Magic bread

Peggy just shared his recipe for amazing no knead, incredibly crusty, chewy, Panera like bread with me and it seems so simple that surely the whole world knows about it but me.

Kara says she made it a long time ago and told me about it but we all know big sisters are supposed to do that. You know, take all the credit for having the idea first and then tell you it's your fault for not listening. hehe.

SO, just to be sure I'm not accused of keeping it all to myself AND because it's so yummy you'll be loved by all for making it, here are the directions:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp yeast (yes, that's all)
• 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups very warm almost hot water
  
  mix dry ingredients together, pour in water and vinegar, stir until just together, cover and let rise in a warm area for 3-4 hours (the picture below is after it has risen)

While you wait~ travel back in time to find yourself an older than dirt cast iron dutch oven with a hand made tin lid. Or, just ask Peg to borrow hers until you get your own newfangled pan, it will be worth the investment. Yes, you do have to use a dutch oven. I don't understand the chemistry, I just repeat the directions.

preheat oven to 500 with dutch oven inside, pour dough onto very well floured towel, sprinkle with more flour on top, fold four times (once from each side) and turn dough over so the seam side is down, make sure the top is well floured, this is the only tricky part~ open your very hot oven and take lid off the dutch oven, put your left hand under the towel and your right hand over the dough, flip the dough onto your right hand, ditch the towel and drop/toss the dough into the dutch oven without burning yourself! cover and bake 30 minutes with the lid on (say bipity-bopity-boo before you take the lid off because it seems like magic) and 10-15 minutes with the lid off or until the internal temp is 220. This particular loaf stuck to my towel and hand big time and I was sure it wouldn't come out right but abracadabra...

Here is the link to the original 12 hour method, and here is where the genius who created it updated the recipe to a 3-4 hour recipe.

And one Christmas shot I forgot to share. :-)

Oh man, cute babies and great bread. It's almost too much!