Knead not sourdough

I have started the Alton Brown "Knead Not Sourdough" recipe. 19 hours of covered and in the bowl lends to a recipe that needs to be thought out. But I am willing to do just about anything for a nice Artisan loaf at this time.

The bacon was just pulled from the Memphis Pro and is in the freezer right now preparing for slicing, and the tomatoes should be ready

If I can pull off a loaf tomorrow I will be ecstatic and have a Great BLT!

I guess. It just came out of the 19 hour period very sticky, put about an 1/8 cup of flour on it. It has probably tripled in size. Now at the ..."Punch down the dough and turn it over onto itself a couple of times. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest 15 minutes" Which I have done.

I am supposed to form into a ball after that proof until doubled in size. With the limited amount of yeast in it...1/2 teaspoon, that could be hours. And I do not have a Dutch oven to cook it in like the instructions call for, so I will form into a ball and proof and cook on my CI griddle.

It is also a 2 step cooking process with the Dutch oven, so I probably should have read closer before I chose this recipe. My attempts at adaptation never seem to work.

1. Oven baking: While the dough is rising the second time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven in the oven while it preheats. Once the dough is ready, carefully transfer it to the pre-heated Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 to 212 degrees F, another 15 minutes. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

This is usually where it all goes wrong, under or over proofed and it turns into a Damper wannaB rather then sourdough. I guess we will see about the time you all are getting up!

I do not usually get like this, but the 1st bite reminded me of being at a hotel dinner table in Bordeaux in 2007 and having the bread on the table before dinner. I know that is some weird stuff and I usually do not fall into that type of narrative. But I though it was ruined when I 1st look at it in the oven when the alarm went off!

This is by far the best crust I have ever had on a bread.

I cut the bread a little to thick...

I should have taken before photos, it was not excessive by any means. I went over it with wire brush on drill. Then soap and water, then seasoned. Funny, can't find any manufacture's marks, so I have no idea who made it. There is what you hopefully will see under lid and that is it (No 8 10 5/8IN). It was the last thing I took out of my Uncles place before ownership changed. I would venture to guess my uncles neither bought it nor cooked with it. So I will assume it was my Maternal Grandma's and she left VA in 1965 to come to CA!

Loaf of Sourdough being baked in it right now.

I like this batch, but I do not think the Dutch oven adds anything to the baking process. The recipe calls for 450° pre heated oven and Dutch oven. It says to cook with cover on for 30 minutes and then uncover and cook another 15 minutes of until bread is 203° IT. Well it was 210° at the end of 30 minutes. Next batch will be proofed in Dutch oven and then put in oven at the end of proof, with no lid and with pan of steaming water. This is by far the most simple and best bread recipe I have ever made. It is everything I want in a sandwich bread. I guess I should try making rolls at a lower temperature with it and see how they come out!