Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Staff of Life, Made Easy

I can't even remember what I did this weekend, and it isn't even over yet.  Hello, early-onset dementia!

Let's see, I did cook some.  I know!  It was shocking.  But Larry was home and I felt guilty.  Also, I had recently found an awesome no-knead bread dough recipe on Pinterest for crusty bakery-type bread that normally costs more than 4 dollars a loaf at the grocery store.  

This is the other blogger's picture.  But it could have been mine.

You know, I'm used to succumbing to the siren song of whatever recipe fad is out there, only to be disappointed with the results.  But this time? I am churning out crusty loaves of bread with little to no effort on my part.  And no one cries!  My not-so-little tykes actually sit there waiting for the bread to come out of the oven so that they can slather it with butter and devour it.

Of course, that may be more a function of how hungry they are than of how good it is.  I don't know.

Impulse purchase that actually paid off

 The secret to the crust is to bake the bread in an enameled cast iron pot.  I bought one online at Target for 53 dollars (free shipping).   Much cheaper than anywhere else, by the way.  We figured out that it pays for itself after 12 loaves.  I think we're there already.

Did I mention that this is a no-knead bread dough?  10 minutes, people - that's all it takes.  No one fighting over who gets to "help" knead, no mess in the kitchen.  Check it out!

9 comments:

  1. Oooooooooooo... my family loves homemade bread, but I'm all done with bread machines and hate the hours that it takes to make the 'real' stuff. Now I just need an enameled pot for my birthday. In two days.

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  2. That looks amazing--as do all her variations. I'm going to have to get that pot.

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  3. I have a pot like that... and I can smell your bread from here! Mmmmmm....

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  4. That bread looks so yummy! We habe very similar pots from IKEA over here in Germany! Maybe I will guve it a try as soon as I've figured out that "cup" thing!

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  5. I'm a big fan of the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day recipes as well. Hmm, and I know why the pot works- the lid contains moisture and a steam bath makes a crusty bread. If you want to try this and *don't* have an enameled cast-iron pot, here's an idea: Preheat the oven with a second empty pan on the bottom tray. Mix up the dough, form it into a ball on a greased cookie sheet, dust the top with flour and make a couple of small cuts across the top. Put it in the oven and pour a cup of cold water into the empty pan on the lower level. Then bake. (This is a good method for making baguettes, too- just form them into long thin loaves, and don't bake them as long.)

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  6. Tuttimaniac- you might find this cooking American-to-Metric converter useful. http://www.jsward.com/cooking/conversion.shtml

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  7. Am checking out now. If this works out for me, you will be my personal hero.

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  8. first of all....pinterest kind of scares me. i have people following me there, but, really? i'm going nowhere!!! but....for that bread recipe, i may have to pull on my big girl panties and go over and check it out.
    and that pot? oh my gosh! i wonder if Target ships internationally and what body part i could sell to pay for shipping??

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  9. Yes, I must have the pot too. Thanks for doing the price comparison for us. There are six Targets in my immediate area. One must have one that I don't have to wait for it to ship! Thanks for posting the recipe link, the family will love it.

    Long time lurker...:) I really enjoy your blog. I miss your knitting quandries, I found you from the Yarn Harlot. Love her!

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