What you need,
1 cup of warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F)
1 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
Pinch of granulated sugar
4 oz. unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
¾ tsp. dried red chili flakes
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
About 4 cups of bread flour, plus more for dusting
½ tsp. coarse ground black pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt
Olive oil
Sprinkle yeast over warm water, add a pinch of sugar and stir gently. Allow the yeast to rest for about 5 minutes. It should get foamy and frothy. If it doesn’t dump the mixture and start over!
Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted remove from heat and stir in the herbs, chili flakes and garlic. Set aside to cool off for a bit.
Place 3 ½ cups of the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add salt and pepper. Pour in the yeast mixture and the butter mixture. Stir on low speed for about 10 minutes. Add in more of the flour if needed. I added all 4 cups to start and it seemed a bit dry. The dough ball should be clean and not to stick to the sides or bottom of the bowl. The dough will be smooth and supple but a bit firm.
Place the dough in a large bowl, greased with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Once the dough has doubled in size place in a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 2 minutes, and form into a ball
In a large Dutch oven add about 2 tbsp. of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Placed the dough ball in the pot and slash the top with an X using a large knife. Drizzle 3 more tbsp. of olive oil over the top of the bread. Sprinkle the top of the bread with a little more salt and red pepper flakes.
Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes reduce the oven to 400 degrees and remove the lid. Allow the bread to cook for another 15 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pot until you can remove it from the pot with your hands. Cool completely on a rack.
Jen of My Tiny Oven
