January 4, 2009

• Let’s Talk Bread

  Seriously.

  Who doesn’t love hot, out of the oven bread?  If you don’t… there really is not hope for you. LOL!

  My friend Barb was going on and on telling me of this new book that she got and how great this bread recipe was…that I had to try it.  Life was busy.  I put the idea on the ‘back burner’, if you will, and kept going. 

  Let me pause and tell you – God is good.  Period.  He prepared me for this time (dh’s company closing and we have been paycheck-free for 1 month and 4 days now) before I even knew it was coming.  I would go to the store and buy things that I usually didn’t.  Like those massive bags of flour at Costco.  I mean, really, WHO buys those?  Yep, you guessed it – Me.  I was buying them each and every time I went grocery shopping.  Why?  I didn’t have a clue.  But I was doing it.  Not even a hint of what was coming our way… but He knew.
  
  Ok, so back to the bread. 

  The recipe is so simple it makes me wonder why anyone on the planet would walk into a grocery store and lay down $4 for a loaf.

  And some day, when I am rich and famous (or we have a paycheck again), I will buy the book.  But until then, I am loving the basic bread recipe that is free on the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day site.

  
  The recipe calls for using an old ice cream bucket, but I didn’t have one of those.  I have been using a Tupperware Thats – A- Bowl (its big enough to hold 2 of the recipe that follows).

  

  You can make regular loaf bread, flat bread, rolls… this recipe is very versatile.
   YUM!

  Five Minute Artisan Bread

  Makes 4 loaves.

  Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance.

  • 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (about 1-1/2 packets)
  • 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees – think not too hot tub water)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (1 T table salt – I use roughly 3/4 T table salt)
  • 6-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
  • Cornmeal

  In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm (about 100 degrees) water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.

  Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)

  When ready to bake, sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel. Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and repeat oven to 450 degrees, preheating baking stone for at least 20 minutes.

  Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it’s not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom.

  Place shaped dough on prepared pizza peel and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it in lidded container. (Even one day’s storage improves flavor and texture of bread. Dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in airtight containers and defrosted overnight in refrigerator prior to baking day.) Dust dough with flour.

  Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, ¼-inch deep cuts (or in a tic-tac-toe pattern). Slide dough onto preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.

  • 7:48 pm
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