Weatherwise, yesterday was pretty fair--so of course it's been raining all day today. I didn't have to work or babysit, so I spent the day watching my new show, Sherlock, and making bread from scratch.
Even though I had all day to poodle around making bread, I didn't want to spend multiple hours proofing yeast and waiting for the dough to rise. So, to the internet I went for a relatively quick and easy recipe.
I eventually found this recipe on For the Feast. Super easy to follow and a delicious, gorgeous loaf as a result!
You will need:
-3 cups bread flour
-1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) of active dry yeast
-2 tsp granulated sugar
-1 tsp salt
-1 cup warm water (plus water as needed)
-approx. 1 tbsp olive oil
-sea salt, if you're up for adventure
In a bowl, combine the cup of warm water and the packet of yeast. Let it sit for about five minutes, until it's "creamy" and resembles the picture above.
While the yeast is doing its thing, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in another bowl.
When the yeast is ready, do what I didn't--make a well in the flour and pour the yeasty water into the indent. I just kind of poured it in willy-nilly and ended up with this weird looking mess above. Add water (a little bit at a time!) if necessary until the dough sticks together and is sticky.
When it's reached an appropriate consistency, gently form the dough into a ball and put it in a greased bowl. Spray a little bit of Pam on top, then cover the bowl with kitchen towel. Leave the dough alone for an hour--take a shower, exercise, binge-watch Sherlock...
After an hour, the dough will look like this. Tip it out of the bowl, flip it over, and move it around a bit. Form into another ball, spray some Pam, cover it up with a kitchen towel, and leave it to rise for another half-hour to hour.
Voilà! This is my dough after an hour and fifty minutes of total rising time.
Now's the time to preheat your oven, folks--375˚F.
Prepare your surface; I used a medium sized pizza stone. Sprayed it with (what else but) Pam, and I was ready to go!
Ease your dough out of the bowl, and carefully form it into a ovular/football shape. Try and handle the dough as minimally as possible, because you don't want to ruin any of the nice little air bubbles inside.
Brush the loaf with the olive oil. If you're feeling exceptionally daring, sprinkle some sea salt on top. Then, using a sharp knife, slice three angled cuts into the bread.
Now it's time to pop that sucker into the oven! Cook for thirty minutes, or until tapping the bottom produces a hollow sound. I can never shake the thought that I'm Nancy Drew searching for a hidden room... but maybe that's just me.
Let it cool for at least fifteen minutes before enjoying.
On a side note, I was eagerly taking this photo when my dad came home from work. I got some judgement vibes from him, but really. Look at this beauty.
We had it with our dinner tonight, but I'm looking forward to enjoying it before it inevitably disappears by tomorrow evening. I'm guessing my dad will make toast with it for breakfast, and my mom is no doubt fantasizing over an egg and homegrown watercress sandwich for lunch...
It's quite a dense bread, but crumbs very nicely. The bread has a gentle yeast flavor and smells like heaven! The sea salt is a nice touch, I think.
All in all, an easy, delicious, and quick bread (well, as quick as bread can be!)
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