An Adventure in Bread Making

Small Artisan Loaves

I can honestly say bread is not my forte. Baking as a whole doesn’t get along with me very well. My problem is that baking is chemistry. I’m an alchemist - I wanna’ tinker. Baking is not very forgiving of tinkering.

Nonetheless, I set out on a quest. I became fascinated by the sourdough idea. Not the best option for starting out new. Enthusiastically buying starters and containers, and disheartened, try after try. Okay, this experiment is not happening. Breathe. Time for round 2. 

There HAD to be an easy recipe somewhere that I could actually repeat. I watched some videos claiming to be simple, and they sounded like stereo instructions. Written recipes were pages long. COME ON!

I hunkered down and kept looking. 

Finally, I found one that worked–once, twice, three times! Oh my! Not only did my house smell great, but I was incredibly happy.

It wasn’t difficult to add dry ingredients on the second rise. And, I had to watch temperatures and times for the rise, but it turns out my little electric fireplace has the perfect heat range for making yeastie beasties hungry. 

Because we don’t go through bread quickly, I make half-batches and cook them in a glazed porcelain pot with a lid. Lined with parchment paper - one wipe and you’re done cleaning. 

Here’s the basic recipe:

1 ½ cups bread flour

1 tsp active dry yeast

¾ cup warm water

¼ tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Get out a mixing bowl, preferably one that doesn’t stick. Place the flour into the bowl. In a small container, place warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir it gently so all the yeast gets damp, then stop. 

Wait 10 minutes. The yeast mixture should be frothy. Add this to the yeast to the flour and mix. I use a plastic spatula so the dough doesn’t stick. When the water is incorporated, the dough should be sticky and stretchy. If it’s dry, SLOWLY add a little water until you get that texture. 

Cover. Leave in a warm area (75-88F) for two hours. The dough will double in size. Line the Dutch oven with parchment paper. Warm a Dutch oven (or a pot like mine) in the oven at 450°F. While that’s warming, fold the dough in on itself in quarters, then shape the bread into a rough round.

Bake the bread dough covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 12 minutes more. A fully cooked loaf should have an internal temperature of 200F (it is worth using a thermometer, trust me). 

Let it cool and remove, lifting the parchment paper. The result is a rustic-style loaf. Cut it open and enjoy it with something like Golden Hearth Infused Honey. I also LOVE honey butter. 

Let me know if you try this recipe and how it turns out.

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