I was looking for a bread recipe that calls for cracked wheat and stumbled upon this (which does not). It looks interesting. And this is perfect weather for this sort of thing–cold, gray, nasty, and drizzly. I’m not inclined to commit to it though, but I thought I’d share.

“Instead of using just all-purpose flour, you can also use whole wheat flour, oats, multi-grain, or rye, by themselves or in combination with all-purpose flour. … Making scores in the top of the dough in the shape of a cross is an old European custom asking God to bless the bread and the family who will eat it. It is also giving thanks for the ingredients to make the bread.”

From “Tributes,” in Cooking with Czech Recipes Cookbook, Texas Czech Genealogical Society (2021)

EUROPEAN-STYLE DUTCH OVEN BREAD AND SOME VARIATIONS

3 C flour, plus about 2 Tablespoons extra flour for shaping
2 tsp salt, you can decrease to 1 or 1½ teaspoons
¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
1½ C lukewarm water, plus additional water for spritzing top of bread before baking
Extras – optional
Dried fruit (example, 6 ounces Craisins), nuts or seeds (about ½-¾ cup, herbs, cinnamon
and raisins, cheese, etc.

Combine 3 C flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. “If you want to add some dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or herbs, or cinnamon and raisins, you may add them at this time.” Stir in 1½ C lukewarm water until well combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or kitchen tea towel or plate and let stand at room temperature “to rise slowly for 8 to 12 hours, up to 18 hours. It will become puffy and covered with small bubbles.”

After the slow rise, transfer dough to a well-floured surface , sprinkle with about 2 Tbsp of additional flour and using a plastic scraper, fold dough over 10 to 12 times and shape into a ball. Place in a slightly greased parchment paper-lined bowl, “not wax paper,” cover with a towel and let stand on counter top for 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, place a Dutch oven with a lid in a cold oven and preheat to 450˚. Lightly flour top of dough. Cut a large cross in top of dough with a sharp knife about ½-inch deep, “this scoring allows the dough to rise and expand in a controlled manner and prevents random cracking.” Right before putting bread into oven, spritz lightly with additional water, “this increases oven spring and makes a cracked, crispy crust.” When oven temperature reaches 450˚, carefully, “using oven mitts,” place dough with parchment paper into the hot pot. “Note: Yes, the parchment paper goes in the pot.”

Cover pot and bake 30 minutes with lid on. After 30 minutes, use oven mitts to remove the lid and return bread uncovered to oven and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven “carefully – it is very heavy.” Set on a wooden board or heat-safe area. Remove bread from Dutch Oven by lifting the parchment paper carrying the bread. Put bread on a baking rack to cool about 2 hours before serving. “This lets it complete the cooking process. Slicing it too soon will make the bread dense and gummy.”

SOME VARIATIONS

“You can actually use anything that sounds good.”
• cinnamon and raisins
• grated cheese
• 1/3 cup honey, ¾ cup chopped walnuts/pecans, ¾ cup raisins/Craisins
• For Rye Bread: use a 1:2 ratio (1 cup of rye for every 2 cups of regular flour). Add 1 Tablespoon caraway seeds