You might be thinking, hold on….an early post? Why yes, my daughter went down for a nap because grandma has the magic touch. Plus grandma spoiled her and got her this really amazing playard/bassinet combo, which is enormously spacious. Needless to say, she is a happy camper with grandma today.
Now here I am, taking a moment to post my very simple and adaptable bread recipe for all to try. I haven’t fiddled around with sourdough bread, which is one of my goals this year. BUT, if you want to stop buying over priced, over processed and over preservative breads in the store than look no further!
Just an FYI, you can use a stand mixer if you choose to, but I’m a little old fashioned and prefer to do this by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon. The dough is fairly sticky but so worth it!
Simple Rustic Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 1/3 cups (434g) of flour
- 1 packet of active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 2/3 cups (395 ml) of warm water
Instructions:
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, yeast and salt.
- Pour warm water over the dry ingredients
- Mix until well combined. The dough will be very wet and sticky. At this point you can add additional flour if desired.
- Place the dough in the centre of the bowl, scrapping all the excess from the sides. Lightly coat the top with cooking spray or a bit of oil. Then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Then place a tea towel over that.
- Place the dough in a warm spot; such as near an oven or an oven with the light on.
- Let the dough rise for at least 2-3 hours. It should double in size.
- Use a spatula or clean lightly oiled hands to loosen the dough from the bowl and dump the dough on a well floured surface. Proceed to fold the dough into it’s self a few times before forming into a loaf.
- NOTE: You can easily skip this step and place the dough directly into a prepped loaf pan if you are in a hurry or lazy (like me most days!)
- Place the bread into a parchment lined loaf pan or dutch oven (make sure you heat your dutch oven before placing the parchment and dough inside).
- Oven temperature is 450 Degrees. Bake for about an hour, but be sure to check the bread at the 45 minute mark. If you are using a dutch oven: bake covered for 40 minutes then uncover for the remainder of the cook time. The bread should be golden brown and a toothpick should come out clean.
- Place bread on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour before eating.
Side notes:
- If you wish to add other ingredients such as cheddar and jalapeno. Add the ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well before adding your water.
- You can place the prepared and covered dough in the fridge over night or for up to three days. But make sure when you take out the dough, allow to come to room temperature before baking.That’s usually about an hour to 1 1/2 hours.
- Have fun with it! Adapt as you need to and make up your own breads.
Well I hope you enjoy and get in the kitchen. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty!
Ciao!!
Mama on the Move 