Meyer Lemon & Rosemary Bread

 Ingredients:

 3 cups all-purpose flour I recommend King Arthur brand

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast not quick-rise

1 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons of Meyer lemon zest (you will need 2-3 lemons

1 1/3 cups room temperature or lukewarm water

Cornmeal as needed white or yellow is fine

Instructions

Day 1:

o   Combine the flour, yeast, salt, rosemary and lemon zest in a large bowl by stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the water and stir until the dry ingredients are well-moistened and a shaggy, sticky dough has formed (I sometimes have to use my hands to lightly knead and work all the ingredients into a loose mass). Transfer the dough to a clean bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit at room temperature (about 70 degrees F) for 12-18 hours. After a minimum of 12 hours the surface will become dotted with bubbles - that’s a sign that ingredients are fermenting and flavor is developing!

Day 2:

o   Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little flour and lightly knead it with you hands for about a minute. Cover the dough with plastic wrap on your counter and let it rest for 15 minutes.

o   Generously coat a cotton towel (do not use terry cloth!) with cornmeal. Gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball with floured hands and place seam-side-down onto the center of the towel. Dust the top of the dough with more cornmeal and wrap the towel loosely around the dough. Place the towel with the dough in a large bowl and let it rise until the dough has double in size and does not quickly spring back when you poke at it. This should take 1 ½-2 hours.

o   Thirty minutes before the dough is ready, place a 2 ¾-quart up to a 5 quart cast iron pot in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.

o   Once your oven is preheated, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Open the towel and slide your hand underneath so that you can turn the dough mound seam-side-up into the pot. Give the pot a little shake to make sure the dough is even on the bottom and put the lid on top of the pot. Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 15-30 minutes until the boule is golden brown all over and sounds hollow when you tap it with a wooden spoon. Your kitchen will smell absolutely amazing!

o   Remove the pot from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pot and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. You will then have one 1 ½ pound bread loaf to enjoy!