that all of your ingredients should be about the same temperature. If you are keeping your flours at 73°F then the filtered water should be about the same temperature. Mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula until no more dry flour bits are visible. Loosely cover the jar and place it in a cool, dark and draft free zone overnight.
• Your levain should have grown overnight and show signs of strength and activity. To test to see if the levain is ready, get a medium size bowl and fill it up with water. Take a teaspoon amount of the levain and gently place it into the bowl. If the levain is floating it is ready for use, if it drops to the bottom of the bowl, give the levain more time.
• Assuming that the levain is ready for use, it is time to make the dough. Place a large mixing bowl on your kitchen scale and add 400 grams bread flour, 100 grams rye, 75 grams flax seeds and 75 grams caraway seeds. Using your hand, mix until the seeds are well distributed throughout the flour. Next, add 350 grams of filtered water (same temperature as the flour), 130 grams of the levain and 10 grams sea salt. Using your hand, mix slowly until all of the dry bit have been absorbed.
• Dump the dough onto a clean work surface and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. To knead, use your dominant hand to push the dough with your palm away from you, then grab the dough with your fingers to pull it back. In the beginning, it will be messy but continue with the kneading process until the dough comes together and creates a smoother dough ball. Do not add any additional flour during this kneading process. Use your hand or bench scraper to bring the dough back together every minute or so. To test to see if the dough has enough gluten development and strength, lightly oil your hands, grab a small handful amount of the dough then use your fingers to carefully stretch the dough from the center out. If the dough tears easily it is not ready, if you can see through the thin layer of dough (window pane test), it is ready for bulk fermentation.
• Shape the dough into a ball then place it back into your bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel, cling film and a large plastic bag. Place the bowl into a dark, cool, draft-free zone for 3-5 hours. The colder the temperature, the longer it will take to ferment. During this time, the dough will continue to gain strength and trap carbon dioxide gasses which gives the dough volume and lightness. This fermentation is the same as the one that occurs in sauerkraut or kimchi!
• If the dough has grown, slightly domed and may even have some visible gas bubbles, it is ready for the next step. Lightly flour your work surface and carefully dump the dough out. Use your lightly flour hands or a bench scraper to loose the sides of the dough so it releases from the bowl. Stretch and fold all sides of the dough into the center until you have a tight ball, then turn the dough ball over until you have a tight ball. Allow the dough ball to rest while you prep your proofing basket. If you have a banneton proofing basket, liberally dust the inside with flour (I use rice flour but any flour will do). If you are using a rounded mixing bowl (glass, wood or ceramic), drape a lint-free kitchen towel into the inside of the bowl then liberally dust the inside with flour.
• By now, the dough has relaxed a bit and has spread out on your work surface. Once more, stretch and fold all sides of the dough into the center until you have a tight ball, then turn the dough ball over. Place your hands in front of the dough ball with the palms facing towards you and your pinkies touching the work surface. Now, slowly drag the dough ball towards you. Turn and drag and few times. This will tighten the dough ball and seal the bottom. Carefully flip the dough ball upside down into your palms and place it into the prepared proofing basket/bowl. The dough ball should be bottom side up so that when you turn out the dough onto parchment paper later, the seal of the dough ball will on the bottom. Place the proofing basket/bowl into a large plastic bag or cover with cling film or a kitchen towel, make sure that it does not touch the dough ball as it rises up. You can now place the proofing basket/bowl back into a dark, cool, draft-free zone for 3-4 hours or into the refrigerator for 12-16 hours.
• One hour before the dough is done proofing, preheat your oven to 500°F. If you are going to bake the bread in a dutch oven, add the dutch oven with the lid inside the oven while it is preheating. Both the oven and dutch oven need to be screaming hot. If you do not have a dutch oven, preheat the oven for 1 hour then add a rimmed baking sheet or a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack and fill it up with boiling hot water about half way. This will create steam during baking which results in a crusty crust!
• Get a large piece of parchment paper ready on your clean work surface. Carefully, invert the dough ball onto the parchment paper. You can now score the dough with a bread lame or a very sharp knife. This is optional, however, giving the dough at least one long and deep slash will allow the bread to expand during baking. The purpose is primarily to control the direction in which the bread will expand during "oven spring." Dutch Oven Instructions: Put on oven mitts then remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the parchment paper with the dough ball inside the dutch oven, cover with a lid and place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 500°F. Baking Sheet Instructions: Carefully place the parchment paper with the dough ball on a baking sheet then place it on the middle rack in the oven with the steam bath on the bottom. Bake with steam for 20 minutes at 450°F.
• Dutch Oven Instructions: Remove the lid from the dutch oven and lower the heat to 425°F. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Baking Sheet Instructions: Remove the rimmed baking sheet or a cast iron skillet with the water from the oven and bake without steam at 425°F for 25-30 minutes. If the bread is getting too dark, lower the heat to 400°F.
• Once the bread is fully baked, you can leave it inside your oven with the oven OFF and the oven door ajar for 20-30 minutes them move it to a wire rack to cool for at least 2 hours, ideally 5-8 hours before cutting in. If you cut into the bread while it is still warm the crumb will turn out gummy and the bread will go stale faster.

