Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters, Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Bread, Glorious Bread

I love bread.  I gave up on making yeast based bread about 30 years ago because it is a lot of work and time - all that kneading and waiting and it never came out with that wonderful hard, cracking crust I dreamt of. Then my friend, Mary found this wonderful article:   No Knead Bread Recipe .  I was a driven woman with a new passion and an excuse to buy Staub cast iron cookware. I also discovered a book called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day .  I was hooked.

This sounds like an infomercial, but when invited somewhere and I need to bring something I say "I'll bring bread".  Several people have asked for the recipe and being a foodie how can I deny something this good and this simple.  Besides, life is too short not to eat great bread.

So basically here it is:

3 Cups lukewarm water

1.5 Tbl yeast (2 packets)

1.5 Tbl kosher salt or other coarse salt

6.5 Cups of flour (just scoop, run a knife over the edge of the cup and dump in pot)

Use a large stock pot with a lid.  Not air tight.  

This is a cheap stock pot with a glass lid and a vent hole.  It lives in the refrigerator.

Add water, yeast, salt and flour.  Sir until blended. 

Place on counter and let rise for the next 2-8 hours.  It doesn't matter.

Store in refrigerator for 2 weeks

Makes 3-4 loaves

Baking Day:

Take cast iron dutch oven.  Place in oven at 450 degrees and preheat for 45 minutes. 

This is not cheap, but worth every penny - I use it for everything.  Besides a thing of beauty is a joy forever.

While the pot is preheating take out a glob of bread dough and form into a round loaf.  No need to knead the bread.  You can slash the top or not as you choose.  Let the dough rest on the counter while the pot is heating.

Actually I stuffed this one with 2 slices of cheese and a handful of spinach so it is extra poofy.  You can also slash the top, but I didn't do that this time.

Take lid off the pot, slide the bread dough into the pot, put the lid on the pot and set the timer for 30 minutes. Warning:  The pot is hot, hot, hot.  You can burn yourself.  Welding gloves would be a good idea.

My favorite tool for getting the bread in the pot.

When the timer goes off, remove the lid and cook for another 15 minutes.  When the timer goes off take the bread out and let cool (Yea, right…..).

This is a little flatter than normal, but I stuffed it with cheese and spinach which does change things a bit.  I plan to cut in quarters and eat it with red sauce for dinner.

For Rye bread substitute 1 Cup of Rye flour for 1 Cup of white flour.  Add 1.5 Tbl of caraway seeds.  Everything else is the same.

The Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day suggests a baking stone and a broiler pan that you add water to.  I don’t.  I use a dutch oven though many people have used other stuff.  My friend, Mary used two Pyrex bowls until she took the top bowl/ lid off the bottom bowl fresh out of the oven, put it in the sink and it shattered due to the extreme hot to cold difference.  So….safety first.

Enjoy.  I plan to start experimenting with gluten free bread next.