Frugal eats - Crusty Bread

3 cups unbleached AP flour (do not reccomend subing specialty flours in this recipe)

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

Flour for dusting

3 quart or larger cast iron pan with lid (or similar use pan such as "stone" or "clay")

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a "shaggy" mixture forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours (overnight). Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees with a cast iron pot/lid inside.  Continue to heat the pan/lid for 30 minutes. While the pot is heating, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap until pot is ready. Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

You can make this bread as above for plain crusty bread, or stir in ingredients (at the start) to change it up such as dried spices, citrus zest, diced nuts, dried berries etc. We like to add 1 Tbsp of vanilla (put in measuring cup before adding water so that it counts as part of your liquid), 1 Tbsp cinnamon and dried raisins to ours and enjoy for breakfast toasted and then slathered with peanut butter.

Basic recipe and pic pulled from Simply So Good and tweeked for my taste.