Thursday, November 11, 2010

Let's bake some bread together ~ the conclusion

Yesterday, we made our Artisan Bread dough, and here's a sneak peek at where we're going today...


Whoever said that man cannot live by bread alone was dead wrong.

By now, your dough should look like this, with little air bubbles all over the surface.
Ready to trash your kitchen? Here we go.



Notice how there was no need to knead?  I love this recipe.

Now we're ready to shape the dough into loaves. They can be round or baguette-shaped – whatever you prefer. Try not to handle the dough too much – you don't want to break all the air bubbles.

Place your loaves on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam or on a pizza stone. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the loaves, then cover them with plastic wrap. I got a little carried away and sprinkled sesame seeds on top of mine. We're going to let the dough raise a little bit while we preheat the oven for 30 minutes at 475 degrees. (If you live at a high altitude, preheat your oven to 450.) The oven has to be hot hot hot, so don't skimp on the 30-minute preheat.

A few minutes before you're ready to start baking these beauties, place a pie pan filled with water in the oven on the lower rack. The steam will help give them a perfect crunchy crust as they bake.


Bake the loaves for 20 minutes or until they're beautifully brown.


I need a bigger pizza stone. I ended up with conjoined loaves.


Cool the bread on a wire rack and try your best to wait a few minutes before you dig in. 
It really does taste better after it's cooled off a bit.


Let us know in the comments how yours turns out!

37 comments:

  1. Don't even ask how I could screw up a recipe with so few ingredients, but I did, BUT the end result was still good and now I'm anxious to try it again, the right way. LOL

    Love your pictures Carson ... you did a great job!

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  2. Sitting here having my morning cup of coffee and thinking how great a warm slice of homemade bread dripping with butter would be with it. Bet this makes great toast!

    Di

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  3. I didn't join in the bake off but did read about it on another blog and came over to check it out. Great idea! I got into the Artisan bread this year through Artisan bread in 5 min a day. I have baked probably a hundred + loaves this year. I love this bread so easy and so functional. Ummmm I am pretty sure it was Jesus that said "Man shall not live by bread alone" LOL.

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  4. I am amazed at how moist this bread turns out to be. Good tip about the long preheat for the oven. I've made two batches in the last week, but I just preheated until the oven reached 475 and then had to add a few minutes of baking time to get the bread nice and brown.

    You're having a big influence here and in lots of places you don't even know about. I happen to know of a bachelor up in the interior of British Columbia, Canada, too shy to ever comment, who is baking right along with you! This is a person who last purchased flour six years ago!

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  5. We're ready to bake this evening. The dough is sitting on the counter now. Can't wait! BTW, I'm taking yeast packets in today for three chickies who are going to start the process tomorrow. :)

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  6. I usually squash my loaf a bit...cuz I can't wait. I love hot bread with melting butter on it.... just have to do it...

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  7. This bread is sooooooooooo yummy. I went searching for MORE and found a rye recipe and cooked it in an old camp cast iron pot. Too wonderful also.
    This morning's batch is baking as I type. Thanks for bringing the world of Artisan bread to our house. Yummers on you, The Olde Bagg

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  8. oh, Oh, OH! I am going to bake these. Maybe today! Thanks for the recipe!

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  9. Bread is in the oven as I type this. I sprinkled rosemary over one of the loaves and will drizzle it with a little olive oil when it comes out of the oven. That one I'll save for dinner. The other one I left plain and am going to enjoy a slice or 2 for breakfast -- with lots of butter. Mmmmm...
    I have a very similar recipe to this that I use a lot. The cool thing about that one is, it makes more and you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to a week and bake a little loaf every couple days. That recipe is from King Arthur flour - no knead crusty white loaf.
    Thanks for the bread baking motivation!

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  10. Made the bread last w/end - and of course there were a couple of 'operator' errors, but it still turned out great. And I should tell you that I have tried your 'rancher woman chicken' - it's very tasty too! Looking forward to your next cooking lesson!

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  11. I did not have a chance to try this yet, but it's on my to do list for the weekend. These pics are making me extremely hungry!

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  12. Bread is baked and now cooling in the kitchen. Smells fantastic! I'm trying to be good and not test it, I'm trying to be good and ...

    Sigh. Waiting is so hard to do!

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  13. Oh, My! Oh My!!!! I found the right place and you've found the right reader! I LOVE BREAD! Seriously.. I can live with just bread.. and some chocolate too... lol

    Lovely and I need to try it! :-)


    Luciane at HomeBunch.com

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  14. I missed yesterdays post. I have seen this recipe before, but never seen the bread baked in an open oven. My recipe calls for it to be baked in a Calphelon bowl with a lid (yes, a lid??).
    I'm definitely trying your version!!

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  15. I am another grateful reader :)!

    Some questions I had after my initial try of this recipe sent me to the "Artisan Bread in 5 minutes" site and then their book. Although I did freeze a loaf my first try and it was fine, I am REALLY liking the "5 minutes" technique of refrigerating the dough and pulling off a hunk to bake when you want fresh bread.


    I dollop out a small grapefruit sized piece usually, make a mini-boule sized loaf and that does me for a day or day and 1/2. Don't get me wrong, I COULD sit and munch through the entire 2 loaves but I'd rather not weight 900 pounds.

