I was watching The Great British Baking Show the other day and it was Bread Week! After watching an hour of people making all these delicious loaves of bread I knew I had to make some for myself. I found this peasant bread on Pinterest years ago and for some reason never added it this site! I am rectifying this mistake finally because it such an easy, versatile bread that can be made in under 3 hours and shaped numerous different ways. This time I made a “faux”caccia and it might be my new favorite way. I will note the different preparations in the description below. Recipe courtesy of alexandracooks.com.

• 4 cups bread flour (all purpose works if that’s all you have)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups water, 105-110 deg
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Add in the water, stirring until all the flour is absorbed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and leave to rise in warm place for at least an hour. (You can use the proving setting on your oven if you have it, otherwise, you can turn your oven on to 350, let it preheat for one minute, then turn it off. This will create a slightly warm environment for your bread.)

When you are ready to bake put your Dutch oven, with the lid ON, in your oven and preheat to 450. Get a bowl big enough to shape a round loaf and line it with parchment paper, then generously dust with flour. Remove your bread from the original bowl with floured hands by making a scooping motion with your hand, moving around the whole bowl. As you are doing this, grab a small section of dough and stretch and fold it over the rest of the dough. Do this about 4 times, then move the prepared round of dough to your parchment lined bowl. Cover with a clean, lightweight, slightly damp towel and let it rise for 30 minutes while your Dutch oven is heating in the oven. After 30 minutes, slash the top of your round of dough with a very sharp knife in any pattern you want. Remove the Dutch oven from the preheated oven and quickly transfer your parchment paper with the loaf on it into the Dutch oven. Replace the lid quickly and return the Dutch oven to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for 7-10 more minutes, until you have a dark golden crust. Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and enjoy.

An alternative baking method would be to use a 9×13 greased cake pan to make a faux-caccia bread. When making the focaccia, spread the dough out in a thin layer to fill the cake pan then use your fingers to create dimples in the bread. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and any other herbs you like such as chopped rosemary. The combinations are endless! Bake at 450 for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.