Lazy Bread.

At the thought of baking bread, a whimsical and pleasant image arises, usually involving flour covered aprons and milkmaid braids.  There's something so earthy and natural and wholesome about bread baking.  These thoughts make me long to attend Kneading Conferences  and be a hip, down-to-earth, linen-clad member of a 'Grain Alliance'.   But then I remember, honestly, that I really don't like making bread.  I think it's the kneading...and the waiting for the bread to rise, punching down, and waiting again, and, dear goodness, the dough between my fingers and under my nails that just won't go away.  Ultimately, my distaste for the art crops up to my own impatience and finickiness.  I'd rather spend my time baking pies and mixing cocktails.  I guess I'll never be on the cover of Kinfolk.

However.  

Lately, I'm very skeptical of all the preservatives, additives, and "dough enhancers" found in grocery store breads (dough enhancer is not a secret baker's term for yeast).  I know, I know, old news.  They've been there for decades.  But bread is a probably my second favourite food group, and I don't like the thought of all that stuff going into my body at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  So a little while back, I began buying Ezekiel bread.  But after a while, even though my stomach said "yum yum," I felt a little guilty about spending 4+ dollars on a loaf of bread.  Enter personal dilemma.  But then I remembered that I a while back I pinned a recipe for World's Easiest Bread on Pinterest-Land-of-Rarely-Realized-Dreams.  

So I took a look at the recipe, and it has changed my life.  Exeunt personal dilemma.  As it turns out, I can bake bread without having to be covered with sticky dough.  But more importantly, I don't have to be wondering every time I swallow that carb-y deliciousness "hmmm, what's in this?" 

Crusty Bread

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon Instant or Rapid-rise yeast (I use regular yeast--just use hot water so that it proofs)

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until it comes together.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours.   Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes (I suppose you can probably do this with bread pans if you want a more traditional shape...I'm going to try to bake the current batch this way).  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. 

I love that I can mix the ingredients together, go to bed, and then have fresh baked bread an hour after I get up in the morning!  It's nothing special, but for basic, easy, no-effort-required bread, I'm very satisfied.  Enjoy!