best...bread...ever

So, I wanted give you my recipe for the best bread ever. Bread making is so exciting. I got into it a last winter thanks to my good friend, Lynne. Okay, so maybe Lynne wouldn’t  know me from a hunk of cheese, but I think of her as a friend. Here’s why.

          After the accident last year, some days were tough. I found comfort from clinging to all the cozy and homey things, like ironing and cooking dinner. (I actually enjoy ironing – how lame is that?) I discovered The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper, which is an NPR show. Listening to this show always cheered me up, and got me scheming about what food to create next. Also, it’s educational. Ask me anything about salt, or olive oil. Anything, I tell ya.

          One day, Lynne had a bread guy on, talking about slow rise bread, and how this method caused intensely flavorful bread because it collects yeasts from the air. I got some books from the library and began experimenting. He was so right. Here is a recipe I developed based on all those I tried.

          First, supplies. You will need a heavy ovenproof container with a lid. I have two, both work great. One is a vintage crock, which I picked up at a flea market in Canton, Texas. The other is a clay container, which I got at Goodwill.

          You will also need a cotton or linen towel. I use a linen dishtowel which my friend, Carolyn got me in Guernsey. Every time I make bread, I think of her fondly.

          Okay, here’s what to do. Take 2 & ½ cups of bread flour, ½ cup of whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat), ¼ tsp. yeast, and 1 tsp. salt. Mix them in a large non-metal bowl.

Next, take 1 & 1/3 cups water (room temperature) into which you have well-stirred 1/2 tsp. of molasses, and dump it into the flour mixture. Glop it all together into a big moist ball. It should be a bit tacky. You may need to add a little more water.

Throw a plate on top of the bowl to cover it completely. Let it sit for 18 – 24 hours. If it is not too cold out, I take it outside for 15 minutes or so to let it collect some of that yeast before covering it and bringing it inside.

          It should be kind of bumpity (don’t you just love that word), or dotted with air bubbles, and moist when done rising.

Lay out your towel, and rub a little flour into it, then add a thin layer of cornmeal. Scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl as you collect it into a clump. You may need to flour your hands.

Now turn the edges under like you are making a mushroom cap. Place that on the towel over the cornmeal. Slice 3 slits into the top. Put a tiny sprinkling of flour on it, and fold the towel sides over it. Let it rise for 2 hours.

          A half hour before the rise is done, turn the oven to 470 degrees, and put the baking container, with lid on, into the oven.

After a half hour, take the container out, take off the lid, and place the dough mound into it, cornmeal side down. Quickly put the lid back on, and pop it into the oven. After thirty minutes, take the lid off, but leave it in the oven.

Bake it another 5 to 15 minutes, till it is nicely browned, somewhere between acorn and pecan in shade. Place it on a cooling rack for at least half an hour before slicing it.

          Oh, and don’t seal it in a plastic bag, or it will lose its crackliness. After cutting, lay it cut-side-down on a plate, and cover lightly with a cotton towel. After 2 days, you can cover it loosely with a plastic bag, but don’t seal it.