Yet another recipe from the fantastic Dutch Oven Madness. I did this a whole week ago but I should have all the details down.
I did this pretty much as directed. I didn't bother to get any nonfat milk powder. At the "knead well" step I went for about 20 minutes (a few minutes past the change in consistency). I don't know how Dutch Oven Madness handled the seasoning but it seemed like there was quite a bit even with plenty in the middle layer of bread. I would probably cut half of the seasoning for a second try. I also cooked it for maybe 10-15 minutes over the suggested time although I think that came about from not using charcoal.
The end result was tasty and very rich. Although it seems like a seasoning overload it was tasty warm and reheated in the microwave. It definitely had a "comfort food" vibe to it. The bread was incredibly sweet (there was a ton of sugar after all) with a fluffy crumb. The crumb also separated into layers when torn. I'm not sure what causes that or whether it is desirable but the bread still seems to be successful. When I went to make my first cut the middle looked dangerously underdone but under closer inspection it was just the heavy coating of olive oil in the middle giving that look.
I baked this in my dutch oven directly in a regular oven. Once again I had to keep it baking for a fair amount over the suggested baking time. This put me at risk of burning the bottom while trying to get a healthy looking top. Although both top and bottom crust came out done I think something about baking in a regular oven causes the bottom to bake much more quickly. Being able to do the top/bottom coal split probably fixes this problem. I guess it's time to stop being lazy when it comes to breads and bake them outside.
