No Fail Bread
Who doesn’t love a fresh loaf of bread? Whether it’s for a
group dinner with friends, to accompany your favorite soup or a neighborly
gift, this bread will. Not. Fail. You.
Not a baker you say? Neither am I. Until a few months ago I considered a bowl of
easy mac an accomplishment. Then I had a
nervous breakdown (probably not really but I really needed something to punch)
and decided kneading dough was better than kneading someone’s face.
Anyway. Here’s what
you’ll need:
·
A covered cast iron dutch oven – it can be the
small one. This is not optional. It’s enclosure is what will give your bread
the NOT part of Will. Not. Fail. You.
·
Approx. 3c of self-rising flour (I’ve tried
white and wheat and with this bread, I prefer white)
·
Approx 1-2c of water
·
Approx ¾ tsp of rapid rise yeast
·
Approx 1 tsp of salt (any type. Rock. SeaSalt.
Table.)
·
Your favorite herbs (fresh! For the love of god,
use fresh. You’re making homemade bread here, not a hot pocket)
·
Your favorite cheese. I have a lot of favorites.
I’ve listed some of my favorite combinations below this recipe
I know what you’re thinking. APPROXIMATELY?! Yes. Because
you’ll adjust as you go along. Why?
Because this bread will. Not. Fail. You.
Combine the dry ingredients.
Add your water while stirring. It looks shaggy and not nearly wet
enough, right? Add some more water. Yup – slowly and a bit at a time until your
flour is wet and shaggy. How much water
did you add total? Write it down and comment here. I can never remember.
Add your herbs and/or cheese. You don’t have to add them – plain is
delicious too.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and push it to the
back of your counter. Now go away.
Seriously. This needs to sit for AWHILE. I usually do mine before bed
and bake it the next afternoon. In a
pinch, a few hours will do. Fair warning though, the longer it sits the lighter
and fluffier your bread will be.
Ready to bake? Preheat your oven to 350’ and once it’s
warmed up put your empty dutch oven in the oven to preheat. Now, scoop some flour on a clean counter and
plop that shaggy mess on it. Your hands will be a mess but still, dig in. Work
the dough a bit, getting enough flour on it to where you can touch it without
it sticking to you. Then, plop it back
in the bowl and tuck the plastic wrap tightly around your ball of bread. Set
your kitchen timer for 30 minutes and go wash your hands.
When the timer goes off, carefully remove your extremely hot
dutch oven from your oven. Remove the
lid, plop your dough in the hot dutch oven and cover it, shove it back in your
hot oven and set your alarm for another 30 minutes. Go wash your hands. You’re so close to having a treat!
When that timer goes off remove it from the oven, turn off
your oven and toss your bread out on the counter. Isn’t it gorgeous? Does it
have delicate little dips and valley’s of crispy goodness? A spattering of
flour? Don’t you want to just rip it apart and nom nom nom? Don’t. You’ll burn
your tongue (and maybe face) and it will ruin the experience. Wait for it to cool a bit.
Don’t store this bread until it’s completely cooled. It can
take awhile. I strongly suggest you serve it still warm. You can slice it and
provide proper butter/oil/dipping options, or you can simply rip it to pieces
like my friends and I and eat like monsters.
Either way – enjoy it!
Some of my favorite combinations (add these to your prepared
dough)
Fresh Rosemary and grated Parmesan
Herbed Goat cheese and Thyme
Italian herb and grated cheddar
Feta, basil and kalamata olives (chop those puppies finely!)
Sea salt and black pepper
Herb de Provence (in a package from the store)
~Compliments to my bestie, Stevi (the one that had the "crisis)~
~Compliments to my bestie, Stevi (the one that had the "crisis)~
