I have been thinking about homemade bread.
And to tell the truth, for my whole life, I have had a pretty lousy attitude about homemade bread. First of all, it is usually hard. Or it gets hard fast.
And I didn't like the aspect of having to congratulate the cook when I did not feel sincere.
Secondly, I didn't like having to cut it. Or the way it crumbles all over the place when you eat it.
Then my husband made some kind of comment about how delicious homemade bread is straight from the oven. And then in Flagstaff, I sampled some of Emery's mom's homemade bread.
And so I would really like to hear from all of you out there, do you have a great bread recipe? Because I really want to try it. Thanks!
PS On a totally random note, today was a difficult and moody day. I kept getting emotional. I got in a bad mood and liked it. Strange stuff, for this usually stable, peaceful person. And in the midst of it somewhere I just wanted to get away to this scene: me, pajamas, couch, a fluffy movie, creamy chocolate ice cream, and Adam's head in my lap. Sheer bliss!
The best, easiest crusty bread ever thanks to the NY Times. I have another recipe similiar if this doesn't work.
ReplyDelete1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
Cornmeal.
1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.
4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Yield: 4 loaves.
Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack.
Also courtesy of the nytimes - and possibly even easier...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html
I've always thought the same exact thing! About the couch and the ice cream of course. Oh, and I guess the bread too. I've tried to make bread before and even my ever-starving boys passed it up. :-(
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipes everyone, I'm gonna have to give it another go!
I like artisan bread in 5 minutes! NYtimes is a good recipe too! :) I wanna be on yr blogroll girl! xoxo
ReplyDeleteIf I can get the recipe out of my cousin (I have been asking her practically since birth!) I will gladly share my grandmothers recipe... It was so soft and delicious, and always made huge fluffy rolls... I will keep trying, then hopefully get back to you with it! :)
ReplyDeleteI think my recipe is pretty basic but I add a couple tablespoons of gluten (keeps it from getting so crumbly), and I also have some dough enhancer that I add. I got both of those items from a website called The Urban Homemaker (it has everything you can think of related to bread baking).
ReplyDeleteI think you should come over this weekend and we'll give it a whirl. I know there is an art to kneeding and feeling the dough in your hands, but we didn't buy that Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook attachment for nothing...
ReplyDeleteThe fluffy movie and chocolate ice cream sounds good. So do all the bread recipes! I hope you have a better day tomorrow :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have a bread recipe, but I totally agree that sort of movie scenario with your mate is pure bliss!
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