I've stopped buying bread altogether. I've adapted this from Mark Bittman's no knead whole wheat bread recipe; it takes 10-30 hours (timing is very forgiving), but only about 10 minutes of actual involvement. Mostly it just has to sit awhile.
3 c. whole wheat flour (or a mix of whole wheat and white bread flour, or replace up to 1 c. wheat flour with something else, like rye flour or cornmeal.)
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 - 1 t. instant active dry yeast
1 1/2 c water
1 T. honey or maple syrup (optional)
Olive or other oil (for greasing pan)
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add water; the dough should form into a shaggy ball. If it's too dry, add a couple more tablespoons of water. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit for 8-24 hours at room temperature until flat and bubbly on top.
When ready for second rise, oil a loaf pan, mix in a tablespoon of something sweet into the dough, and dump the dough into the loaf pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or clean dish towel; let rise until doubled in size, 2-6 hours. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, until hollow sounding when knocked. Remove from pan; cool on cooling rack, or better yet, eat it fresh out of the oven.
For shorter rise time, use more yeast and warmer room temperature; I find that the top of the fridge tends to work well. A longer rise time will create a more complex tasting bread (kind of sourdough-y and delicious.)
So much yummier than anything you can buy in the baked goods aisle, and total ingredient cost is less than you could find in your couch cushions.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'll attest to the yumminess!
ReplyDeleteOooo, cool, food blog! I'll have to add this to my other food blog bookmarks. ;)
ReplyDeleteLike the title too!