No Knead Bread

As promised, I am posting another bread recipe.  This beautiful fall weather is perfect for baking bread and this loaf is nice and dense to eat with a good soup or chili, or just by itself.  I was introduced to this technique by an interesting lady who couldn't eat, but read food magazines and recipe books all day preparing for when she could.

This is an easy recipe that doesn't take too much actual working time, but you do have to plan ahead to allow the bread to rise and rest in the fridge overnight.  I have made it several times and have frozen the loaf for up to 3 months with great results.  The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 14 days and tastes more and more "sour" the longer it sits.  I usually can't wait that long to cook it all though.

This will make about four 1 pound loaves.

**Use a large Tupperware and wooden spoon:

**Stir together:
3 c lukewarm water
1 1/2 T granulated yeast
1 1/2 T kosher or coarse salt

**Add:
6 1/2 c unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour

**Stir until moist and uniform, do NOT knead.  Cover with a lid that fits well but is not air tight.
**Allow to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (about 2 hours).
**You could bake this bread at this point but it is easier to work with if refrigerated 3+ hours.

To bake:
**Line a cookie sheet with a silpat or use a pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal.  If you use a pizza stone you must preheat it; therefore you will put the loaf on a pizza peel to rest before sliding it into the oven.
**Sprinkle the dough with flour, pull off a 1 pound piece of dough
**Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all sides, this should take 30-60sec.

**Place the shaped loaf on the silpat or pizza peel and let rest 40 minutes.  After 20 minutes passes preheat oven to 450 degrees F. and place a broiler pan in the bottom of the oven.
**Dust the loaf with flour and use a knife to slice a design in the top of the bread about 1/4 in deep.
**Once the bread has rested 40 minutes place it in the bottom 1/3 of the oven.  Quickly but carefully pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam..
**Bake 30 minutes or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch.  Cool before cutting.

Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator and use it over the next 14 days (if it lasts that long).


I wish you enough!

Bread

I love making bread.  Bread of all kinds, but mostly dense sourdough artisan bread.  In fact I can't think of a better thing to pull out of the oven and eat warm!  This will be the first of, probably, many bread posts and it just happens to be sweet bread.  What a great time of year to use up those baseball bat sized zucchini from the garden right?

Last night I had a relaxing time making Amish Friendship Bread.  It is made from a starter that is often shared with others much like a chain letter, but much tastier.  I received my starter from my MIL who got hers from someone at work.  As I can best tell she has given it to 6+ people and I gave it to 7 which ended my bread making for some time.  Then I got it back from a friend that I gave it to, who in turn had already given it to 11 people.  So boy, this bread has been around the block.

I will have 2 extra bags from this batch, let me know if you want one.

Amish Friendship Bread

You might ask yourself, what kind of wine should I drink when I make this bread???

Malbec is a nice choice, and I happen to like this one.


"Malbec originates from France, but it is Argentina where the grape truly thrives. While it is used primarily as a blending grape in Bordeaux, it has developed into a premium stand-alone varietal in Argentina."