[Blacklake] Easy, Yummy, Bread Stuff.

[mizz kitti]

AKA Bread in 5 minutes a day
AKA This really is EASY, I promise!
AKA Sorry, this is kind of long and has pictures.
*
*Per request of 'Al'

*
For They Who Enjoy the Baking and Making of Bread*
*Disclaimer: They call it 'bread in 5 minutes a day' but ACTUALLY its only
about 5 minutes of proper work. You do have to let the bread rise at some
point, but that is totaly hands free, and therefore, a technicality.
*
To be perfectly honest, this isn't actually anything new. Bakeries have been
doing it for ages. Er, literally. But recently there was an article in NY
Times <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html> and also a
book (Bread in 5 Minutes a
Day<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312362919?ie=UTF8&tag=arbrinfimiada-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0312362919>)
and everybody kinda went 'Oh hey! A new, super easy bread-making technique!
Yay!' And they got excited and started freaking out and stuff.
So... here it is...

... dont freak out!!!




Recipe:
Yield = Four 1-pound loaves. Recipe can, of course, be doubled or halved.*
Lots of Dough is great for storing for later use, but if you just wanna do
the 'one time' thing, I'd advise halving this recipe. *

3 cups lukewarm water
1½ tablespoon granulated yeasts (1½ packets)
1½ tablespoon salt
6½ cups (29.25 oz.) unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour

*Directions:
*1. Mix everything together. All at once. Just use a big spoon or your hands
or a blunt sword or whatev. Will be very wet and sticky, this is ok.
2. Allow to rise at room temperature about 2 hours.
*
At this point*
       *A. Make Bread *- *Pull off a nice big chunk* (grapefruit size). *Shape
as desired*. (You don't need to be an artist, in fact, funky shaped breads
are probably more 'authentic' ^_^)  Leave it on a flour-dusted counter or an
oiled bowl and *Let Rise about 40 minutes*. About 20 minutes before baking,
go ahead and *preheat your oven to about 450* degrees. (You want it to be
really hot so the bread gets a bit of a 'push' at first, rising rapidly. It
forms a nice crispy crust this way, plus gives it a better 'crumb' - those
lovely air holes that make bread fluffy.) Place dough on your baking dish of
choice (see Tips, below).
*Bake for about 30 minutes*, until crust is golden brownish, firm/hard, and
sounds hollow when you knock it.
Cool on a wire wrack (or the cold burner on a stove works, be sure to wipe
off the crumbs before cooking on it, though)

OR

       *B. Store Dough for Later Making - *Ideally, letting this kind of
bread rise for a good long time is best. Things get to mixin' and theres
some kind of scientific chemical reaction yadda yadda yadda, which is even
better and easier than having to knead it and spend hours in the kitchen. (I
like to use a big, plastic container with a lid ((example: see pictures,
below)). You could use a jar with a lid, a bowl with a lid... basically,
something that doesnt leak and has a lid.)
So stick it in the 'fridge for a good 18 hours or overnight. Then go back to
*A* and make your bread, when you are ready.
You can store the dough for several weeks, probably at least a month (my
dough never lasts that long before getting used) but you know if it smells
funny you've got bad dough or maybe sourdough. Hmm. Well anyways. Thats it
really.

Really. Thats all.





And you can use this dough for lots of things, not just Bread. Be creative
o.0~
>Makes great *cinnamon rolls* (roll it out, spread with butter and cinnamon
and sugar [and nuts and raisins and bits of caramel, etc. optional.], roll
from narrow end into a log/cylinder, cut into 1"-2" rolls, place them in a
buttered &/or oiled &/or parchment-lined pan let rise 40 min. Brush with a
little butter or milk. Sprinkle about 1 cup brown sugar on top (this makes
the non-sweet dough sweeter without having to alter the recipe, because the
brown sugar melts down into the rolls and eventually accumulates into the
bottom of the pan in gooey sticky deliciousness. The More the Merrier.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 mins)

*Some Optional Tips for the Fancy Schmancy Bready People (if you really want
to get 'technical' about it):*
>Preheat oven containing eaither a Baking Stone or (ideally) a Dutch Oven.
Slide risen dough onto Stone or Oven dish to bake.
             (note: This kind of bread made in a Dutch Oven is the BEST!
Because you get the whole 'convection' thing going on in a small space. A
casserolle
             dish with a lid works just as well.) But of course you may use
a Pyrex pan or even a cheap aluminum Cookie Sheet.
>Dust: with Cornmeal for that authentic 'artisan' bread crust. Like pizza,
just drop the dough onto a bit of cornmeal before Rising or sprinkle some on
your Baking Device (ie: Baking Stone, Dutch Oven, Pyrex pan, Cookie Sheet,
etc) right before dropping the dough onto it to bake.
>Slash: Using something sharp (a knife or.. yknow.. yall are SCA and have
many creative sharp objects around) Slash the Risen dough once or twice.
This helps with Venting Steam (which helps it rise nice and big) and also
Looks Nice after being baked.
>Steam: Right after you put your Risen dough in your Preheated oven, dump in
about 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the oven and SHUT IT REAL FAST.
This creates a whole bunch of steam all at once, which gives your bread a
nice Boost in the Rising and Crusting bit of baking. You can also put an
oven proof dish (I use a large coffee mug) full of water on a low-set rack.
The boiling of the water during cooking also creates steam.
>Egg Wash: Beat an egg (mix with water or milk, optional) and brush it (with
a wee paint brush or pastry brush) over top of bread right before baking.
This gives it a very pretty, shiny, crunchy, golden crust.
*
Some photos of the process for refrence:*


<http://bp2.blogger.com/_BWRua5l70j4/SF6fTXF1kKI/AAAAAAAAB7A/-dimGlXW-yQ/s1600-h/IMG_7422.JPG>The
Shaped Dough - Let Rise for 40 min

<http://bp1.blogger.com/_BWRua5l70j4/SF6hqEtJ4bI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/IGxou_CJHUw/s1600-h/IMG_7406.JPG>
The Storing of the Dough in Fancy Container for Later Use

<http://bp0.blogger.com/_BWRua5l70j4/SF8VHE7rcnI/AAAAAAAAB8A/ZfeHa4XPJiE/s1600-h/IMG_7505.JPG>
A Lovely Finished Bread cooling on a Rack
Yes, yours can look THIS GOOD too!
Be sure and have the Butter ready.
And some Burn Creame for the Tounge.




Let me know if you have any questions or problems or interesting experiments
<3


cheers
MK
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