make your own bread.

Ever since my clinic supervisor sent me this infamous New York Times recipe and this accompanying article, I've been hooked on bread baking. And bread baking, as you may know, was the first step of my steady decline into the domestic arts of baking, cooking and gardening. The artisan-style bread that the NYT recipe yields is tasty, with air bubbles and crispy, golden crust regardless of the wheat-to-white flour ratio.

With some time and experience, I've simplified from the NYT recipe, even if it is already easy enough for a child to create. Below you will find my simplified adaptation, but please feel free to return to the original. I do believe that the Times recipe is popular for a reason.

With my adapted recipe, I've created half white/half wheat loaves, olive/garlic/herb loaves, and lots of plain white artisanal bread. I slice the loaves up and put them in the freezer at the beginning of the week, and I have toaster-ready bread for the next two weeks or so!

The other option, of course, is eating the bread fresh out of the oven, when the slices are still steaming and fragrant. Your call, and recipe below (update: this recipe is so good, everyone's writing about it. Even bloggers who take much better photos than I do.)




No-Knead Bread Adaptation.
Adapted from Mark Bittman adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus rising time


3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups cold water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a plate. Let dough rest overnight (minimum 6 hours, ideal 16 hours).
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Using a spoon, separate the dough from the sides of the bowl. Notice that the dough will fall. Re-cover for 2nd rise.
3. Let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.
   
5. Sprinkle some cornmeal in the bottom of the pot. Using a wooden spoon, empty the dough into the pot; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. For an extra crispy crust, pour a tiny bit of olive oil on top of the loaf and spread it around. Sprinkle with sea salt.
6. Cover with lid and bake 15 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

AMH