SOURDOUGH RYE WITH CARAWAY SEEDS

Steps:

• Combine the starter and water in a 6-quart bowl. Break up the starter well with a wooden spoon and stir until it loosens and the mixture is slightly frothy. Add the rye flour and stir until well combined. Add the whole wheat flour, salt, caraway seeds, and just enough of the bran flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead, adding remaining flour when needed, until dough is soft and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes, or make in a heavy-duty mixer. All finished rye doughs will remain slightly sticky. Be cautious about adding too much flour when kneading. The dough is ready when a little pulled from the mass springs back quickly.
• Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat with oil. Take the dough's temperature (ideal temperature is 78 degrees). Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and place in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees) draft free place until doubled in volume.
• Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up on the sides. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Cut into 2 equal pieces. Flatten each with the heel of your hand. Shape each piece into a 12-inch log for long loaves.
• Using 2 well-floured towels and wood blocks, make a couche* in a moderately warm draft-free place. Place the loaves seam side up the couche. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and let proof until almost doubled in volume, or until a slight indentation remains when the dough is pressed with the fingertip.
• Preheat the oven and baking stone on the center rack of the oven to 450 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking. The oven rack must be in the center of the oven. If it is in the lower 1/3 of the oven the bottom of the breads may burn, and if it is in the upper 1/3, the top crusts may burn. Gently slip the loaves from the couche onto a well-floured peel so that they are right side up. Using a very sharp, serrated knife or a single-edged razor blade, score the loaves by making quick shallow cuts 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep along the surface.
• Using the peel, slide the loaves onto the hearth. Quickly spray the inner walls and floor of the oven with cold water from a spritzer bottle. If there's an electric light bulb in the oven, avoid spraying it directly?it may burst. Spray for several seconds until steam has filled the oven. Quickly close the door to trap the steam and bake 3 minutes. Spray again in the same way, closing the door immediately so that steam doesn't escape. Bake until loaves begin to color, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake until loaves are a rich caramel color and the crusts are firm, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• To test the loaves for doneness, remove and hold the loaves upside down. Strike the bottoms firmly with your finger. If the sound is hollow, the breads are done. If it doesn't sound hollow, bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on wire racks.
• Note: If the dough temperature is higher than 78 degrees, put it in a cooler than (78 degree) place like the refrigerator, until the dough cools to 78 degrees. If it is lower than 78 degrees, put in it a warmer than 78 degree place until the dough warms to 78 degrees. The point is to try to keep the dough at 78 degrees during its fermentation. If you do have to move the dough, be gentle and don't jostle it, or the dough may deflate.
• *Couche?French for "couch" or "resting place". This is a simple holding device you make yourself for proofing long loaves like logs, torpedo shapes, and baguettes. Using well-floured canvas or linen towels create folds to separate loaves while hold them securely next to each other during proofing. Use a length of fabric at least a yard long. Place 12 to 16-inch wooden blocks cut from 2 by 4's at either long end to contain the loaves. Or substitute large books to contain the loaves.
