Why bake my own bread?
In a society now fearful of a Global Economic Meltdown...
In a society now plagued with issues of food security and subsequent gluttony...
In a society that is moving so quickly that when I say blackberry you think phone not fruit...
The answer is rather simple:
I bake my own bread because it tastes really darn good, and I feel good doing it.
It tastes so good that I could actually eat a loaf of it daily- slathered with butter, or the occasional spread of peanut butter and homemade jam.
I am a little bit political, I admit that. I have been known to vent my frustrations to the local CBC or daily newspaper when the mood suits me. I have an opinion and I care, but the honest truth is, that in the age of the digital revolution I have simple, analog motives: Taste and personal fulfillment.
Baking bread is part simple science, part history and part luck. So when I found a fool proof recipe that didn’t require much effort, it was love at first sight. It takes less than 10 minutes to make the dough, and it can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Nice.
How I got into the bread making racket?
Our friends Bruce and Amanda have been passing on their well read copies of Mother Earth News to us lately. And if you have never heard of or read this rag it is a good one. It started many moons ago when the last wave of homesteaders and dreamers emerged from the chaos of suburbia. (my parents were a prime example!) The magazine usually focuses on practical things that us back to the land’ers might find interesting. I have learned ancient Brazillian soil management practices, how to build a log cabin, and yes- how to bake artisan bread.
Oh, and baking bread at home does save hundreds of dollars every year. But honestly, that’s just a bonus!
Now, I am going to pass on the recipe to you, with a few minor adjustments that I have made, in the hopes that at least one person out there will be able to enjoy their own bread.
Freshly Baked at Two Crows
Basic Recipe
3 C warm water (between 95 and 105 degrees)
Dollop of honey
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
6 ½ C unbleached flour
Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Add yeast, honey and salt to the water in a large mixing bowl. Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.
3. Add flour- level cups; don’t pat down.
4. Mix with a wooden spoon, or a stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together.
Don’t knead! This step is done in a few minutes, and yields a wet dough just loose enough to conform to the container.
4. Cover loosely and allow the mixture to rise at room temperature for approximately two hours or until dough begins to fall in on itself. If I am going to do other chores I put it right in the fridge to start slowing the rising process- remembering to push it down or stab it with a knife after a few hours.
5. You can use a portion of the dough any time after the first 4 hrs or so. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf.
6. Place a Silpat on a baking sheet. This is the easiest way- if you don’t have a Silpat baking sheet by all means GET ONE! Or, you can use a pizza peel- sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.
7. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.
6. Place the ball on the silpat or pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 30 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.
7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. If you don’t have a silpat you will need to use a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.
8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour and slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)
9. Pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam.
10. Place baking tray in the middle of the oven, or if using a stone slide it off the peel onto the hot stone.Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. When you remove the loaf from the oven place it on a wire rack to cool completely. The crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.
11. Refrigerate the remaining dough in a covered (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.
Since trying the original recipe I have also started experimenting with different flours and flavours.
Whole wheat tends to be a heavier consistency, which gives a hearty loaf perfect for serving with a big bowl of soup.
My kiddos aren’t eating wheat or dairy right now so I have also tried spelt. I find that the dough is best used within a week if using spelt flour or you tend to get a pretty sad, flat loaf.
As far as flavours go: Add some fresh herbs, throw in a cup or two of raisins and a tsp of cinnamon, use your imagination!
If you would like the original recipe it can be viewed at:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx
3 C warm water (between 95 and 105 degrees)
Dollop of honey
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
6 ½ C unbleached flour
Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Add yeast, honey and salt to the water in a large mixing bowl. Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.
3. Add flour- level cups; don’t pat down.
4. Mix with a wooden spoon, or a stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together.
Don’t knead! This step is done in a few minutes, and yields a wet dough just loose enough to conform to the container.
4. Cover loosely and allow the mixture to rise at room temperature for approximately two hours or until dough begins to fall in on itself. If I am going to do other chores I put it right in the fridge to start slowing the rising process- remembering to push it down or stab it with a knife after a few hours.
5. You can use a portion of the dough any time after the first 4 hrs or so. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf.
6. Place a Silpat on a baking sheet. This is the easiest way- if you don’t have a Silpat baking sheet by all means GET ONE! Or, you can use a pizza peel- sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.
7. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.
6. Place the ball on the silpat or pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 30 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.
7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. If you don’t have a silpat you will need to use a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.
8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour and slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)
9. Pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam.
10. Place baking tray in the middle of the oven, or if using a stone slide it off the peel onto the hot stone.Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. When you remove the loaf from the oven place it on a wire rack to cool completely. The crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.
11. Refrigerate the remaining dough in a covered (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.
Since trying the original recipe I have also started experimenting with different flours and flavours.
Whole wheat tends to be a heavier consistency, which gives a hearty loaf perfect for serving with a big bowl of soup.
My kiddos aren’t eating wheat or dairy right now so I have also tried spelt. I find that the dough is best used within a week if using spelt flour or you tend to get a pretty sad, flat loaf.
As far as flavours go: Add some fresh herbs, throw in a cup or two of raisins and a tsp of cinnamon, use your imagination!
If you would like the original recipe it can be viewed at:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx
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