No knead bread

When beginning our adventure in self-sufficiency, one of the first things I was determined to do was make my own bread. I love cooking and always have, but baking always scared the crap out of me for some reason. I think it's all of the science involved. You can't just throw things together until it tastes just right; you have to be methodical. My first successful loaf of french bread changed my view on baking entirely! I tried several different recipes, and was spending at least three afternoons a week baking bread for a while. Once the novelty of my new found skill wore off, and the other chores began to pile up, abandoned for my love of fresh bread, the routine tapered off. I still love the process of kneading the dough and forming the loaf, but sometimes (often really) I need something that requires less effort.

Enter: "No Knead Bread."

I stumbled across the recipe online and gave it a try. Man, it's amazing. It's a time investment for sure, but very little effort. What you end up with is a beautiful rustic loaf of fresh bread that is crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. Perfect to have with soup, or any meal really, or just with butter. Sweet-sweet delicious butter. This is the recipe, so try it. You won't regret it!

 No Knead Bread
1 and 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet of active dry yeast
3 cups bread flour
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt

Add yeast to warm water. Leave for five minutes. Add flour and salt. Mix until everything comes together. Cover and let sit for up to 20 hours. I have made it after 12 and up to 20. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will have. After 20 hours, turn dough out onto floured surface. Fold all the edges toward the center. Place on a floured towel, and put in a bowl to rise for another hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees for thirty minutes. Put a pot (cast iron enamel is recommended, but I use a regular cast iron dutch oven) in the oven to preheat. The pot should have a lid that is also oven safe. After the bread has risen, and the pot is preheated plop the dough into the pot. Don't worry about how it looks. It's rustic. Put the lid on and bake for 30 minutes. After that, remove the lid and bake for additional 15-20 minutes.

Then, take it out and eat it. I promise you'll be happy!  Seriously.  I'm not drunk. :o)