Bake an easier loaf
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
Notice the new site? As much as I loved the previous design I received piles of mail from people who miss my photos. How good does that make me feel?!?!?!??
So I decided to take the farm back into the format it was and post more often AND post more photos.
Do you love fresh baked bread? We bake most every day and this is the new easy loaf we are experimenting with. If you want the step by step grab something to drink and get ready to bake…here we go…
Lot’s of you love the two day no knead bread recipe that Mark Bittman and of NY Times shared nearly two years ago. Based on the recipe from Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street bakery, it was the bread that made many of you jump for joy and toss your bread maker. (You have tossed your bread maker right?)
I did a step by step of that recipe on my former food blog here:
and
Now let’s try the latest version…real bread in one day! Whooo hoo!
Gather up your ingredients…Mis En Place people!
You’ll need:
3 cups bread flour, organic is best
1 packet of instant yeast
1-1/2 teaspoon of salt
1-1/2 cups water
Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl or 8-cup measuring cup like I do. Now give them a stir to combine them well.
Add your water and stir with a silicone spatula (or whichever spatula you prefer). Don’t over mix here, just combine all the dry and the wet until you get a shaggy mix
Now cover it up with some plastic wrap to trap the heat of the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 4 hours…sleepy tight little dough…see you in four hours!
Come back at 3pm and we’ll finish the bread….see you then!
. . .
We’re back!!!!!!!!
You’re going to need some oil now. Go ahead and pour a bit onto your work surface and spread it around. Now dump your dough out onto this surface. Your dough should be doubled in size before you dump it.
Now fold it over onto itself a couple of times…just to give it some shape and to de-gas it a bit
Now, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Do yourself a huge favor and rub the plastic with a bit of oil first to keep it from sticking all over the dough. You’ll want to pre-heat your oven to 450 degree right now and place whatever you are going to be using to bake in into the oven while it heats. I’ll be using a 5 quart covered cast iron dutch oven. Sleep again little loaf…we will see you soon…
come on back in 30 minutes ok?
Are you back?!?!? Good!
Grab your pot or baking dish from your oven (use mitts please), and gently uncover your dough and rub a bit of oil on your hands. Slide your hands under your dough and place it carefully into your hot baker. Give it a little shake to fill the pot. I’m using a 5quart dutch oven and it fills it perfectly.
Cover your dough and place it in the oven. Set your timer for 30 minutes and come on back then!
Ok…it’s 3:32pm and I just uncovered. The camera batteries died so no pic…sorry! I’ll catch up with you on the next round. Now, pop the pot back in the oven and set your timer for 22 minutes. I’ll see back here at 4pm.
It’s 4:03pm…are you ready to peek at your bread?!?!?!?
Nice golden crust color, and it seems crispy and crackly…so far so good.
pop it out and place it on a rack to cool.
It looks good! Just like the two day, and with a lovely crust texture too…we’ll check taste when it cools. Check back in about another 30 minutes. We’ll take a look at crust and crumb then.
Ok…the verdict is…it’s a keeper. I think it is a tiny touch bland, but I am also STILL wallowing in the flu so my tastebuds are shot. My daughter says she thinks it’s spot on. It doesn’t have that lovely soft tang you get from a long slow rise, but it still beats that insipid bread machine stuff by a mile.
Tomorrow the Whole Wheat version!
Have a great Monday and do something delicious! (like make this great bread!)
