easy 'bake when you want' bread
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 8:03 amIf you think bread is too hard, or you've never made bread before, this is a good way to start. It makes a crusty, chewy artisan loaf. There's enough dough made here for 4 loaves, you just keep it in the fridge in a coveed container, and when you want a loaf, take some, let it warm and raise, and bake it! I use a mixer to mix this dough, but you can use a spoon or your hands. It's a wet dough, and sticky.
3 cups lukewarm (Not hot) water
6 1/2 cups flour (I use unbleached for health reasons, but any all-purpose flour will work) I scoop my flour and level it- if you spoon yours in and level it, you will need about a cup more.
1 1/2 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
I put the water in the bowl first, then the yeast, then the flour, then the salt.
Mix all til completely blended. Let the dough sit covered on the counter for 2 hours. (I make mine in a lidded plastic storage container I bought at wal mart- this raises a lot, so you need space for it- but any gallon container works. Cover it with plastic wrap if there's no lid.)
Then refrigerate your dough- it will get tangier the longer it sits, and can be kept for 2 weeks with good results. When the dough is cold (it's easier to handle cold), and you want a loaf of bread, flour your hands and sprinkle a little four over the top of the dough and take out a grape-fruit sized hunk.
Put it on a floured surface and shape it into a ball- it doesn't have to be perfect.
Place it on cookie sheet that you've sprinkled with a little cornmeal.
Let it sit for 45-60 minutes. It won't puff up a lot, it will just swell some, most of the raise happens in the oven. During this time pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees
sprinkle it with a little flour. put a shallow pan (metal or cast iron, not glass or ceramic- a pie pan or cake layer pan will work) on the lowest rack in the oven. heat a cup of water to HOT in the microwave.
When time is up, take a sharp knife or scissors and cut the loaf across 2 or 3 times. 1/2" deep
put the loaf in the oven, pour the hot water in the pan on the lowest rack and shut the oven door.
Bake 25-35 minutes until golden brown. cool on a wire rack.
If you can, wait til it's just warm to cut- I deflated my first loaves until I realized it was me cutting it when the bread was hot
If you have a stone for the oven, you can slide the loaf onto your preheated stone and bake. you can also bake it on a preheated cast iron pan. be careful transferring it to the pan.
3 cups lukewarm (Not hot) water
6 1/2 cups flour (I use unbleached for health reasons, but any all-purpose flour will work) I scoop my flour and level it- if you spoon yours in and level it, you will need about a cup more.
1 1/2 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
I put the water in the bowl first, then the yeast, then the flour, then the salt.
Mix all til completely blended. Let the dough sit covered on the counter for 2 hours. (I make mine in a lidded plastic storage container I bought at wal mart- this raises a lot, so you need space for it- but any gallon container works. Cover it with plastic wrap if there's no lid.)
Then refrigerate your dough- it will get tangier the longer it sits, and can be kept for 2 weeks with good results. When the dough is cold (it's easier to handle cold), and you want a loaf of bread, flour your hands and sprinkle a little four over the top of the dough and take out a grape-fruit sized hunk.
Put it on a floured surface and shape it into a ball- it doesn't have to be perfect.
Place it on cookie sheet that you've sprinkled with a little cornmeal.
Let it sit for 45-60 minutes. It won't puff up a lot, it will just swell some, most of the raise happens in the oven. During this time pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees
sprinkle it with a little flour. put a shallow pan (metal or cast iron, not glass or ceramic- a pie pan or cake layer pan will work) on the lowest rack in the oven. heat a cup of water to HOT in the microwave.
When time is up, take a sharp knife or scissors and cut the loaf across 2 or 3 times. 1/2" deep
put the loaf in the oven, pour the hot water in the pan on the lowest rack and shut the oven door.
Bake 25-35 minutes until golden brown. cool on a wire rack.
If you can, wait til it's just warm to cut- I deflated my first loaves until I realized it was me cutting it when the bread was hot
If you have a stone for the oven, you can slide the loaf onto your preheated stone and bake. you can also bake it on a preheated cast iron pan. be careful transferring it to the pan.
but, maybe, just maybe... 
