"THE" Bread Recipe

There's just something so special about homemade bread! If there is one fantasy thing over the years I've wanted to do.....it's make good bread. Discovery of this amazing recipe goes to Homegrown Evolution here. They have a great blog so check them out for their other goodies! Isn't the loaf up there too cute??!? And I MADE it! I am so not a great bread maker...not anywhere near good even. I've had a few loaves turn out but generally one could build a pretty sturdy house with the bricks I've made :) (All hope is not lost with bricks though, save them and grind into bread crumbs for use in other recipes.) The article here explains the simple bread recipe and goes into details . Starting with flour, water, salt and yeast and with no kneading, you make up a very wet dough, let it rise for two hours and then either bake it or stick it in the refrigerator. Chilling the dough makes it easier to work with though. The dough keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks, taking on a sourdough flavor as it ages. When you want a loaf of bread you tear off a softball sized chunk,shape it, let it rise for 40 minutes and stick it in the oven. A pan of water in the bottom of the stove makes steam for a nice, crispy crust. I am on the waiting list at my library for the book to see what other goodies you can make! Here's some great videos for us visual learners showing the technique:


If you didn't catch it...here's the 1/2 batch recipe that makes about 4 loaves:
1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
3 cups water
6 1/2 cups flour
Mix all. Let sit on counter for 2 hours. Can form loaves at this point or put in refrigerator for later use. Take grapefruit sized lump and form into smooth ball by stretching the top to the bottom (watch video on this part, it sounds harder than it is!) Place on corn meal covered tray and let sit 20 to 40 mins. Split top with knife. Slide onto pre heated sheet pan or cook stone. Cook in a preheated 450 oven for 25 to 35 mins (depends on how big you make them). Put a small pan in oven while preheating then toss about 1/2 cup water into it at start of cooking to create steam. Here's my personal pictures of the process!


These are my second and third loaves, I just let them rise on a cookie sheet then put the sheet in the pre heated oven instead of sliding them off onto something else. They cooked up just fine.
I made pizza for lunch that day to test it out...it turned out good! I used oiled hands to get my lump of dough and to spread it instead of flour to keep it from sticking. Speaking of oil, since this recipe has none in it, your pizzas will now be that much less fattening- if you're counting that sort of thing! My plans now are to make a batch of this on Mondays. This way I can make a few loaves of bread through the week and still have enough for pizza dough on Friday's. We get free movies at the library and make pizza just about every Friday.We all really look forward to this special family night...plus I never have to worry about what to cook that day. This new recipe will really make pizza nights fast and easy for me! Apparently the book expands on other doughs that use the same easy process....wheat's, rye, sweet doughs, can't wait to see that book! My bread world has been rocked and I see it opening up a new baking frontier for me!! (Dramatic flair ;) )

Here is what the book looks like. I am on the wait list at my local library for it. I am in position #27 so that tells ya it is a popular book and sadly means I'll be waiting for quite some time to get my hands on it :( Always check out any book at the library before you plan to buy it. You may find there are only a few recipes you'll actually use that you could simply jot down and save the $$$ and shelf space. Check out the web site here for even more recipes.....I'm seeing so many yummy things to make there...wreaths, buns, cornbread, bagels even, and that's just the first page!

If you try this recipe and like it, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pass it along! Did that sound like begging *blush* Let's all be a part in bringing homemade bread back to the tables of America :) I am getting everyone I know to test this out.