recipe 20...bread...just bread..yummmm

So the book club is back up and running. I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again....I love reading books chosen by people around the world. I'm sure I would never have picked up "The Undomestic Goddess" by Sophie Kinsella if the book club didn't lead me to it. I enjoyed it, as much as I enjoy any other chick-lit, as it was an absolute girl book. After my Italian vacation I've been reading Italian fiction as well as cookbooks....(there are many soups in my future), so the trip to England via "TUG"was a nice change of pace.

The recipe that grabbed me most was for bread, plain and simple...bread. So I've been baking, and baking, and baking. We have spread butter, homemade nutella (yum by the way), cheese, and marinated tomatoes in oil and garlic (king of the show) on the bread. We have also grabbed hunks and eaten them right down. So easy, so simple, so delicious.

SPEEDY NO-KNEAD BREAD

by: Mark Bittman via The New York Times

ingredients:

3 cups bread flour

1 packet instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

oil as needed..(not kneaded...hee hee)

did I say simple?????

Step 1

Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add  water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Step 2

Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.

Step 3


At least 30 minutes before dough is ready heat oven to 450. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready carefully remove hot pot from oven and slide dough into pot. (I didn't oil up the pot for my first batch and bread stuck to pot....used lots of butter and oil next time and bread popped out). Shake pan once or twice to distribute dough. (mine fell into place just fine)

Step 4

Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes, remove lid and bake 15 to 30 minutes more, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack......or let slightly cool and pull apart and eat and dip and eat......so good!!!!