Baking Bread

One of things I have on my list of things to learn is to make our family bread. We go through 3-5 loaves a week and it costs a fortune if you cannot get it at the bread store. So I have tried multiple recipes and most have flopped. So, today I tried again and the above picture is the result! Is was soooo simple it almost makes me feel like a ding dong. My only advise so far is do not man handle your bread. Thus, the beautiful loaf of Basic Artisan Bread!

I found the recipe on this Blog:

artificialagent.blogspot.com

Basic Bread Recipe adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

3 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast

1 1/2 tbsp coarse salt

6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all purpose flour

1. Add yeast and salt to water in a large 5 quart container or bowl.

2. Mix in the flour with a wooden spoon or a mixer fitted with a dough hook until mixture is uniform. If you are hand mixing and it becomes difficult to incorporate all the flour with spoon, you can use wet hands to press mixture together, but do not knead.

3. Cover with a non-airtight lid and let rise approximately 2 hours.

4. Sprinkle dough with flour and cut off a grapefruit sized piece, add a little more flour if needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands and stretch surface of dough around to bottom turning as you go to form a ball.

5. Let dough rest 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450F and place an empty broiler tray on bottom rack.

6. Dust dough with flour and slash with a serrated knife to make a criss cross or scalloped pattern. Put dough in the oven and quickly pour 1 cup of hot water in the broiler tray and shut the door. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch.Remaining dough can be refrigerated for up to two weeks in a lidded (but not airtight) container and used as necessary.