Better Than Great Harvest!

I've had a request to post the recipe of the most delicious bread I have ever made.  You guys will love it.  You know that delicious Cinnamon Swirl bread you can get at Great Harvest?  Yeah, well, this is better.  And, it's the easiest bread you will ever make...

This is standard Artisan Bread with white chocolate chips and cinnamon added to the dough.  There are a ton of different add-ins you can use to change the flavor, or just leave it plain.  It's all delicious.  The only thing is, you have to plan ahead.  This bread needs to rise for a few hours.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. yeast (any kind)
1 1/2 C water (or juice to replace the water for different flavors)

In a medium bowl mix flour, salt and yeast together.  Stir in any additional add-ins (see below) at this time.  Add water and stir until the dough comes together.  Don't knead, just get it into a "shaggy mess" and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Now, leave it on the counter for 12-18 hours.  (Or use lukewarm water and it only needs to rise for about 4-5 hours)

An hour before you want to eat:

Heat the oven to 450.  Place your pot (I use a 3 quart casserole dish with a lid, you can use a roasting pan, or even a pizza stone) in the oven as it preheats.

While the oven is heating, prepare the dough as follows.  Put a little flour on a square of parchment paper, scrape the dough onto the paper and use the flour to shape the dough into a ball.  Remember not to knead the dough, you want air bubbles and variation in the ball.
When the oven is ready, remove the hot pot, take off the lid and place the parchment paper with the dough on it inside the pot.  Replace the lid and place the lidded pot inside the hot oven.

Cook the bread for 35 minutes with the lid on, and then remove the lid to cook for another 7-10 minutes, depending on your oven's heat.  Use foil to cover the top of the bread if it is getting too brown.  Once the bread is done, remove the pot from the oven, take the bread out of the pot and let it cool on a cooling rack.

You are going to be tempted to start eating it right away, but wait about 10 minutes so you don't burn your hands and mouth and everything on it's way down.  It's much easier to slice once it has cooled, and much more enjoyable to eat when you haven't burned your tongue off.  But trust me, you're going to want to devour the whole thing immediately.

Here are some ideas for add-ins to mix up the flavors a bit:

• 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 C white chocolate chips, orange zest and the juice from the orange (in place of a portion of the water)
• White chocolate chips and whole pecans
• dried cherries, almonds, orange zest and orange juice
• kalamata olives
• lemon zest, basil sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese
• jalapenos and pepper jack cheese
• fresh garlic, rosemary and parmesan cheese (sprinkle extra cheese on top before baking)
• bacon and cheddar cheese
• rosemary, feta, sun-dried tomatoes
• chocolate chips and craisins
• thinly sliced garlic
• cinnamon chips
• oregano

My kids favorite way to eat it (when it's not cinnamony and white chocolatey) is with a little rosemary or oregano and we dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's divine.

K, go make your dough, and let me know how amazing it is!  How fast it goes!  How much YOU ate.