• Place the chef in a tall 2 to 3-quart flat bottomed, round, clear plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Add the rye flour and spring water, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes thick and pasty. Mark the level of the mixture on the side of the container with a black marking pen. Scrape down, cover tightly, and let stand in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place until almost doubled in volume, 8 to 10 hours. The mixture will look light and spongy. You can observe the level of sourdough by using the black mark on the side of the container as an indicator. Do not let the sourdough ferment for longer than 10 hours, or the yeast may exhaust itself and the dough may not rise properly. The ripe chef has now produced 18 ounces of ripe sourdough, which you can use in any rye sourdough recipe.
• The Rye Chef: Day 1 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water 2/3 cup (3 ounces) organic stone-ground rye flour, preferably medium ground
• In a tall 2 to 3-quart clear plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, stir together the water and flour. Scrape down the sides of the container with a rubber spatula. Cover tightly and put in moderate (74 to 80 degree) place for 24 hours.
• Day 2 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water 2/3 cup (3 ounces) organic stone-ground rye flour, preferably medium ground
• Open the container. The young chef will probably show few signs of activity; the mixture will look like cardboard pulp. Don't worry! It's still a young chef. It will, however, have a sweet and musty smell and the beginnings of a tangy taste. Continue building the chef by adding the water and rye flour. Stir vigorously to bring fresh oxygen into the chef and distribute the fresh flour and water. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly and put in a moderate (74 to 80 degrees) place for another 24 hours.
• Day 3 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water 2/3 cup (3 ounces) organic stone-ground rye flour, preferably medium ground
• The chef should have expanded noticeably. There should be bubbles on the surface. Taste it; it will have a pronounced sour taste and smell. Hold the container up and observe the large and small holes formed beneath the surface. Stir it with a wooden spoon; you should hear the faint crackle of gas bubbles popping. The chef is very much alive and maturing. Insert the spoon again and lift it up slowly. Short glutinous strands will stick to the spoon. Once again, nourish the chef by vigorously stirring in another addition of the spring water and rye flour. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly again, and return to its moderate-temperature place. Let stand for another 24 hours.
• Day 4 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water 2/3 cup (3 ounces) organic stone-ground rye flour, preferably medium ground
• The chef is almost mature and ripe. It has expanded a great deal; maybe almost doubled in volume from Day 3, and it is very lively with bubbles and a well-developed cellular structure. You will see a honeycomb of large and small holes through the clear plastic container. Taste and smell the chef; it is pungent and unmistakably tangy, sour but not bitter. Nourish again with the last addition of spring water and rye flour, stirring vigorously. Using a black marker pen, mark the level of the chef on the side of the clear plastic container. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and let stand again in the same place for only 8 hours.
• If your chef was ripe, the mixture should almost double in volume. You can check its growth by comparing the height of the risen chef against the mark you made on the side of the container before the last rising.
• The chef is now ready to use to create your sourdough starter. If you are not going to make the starter immediately, refrigerate the chef in its tightly covered container for up to 3 days.

