Cast-Iron Skillet Bread

makes one 10-inch loaf

Two of my favorite things: homemade bread and cast iron. You’re going to love this versatile recipe—it happily goes with whatever soup, stew, chili, or meat you may be serving and requires very little hands-on time. The rosemary and thyme can be swapped out for other herbs, so use whatever you have on hand.

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons honey

2 cups warm water (95–110°F)

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

4⅓ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, stir the yeast and honey into the warm water until dissolved. Mix in ¼ cup of the cheese, the rosemary, thyme, and salt. Add the flour 1 cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon after each addition, then stirring in the remaining ⅓ cup. Mix until the dough forms a rough, sticky ball. This is a no-knead bread, so it will be much stickier than regular dough.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Remove the dough from the bowl—avoid punching it down or smooshing it as much as possible. Place the dough into an oiled 10-inch cast-iron skillet and gently press it into a disc. Let rise for 30 minutes more.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Drizzle the olive oil over the bread and slash it twice with a sharp knife to make an X. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheese on top and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then tip it out of the skillet onto a cutting board to slice.

caring for cast iron

I know of no other type of cookware surrounded by as much superstition as cast iron. I got my first cast-iron skillet years ago and was immediately petrified to use it after reading the list of don’ts I found online: Don’t use soap! Don’t scrub it too hard! Don’t cook anything acidic in it! Don’t touch it with metal utensils—it’ll scratch! Good grief, I had no idea cast iron was so delicate.

But in reality? It’s not delicate at all. You can take a skillet home from the antiques store and it put right back into daily use after a good cleaning—that by itself is a testament to the resiliency of this cookware.

Contrary to popular belief, the cast-iron police will not show up at your door if you use a bit of soap to clean your pans. Seasoning (the natural nonstick coating that forms on well-used cast iron) isn’t merely a thin layer of oil sitting on top of the metal. When a pan is properly seasoned, the oil is baked onto the pan and becomes bonded to the metal. This makes it darn tough—a little bit of soap isn’t going to bother it. Thank goodness. The same line of thought goes for metal utensils—occasionally using a metal spatula to flip your eggs shouldn’t hurt the seasoning on your pan one bit.

HOW TO SEASON (OR RE-SEASON) A PAN

There are a few occasions when it’s wise to re-season your cast iron:

• If you were lucky enough to find an old skillet or pan at an antiques store or yard sale

• If your pans develop rust spots or start to feel sticky

• If the insides of your pans begin to lose their shine and take on a dull appearance

(Re-)Seasoning: Step-by-Step

1. Wash the pan well with hot soapy water. If there is a lot of buildup, you can break out the steel wool (this is the only instance it’s appropriate to use steel wool on cast iron, by the way).

2. Dry the pan completely. Coat it inside and out with a layer of melted lard or bacon grease. Flaxseed oil is also a good choice.

3. Place the skillet upside down on the middle rack of your oven. (Put a piece of foil on the rack underneath it to catch drips.) Bake it at 350°F for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and let the skillet cool inside.

This process can be repeated several more times to build layers of seasoning if the pan was stripped or previously abused.

To Clean Cast Iron after Normal Use

Always skip the dishwasher and don’t let cast-iron cookware soak in water. Rust develops more quickly than you might imagine, so dry immediately after washing and apply a light coat of cooking oil inside and out before you put it away.

If I’m using a well-seasoned pan and haven’t cooked anything especially messy in it, I just wipe it out with a soft cloth and call it good. If bits of food are stuck on or I cooked something with strong flavors, I use hot water and a bit of soap to clean it. Remember—if the pan is seasoned correctly, soap won’t hurt it.

Cast iron can be stored in the cupboard like any other cookware, but I personally prefer to hang mine on the wall for a bit of extra homestead kitchen charm.

There’s nothing to be scared of when it comes to cast iron. With the tiniest bit of consideration, your cast-iron skillets and pans will quickly become cherished parts of your kitchen toolbox to be passed on to future generations. Now get out those pans and put them to work!