Pinterest tells me I bookmarked this bread recipe a year ago.  Hmmm, that’s not too bad in turn-around time considering our year!

This recipe for crusty bread spun around with repins and likes for quite a while.  Every time I’d check my boards for inspiration, I’d spot the recipe and dream of making, smelling, tasting the bread.

Now that the making is behind me, I wondered just why it took so long — this bread is simple, simple and sooo tasty.  With various add-ins, there’s no limit to the possibilities!

There’s plain bread, which I did make.  On the agenda was also another crusty bread with the add-ins of fresh rosemary, lemon zest and Gruyere cheese – that oh so delicious gourmet treat.

Simple ingredients, it’s all quick to mix; then the sticky mixture is left to sit out overnight (or anytime for 12-18 hours).  In the morning, NO kneading!  Just plop out onto a floured surface, shape and then place into a heated pot to bake.

I was a little leery about not having to oil the pot even one tiny bit – but it wasn’t necessary!  No sticking whatsoever…

May I just stop to say how much I appreciate my Le Cresuet french oven?  While it’s pictured here and at the recipe site, this bread can be made in other pots — see her notes for reference (recipe link below).

I purchased when Williams Sonoma had their 40% Le Cresuet sale (which I think comes annually) along with a bunch of other coupons – completely worth the investment!  The pot delivers incredibly tender meat in a short amount of time.  I use it for all sorts of cooking, it’s my favorite go-to pot.

My great-grandkids will be able to use this, lol…it’s cast-iron sturdy!

And the bread – with rosemary, lemon and cheese?

Delicious is an understatement.  We ate it with our Italian sausage & noodles to round out our Tuscany-like experience. 🙂  The plain version pictured above (for the dairy-allergic in our home) holds its own as well, but I’m partial to lemon.

We all just kept staring at the loaves, they were so pretty!  Crusty, easy-to-fix, artisan bread — yum.

Recipe:  Crusty Bread