    The other thing is, since it is a very moist dough, it takes on a sourdough flavor...the longer in the frig, the more sour. The book says 5-7 days in the frig is fine. I've had mine 6 days and lived to tell the tale.

    I've made rye with K.Arthur's "perfect for rye blend" and "italian" using semolina: 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 the specialty flours.

    Thanks again Linda! This opened up a whole new bread baking experience for me and I thought I knew it all as far as bread :)!

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  16. I never had time yesterday to get it ready, but my mouth is sure watering looking at those pics, i will definitly have to make some!

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  17. Ok, lol, I confess. I made this bread as soon as you twittered about it. It was DELICIOUS!! The only problem I have is the 18 hr wait... I had to figure all that out in my head, and would I be home and not busy to do it in time? I found myself in town, looking at my watch saying "But I have to get home, I have to do my bread!!"
    Other than the wait (Mom always said I had trouble with delayed gratification) I'd say it's the best, easiest bread out there to make!!

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  18. Mine is on the counter cooling as I'm writing this. Yum. I can't wait. I shaped it like two long torpedo's and I'm going to use it as my "french" bread for spaghetti and meatballs for supper tonight. I wonder if my husband would notice if a slice or two was missing.....

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  19. Hmmm... just looking at the pictures makes my mouth water! Will definitely try it once I've got my new stove!
    Can't wait!!!

    Petra Christensen
    Parelli 2Star Junior Instructor
    Parelli Central

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  20. I always use parchment paper on top of my stone and although it does get pretty brown itself, I've yet to burn the house down! I always use it when I make cookies, too, no greasing the pan and the cookies come right off...and no messy pan to clean. Parchment paper rocks. :)

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  21. A complete success! I baked my bread today when I got home from work, the only thing I noticed that was different is that in your pictures, your dough seemed wetter than mine. But it came out perfect! I have made homemade bread before, but could never get the crusty outside and moist inside right, so I gave up and bought it now and then at the grocery store. The water in the pie pan must do the trick! This is exactly the kind of bread I love most. Now I have to pick up some sesame seeds to try on top next time. Thanks again for taking the time to explain this to us!

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  22. I've been doing bread like this for some time now. It's so easy an forgiving. Would you like the crust to be really so thin it almost shatters? Bake it in a preheaded cast iron pot, or any thick pot with a cover. The lid acts to keep the moisture in and the crust is unbeleivable.

    I vary by throwing in whole wheat flour too. Or uncooked millet which adds crunch. And I can't tell the difference if I pop it in the frig overnight or bake it right away. Still delicious.

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  23. I just didn't get going yesturday...so no bread for me. Hopefully, I'll get on it tomorrow...cause now I'm craving warm crusty bread!

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  24. OK. OK...going to the store this weekend and gonna try it! I'll try the 875 feet directions and then will look forward to the 6800+ feet directions some day.

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  25. I am saving all of this ...I swear after Christmas I am throwing away my bread machine !!

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  26. Mmmmm....this post makes me hungry.

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  27. Love this recipe. Thanks for sharing. Your pictures made it so easy to follow!

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  28. Well, my house smells wonderful. The bread stuck to the pizza stone so the bottom pulled off; we'll see how that works out. I like the suggestion to use parchment on the stone which I'll do next time. This was the first time I'd used the stone which was newish having just been used for pizza once, by my daughter.

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  29. The bread looks yummy Carson! I will try to make this weekend. I have a rectangular baking stone that should work fine......I could never go on a low carb diet!

    What did Wynonna do to the chickens?

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  30. LOVE THIS BREAD! Yes I know I just shouted in all caps.
    Mine went exactly according to plan...I even sprinkled some sesame seeds on top. Shared some with a friend and have already passed the recipe along as well.
    Thanks!

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  31. I love this bread. The flavor is perfect. Easy, easy, easy. Thanks so much for posting this recipe and tutorial.

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  32. OMG...DELICIOUS! I've made this bread twice now and I'll surely make it again and again. Yummers!

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  33. note here to Anne Boleyn ...seeing as you have no link...

    the reason it stuck to your stone is that the was not conditioned for it's first job .... bake some cookies on it once you get it cleaned ofion it nicely for you.

    Check out some sites on Pizza Stones... or even clay pots.... it'll give you some tips....

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  34. I made your bread recipe yesterday and baked it for supper tonight. My husband ate 6 pieces with a spiced olive oil to dip it into. What an easy recipe, and I do make yeast bread and rolls, so this was so different for me. My husband said that I have to take some of it to my son's for Thanksgiving. It will also make terrific Christmas gifts for friends. Keep up the great work!

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  35. I made this bread yesterday and it turned out fantastic. It is so delicious and so easy. A real treat! Thanks for sharing.

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  36. Baked my bread.... and made one slight boo boo.... put some saran wrap over the dough while waiting for the oven to heat....and forgot to take it off when I put it into the oven. Acckkk!! what an idiot.

    Anyway... I pulled it off in the next two minutes..but, I think some of the damage was done...it probably didn't go quite what it was supposed to do in that first few minutes...but, it sure was tasty...I say was because it's all gone already.....
    I'll definitely try it again to see if there is much difference without saran on in the first few minutes... lol....

    pics here....http://teddybearteaparty.blogspot.com/

    thanks so much for the recipe and the how to ....
    I call mine Carson's Easy Ranch Bread now.... so I remember where I found the recipe....

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