Pot baking offers a very different approach to baking. It is a simple, low-input method that produces excellent results. Give it a try and your baking just may be transformed!

The recipe is for a medium sized LeCreuset, but a good iron pot/camp oven is excellent…or a clay baking pot (which must be well seasoned). The recipe can be adjusted accordingly, either by doubling the ingredients or simple proportional increases with the bakers percentage formula.

We used Shipton Mill traditional organic white flour, but any good white will work.

For more thoughts and ideas on this process read our Focus on Bread: The Easiest Bread Ever.

Ingredients

520g Traditional organic white flour…or other such as No 1.

¼ teaspoon Shipton mill organic yeast.

2 teaspoons good sea salt.

400g warm water.

Method

Oil your pot well with a good Virgin oil and, if you like, cut a round of baking paper to place in the bottom just to make sure it comes out easily.

Mix the flour and salt. Whisk the yeast into the water, then add to the flour/salt mix.

Mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until all the flour is incorporated into a rough dough; this usually takes 1 or maybe 2 minutes.

Place the mix in the well-oiled pot, lid on and … off to bed.

Your dough should be well risen by the morning, 8 hours, and ready to bake. Put the pot into a pre-heated 240 oven to bake. After 15 minutes remove the lid, turn the oven down to 200 and bake a further 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, slip a knife around the edge to loosen the loaf and turn it out of the pot. Remove baking paper and its there!

For a crustier loaf, you can put the loaf back in for 5 – 10 minutes, depending on how you like your crust.