SEEDED SOURDOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• (9:00 a.m.)In a small container, mix the Levain ingredients and keep at 78°F (25°C) for 5 hours.
• (9:10 a.m.)Add the Seed Soaker ingredients (except the sunflower seeds) to a heatproof bowl and let soak until called for in bulk fermentation.
• (1:00 p.m)In a medium mixing bowl, add the Autolyse ingredients and mix until no dry bits remain. Cover the bowl and let rest for 1 hour.
• (2:00 p.m.)To the mixing bowl holding your dough, add the Final Mix ingredients and mix to incorporate. Then, strengthen the dough for another 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer your dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover.
• (2:10 p.m. to 5:40 p.m.)Give the dough 4 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals, where the first set starts 30 minutes after the start of bulk fermentation. Before the first set of stretch and folds, spread the seed soaker, sunflower seeds, and lemon zest (optional) over the dough. Each set of folds will help incorporate the mixture into the dough.
• (5:40 p.m.)Lightly flour your work surface and scrape out your dough. Using your bench knife, divide the dough in half. Lightly shape each half into a round shape. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, uncovered.
• (6:10 p.m.)Shape the dough into a round (boule) or oval (batard), top with a mixture of sesame, flax, and fennel, and place in proofing baskets.
• (6:20 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. the next day)Cover proofing baskets with reusable plastic and seal them shut. Then, place both baskets into the refrigerator and proof overnight.
• (Preheat oven at 8:00 a.m., bake at 9:00 a.m.)Preheat your oven with a combo cooker or Dutch oven inside to 450°F (230°C). When the oven is preheated, remove your dough from the fridge, score it, and transfer it to the preheated combo cooker. Place the cooker in the oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 20 minutes. After this time, remove the lid (you can keep it in the oven or remove it) and continue to bake for 30 minutes longer. When done, the internal temperature should be around 208°F (97°C). Let the loaves cool for 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.

SOURDOUGH RYE BREAD WITH CARAWAY

Steps:

• Mix sourdough starter with warm water with a whisk until thoroughly combined.
• Add rye flour a little bit at a time, incorporating well before each addition.
• Add bread flour in the same way, first in the mixing bowl and then turned out on to a floured surface while kneading, until you get a uniformly elastic ball of dough that is tacky but not sticky. This may take about 10 minutes.
• Make a hole into the center of the dough and add the salt and caraway seed, and continue kneading another 5 minutes or so, until the seeds are dispersed throughout the bread dough.
• Coat a bowl with a thin layer of canola oil, add the dough and roll the dough around until all sides are covered with oil. Cover well, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Punch down dough, cut in half and form loaves.
• Leave out on a warm counter, covered, to rise until doubled in size. The length of time will depend on the vigor of your starter, but this may take a few hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, bread will appear lightly browned.
• Cool on racks.
• Freezes well.

GERMAN COUNTRY STYLE SOURDOUGH RYE BREAD WITH CARAWAY SEEDS

Steps:

• To make the sourdough Sponge.
• Mix all the ingredients together to make a smooth paste, cover with a tea towel and leave to ferment overnight at room temperature, for between 8 to 12 hours.
• To make the bread.
• When you are ready to make the bread, pour the water into the bucket, followed by all of the sourdough sponge and then add the caraway seeds.
• The add in this order: rye flour, salt, sugar and then the white bread flour.
• Finally sprinkle the dried yeast over the top and fit the bucket into the bread machine/maker.
• Set to the rapid wholemeal setting, for a medium sized loaf (750g) with the crust setting of your choice.
• Once the bread has cooked - take it carefully out of the bucket and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack. Remove the paddle if it is still in the bread before slicing.
• Serve with soups, hams, cold meats, cheese and pickles or make sandwiches of your choice.

NO KNEAD SOURDOUGH FLAX SEED BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine 4 1/2 cups flour, flax seed meal, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the active starter, water, olive oil and honey.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid mixture, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky (too sticky to knead).
• Add additional 1/2 cup flour if necessary to reach the desired consistency.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a towel. Let dough rest at room temperature (70 degrees) for at least 4-5 hours.
• Place bowl in refrigerator and allow to continue to rest an additional 8-12 hours.
• Remove from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature (approximately 1 hour).
• The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
• Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; split the ball in half, sprinkle with a little more flour and fold each ball over on itself once or twice.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
• Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.
• Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flax seed, wheat bran, cornmeal or flour; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flax seed, wheat bran, cornmeal or flour.
• Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. (I place towel in a bowl to help shape the loaf.).
• When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
• At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Put a dutch oven (cast iron, cast aluminum or enamel) in oven to pre-heat.
• When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.
• Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that's O.K.
• Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
• Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.