Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Cooking With LSP - Bread Of Life




Inspired by the Archbishop of Canterbury, I went to the kitchen in search of action. Yes, bread action. Here's the thing. From January to early March you were laying in supplies of flour and yeast. 

Why? Because you knew a Red Plague panicked populace would empty the shelves come the COVID shoe drop. So what to do with all those baking supplies? Make bread, obviously, and here's an easy recipe, which works. Trust me on this.


Dough after appx 18 hours. Add more flour if too runny

Here's how it's done. First step. Put three cups of flour in a mixing bowl, add 1/4 tsp yeast and 1 tsp salt. You can add more salt if you want to make like some kind of NYT know-it-all. There's no rule, it's up to you, but I recommend 1 tsp.

Whatever, behold the result and stir it around. Don't be shy, stir it up, then add 1 cup of tepid water to the mix.  Stir that up too, it's not hard. Add more water, maybe a 1/3 of a cup until you've got a shaggy dough. 


Tip it outta the bowl and onto a floured surface

It shouldn't be too wet or too dry, just a shaggy dough, and you'll know it when you meet it. Cover that fella with clingfilm, the bowl, not the dough, and let it rest overnight, 18 hours+.

Next day the dough should look bubbly, this is good. Remove it to a floured surface and form to a ball. Add more flour or water if the floury beast's too dry or too wet. That done, put it back in the mixing bowl, cover with clingfilm and let it rest for another hour, another rise. 


Heavy Metal

In the meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450*. 30 minutes later, put some unoiled heavy metal into the oven to heat up. I use a Lodge, you might prefer Crueset. That's up to you. Another 30 minutes later, uncover the mixing bowl, form the dough into a ball again on the jolly old floured surface, take the heavy metal from the oven, uncover it and...

Put the dough ball in the Dutch, crease side up. Don't burn your hands on the incandescent heavy metal, use an oven mitt, for goodness sake. Then cover and bake for 30 minutes at 450*. Uncover for another 10 minutes or until the bread's as crusty as you like, totally your call, and remove from the oven.


Right Tasty

Gasp in wonder. You've made bread which smells good, looks good and is good, it wasn't even hard to do. Reflection over, cover that bad boy up with an Archiepiscopal tea towel and let rest for a few minutes. Then cut into it and fall upon your scoff like...

A Warrior. 

LSP

16 comments:

Ed Bonderenka said...

Best sermon I've heard all day.

drjim said...

Almost a cross between sourdough and a yeast bread.

Have to see if my SLW has a cast-iron pot like that. We have a "Dutch Oven", but it's made of aluminum!

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Alas, bread is off my eating plan, and I miss it.

LSP said...

Ed, I have to say, a powerful message...

LSP said...

EXACTLY, drjim. And so easy. Give it a go.

LSP said...

Sorry, WSF!

LL said...

Man does not live by bread alone...

But having said that, once the 'cooking with LSP' segment reaches the old country, you could be propelled into the Archbishop's palace. Let's face it, Welby's cooking show didn't product anything delicious.

Jim said...

Looks good to me. The better half loves her bread machine and has gotten good use from it and I'm rather fond of the results. Sadly she was one of the ones caught short of yeast and I have to keep an eye out for it.

Adrienne said...

Drool...

glasslass said...

First mix put some grated sharp cheddar or your cheese of choice and cooked diced bacon. Almost heaven on a plate. Or anything thing else you like.

Jules said...

A shaggy dough…

Unsealed heavy metal should be the name of a band.

Now you just need cheese and wine and a bit of porch life. Nice.

LSP said...

It does sound like a band, Jules. Good call, Cheese and wine and porch? YES.

LSP said...

glasslass, what a good idea!

LSP said...

It was tasty, Adrienne. No doubt about it.

LSP said...

I've never used a bread machine, Jim. But maybe I should?

LSP said...

LL, Welby's stripped pine performance left an awful lot to be desired. There will be changes at the Palace once we're in charge. Oh yes.