I had never made bread before, but always wanted to try. I've been intimidated by all that kneading and all the skills of knowing the right feel of a loaf before it goes into the oven. I've made Breadmaker bread, but really wanted to try something simple and Susan's recipe for Artisan Bread was the perfect first try. It was a total success.
Susan's hybrid recipe does not require leavening - has only 4 ingredients - and literally requires patience more than any complicated instructions. And best of all, it turned out every bit as good as any bakery. Nice crust on all sides, soft and delicious inside, moist and flavorful -- and the loaf is huge! You can find this and other delicious desserts and meals she dreams up at http://BerriesandCocoa.wordpress.com.
AWESOME ARTISAN BREAD
This recipe is adapted from Jim Lahey’s My Bread, available on Amazon.com.
Ingredients:
5 3/4 cups bread flour, plus
more for your work surface1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 2/3 cups cool water
In a large bowl (KitchenAid with dough hook) combine the flour, yeast and salt. Turn mixer on low setting,
adding the water slowly, while scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix
well, combining ingredients thoroughly. The dough will be wet and sticky.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the bread sit 12-18
hours at room temperature. When the dough has darkened slightly, smells yeasty
and the top is dotted with tiny bubbles, then it is ready.
Next, lightly flour
your hands and your work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with
more flour. Fold the dough over itself once or twice, then tuck under the ends
to make a rough ball. Cover with floured towel or flour dusted waxed paper and
let sit for two hours, or until doubled in size.
After 1.5 hours, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place large
(6-8 quart size) covered dutch oven in the oven and let it preheat. This is the
big secret to the artisan loaf – the hot dutch oven creates a mini bread oven!
(If your dutch oven doesn’t have an ovenproof knob, cover with aluminum foil).
After two hours total, (dutch oven has been in the oven for
30 minutes to preheat) carefully remove pot from oven and “flip” dough over the
pot, seam side up. If you need to, shake it a few times to evenly distribute in
pan. Cover and bake for 40 minutes, then remove lid from pot and bake
additional 10-15 minutes or until top of loaf is nice and crusty browned.
Remove bread from pot and let cool completely on wire rack before cutting -- loaf will taste better if you let it cool.
--------------GARLIC & LEMON CHICKEN WITH RED POTATOES & GREEN BEANS (FB anonymous)
(Gluten free. Low Carb, Diabetic Friendly) - I made some modifications
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced and 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Emeril seasoning
A small sprinkle of red
pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
3/4 pound trimmed green
beans
8 small red potatoes (quartered),
or 2 Idahos, cut in smallish cubes
4 thawed chicken breasts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat
oven to 400°F. Dutch oven 6 qt. Arrange lemon slices around bottom. Combine oil and seasonings and mix, set aside. Add chicken green beans and potatoes and toss to coat. Arrange chicken on top of lemon slices, then green beans, and top with potatoes. Pour this mix over and roast uncovered 60 minutes until potatoes are done and crisped. Remove to serving dish.
The chicken was moist and green beans cooked just right, but the sauce was very flavorful, but thin. Next time I'll whisk in a teaspoon or two of flour and cook the roux for a couple of minutes, and ladle the thickened sauce over the chicken before serving.
