Nov '09

It’s been a while since I baked bread. Mmm! my weakness is homemade bread. After  hiking and getting caught for almost an hour in a rainstorm, I became obsessed with chili and homemade bread. I don’t mean chili with homemade bread, so I got my chili fix that night. But the bread is another story.

 

Ok, you say that I can get frozen dough at the store so all I have to do is set it on the counter and in a few hours I have bread. Well, I can make better dough in less time than it takes the frozen dough to thaw, so why bother with that? Making dough is easy. Flour, salt, yeast, and water in proper proportions and you have bread. 

 

But if I want really good bread I need to set aside the dough covered in the refrigerator for at least twenty-four hours. Something happens to the flour when it is completely saturated. It turns a little yellow and the flavor really comes up. The bread I will get with dough set aside is far better than the dough I use immediately.

 

By not forcing water into the tiny flour grains by kneading, even more flavor is brought up. That is the bread I’m after, no-knead bread. It not only takes twenty four hours in the refrigerator but another eighteen hours on the counter. I then bake a round loaf (boule) in a super-heated, covered dutch oven for around thirty-five minutes at 500 degrees. The  rich crusty result is something to write home about. But if I start a loaf on Monday evening, it will be Wednesday before I have bread. Believe it or not, this bread requires no skill and no effort.

 

So what is the point? The point is that when we want something really fine we must learn patience. We must learn how much to work something and how much to leave it alone. It doesn’t take three days to make a loaf of bread, but the bread that takes three days is far superior to that which I can make in an afternoon or even two afternoons. When I put a dough in the refrigerator, I’m engaging in a deep spiritual practice. I’m paying attention to the ingredients and how to care for them. I making space for the bowl on the bottom shelf while I’m making space in my life two days ahead, and yet, not living in that future. To make it work, I’m keeping a focus, practicing a process, waiting to act, and only carrying out the necessary actions. This bread never fails to please, even when it goes stale. I’m making a space in my life and that’s a spiritual practice.

 

The Bread: Try this. Get a large bowl and put in three cups of flour, one teaspoon or a little less yeast (I buy it in a jar and keep it in the refrigerator) a half teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and about one cup or so water. Knead it together for about 15 minutes, return it to the bowl and cover it with a damp cloth and set it aside for a couple of hours. When it doubles in size press it down, roll it out and roll the sheet into a loaf or two or three. Let that rise until it doubles and bake it on a sheet or stone at around 400 degrees. You have a great French loaf or if you made several loafs, you have baguettes. It’s that easy. You can add olive oil for pizza dough or focaccia, sugar for sweet dough. There is a reason something is called basic.

 

What about the no-knead bread, you might ask. Well, follow the same recipe except put in one and five-eights cups water and only mix the ingredients. Spray the top of the mixture (it will be wet) with cooking oil to keep it from drying out. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. 

 

Twenty-four hours or more later, remove the bowl and set it on the counter. Eighteen hours later remove the plastic wrap and dump the dough on a floured surface. Flour your hands to handle the wet dough and form it into a ball and put that on a floured towel smooth side up. Let it double. 

 

Preheat the oven and a large cast iron, covered Dutch oven to 500 degrees. When the dough has risen an hour or so, lightly turn it over onto your floured hand and drop it into the Dutch oven. It may even sizzle when you drop it in. Be careful when you do this. 

 

Cover the Dutch oven and put it back in the oven and let the bread cook for around 35 minutes covered. Take the lid off and cook another 10 minutes or so causing the crust to darken to a dark caramel. 

 

Take the Dutch oven out of the cooking oven and upend the bread onto a cooling rack. If all went as it should have the loaf will fall out even though you didn’t grease the Dutch oven. 

 

When the loaf cools for around 45 minutes you can slice it. You’ll need a long bread knife and more patience because the crust will be quite hard. Put a little butter or olive oil on your piece of bread and you’ll think there is heaven on earth.