Ingredients
- 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) water, room temperature
- ½ cup (4 ounces) mild lager such as Budweiser, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
How to Make It
- Whisk flour, salt, and yeast together in large bowl. Whisk water, beer, and vinegar together in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Using rubber spatula, gently fold water mixture into flour mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl, until dough starts to form and no dry flour remains. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours.
- Lay 18 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper on counter and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand until smooth and elastic, about 1 minute.
- Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle, then transfer, seam side down, to center of prepared parchment.
- Using parchment as sling, gently lower loaf into Dutch oven. Cover, tucking any excess parchment into pot, and let rise until loaf has doubled in size and dough springs back minimally when poked gently with your knuckle, 1½ to 2 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position. Holding sharp paring knife or single-edge razor blade at 30-degree angle to loaf, make two 5-inch-long, ½-inch-deep slashes with swift, fluid motion along top of loaf to form cross. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Turn oven to 425 degrees and bake loaf for 30 minutes while oven heats.
- Uncover and continue to bake until loaf is deep golden brown and registers 205 to 210 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes. Using parchment sling, remove loaf from pot and transfer to wire rack; discard parchment. Let cool completely, about 3 hours, before serving.