Baking Bread

I’ve recently started baking bread. Not the “knead and rise and knead and rise” kind. I like to say I’m “ too ADD” for anything that takes that long for a result. This is the no-knead artisan bread. It’s easy to mix, easy to make, and it has an earthy, natural feel to it.

The basic recipe is, to make it easy to remember, 6-3-3-13. That’s 6 cups warm water, 3 tablespoons yeast, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, and 13 cups flour. You can cut that or increase it if necessary, but that’s the recipe. Mix the ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, cover loosely, and let it rise until it flattens on top. That’s it – REALLY! From there you can either cut off a lump (about the size of a grapefruit) and make bread or put it into the refrigerator for up to two weeks and make bread whenever the urge strikes.

So far, just from that basic recipe I’ve made bread, rolls, breakfast pull-aparts (twice), a baguette, and a loaf of “sandwich” bread. The rolls were just all right, and the dough isn’t quite sweet enough for the pull-aparts (I think more experimentation is required), but the basic bread is heavenly! It’s got a gentle, cracker-y crust and a slightly cakey crumb in the center. Warm out of the oven it’s nearly gone before I finish closing the oven door. In fact, I’d better get another loaf started right now – yummy!!