Artisan bread

Making your own bread is not only affordable, it is actually pretty easy. OK, I'll admit, I do have some cooking experience, primarily due to imitating my mother and grandmother's great southern prowess in the kitchen, but I venture to wager even they have never made an artisan bread loaf.

In fact, I remember the very first time I tasted home made bread; It was made by the wife of a good friend of mine and the year was 1983. She was a devout Mormon woman and probably one of the most industrious homemakers I have ever met. I was amazed by both the wonderful taste, as well as the obvious difficulty involved in the task.

Years later, my wife and I find ourselves on the same journey towards self reliance and wholesome nutritional intake that are quickly becoming lost in an age of food commercialization and profit margins. While convenient to rely on the local grocery store for wonder bread, there is a certain sense of pride, not to mention the nutritional value and a small step towards independence and self sufficiency, in making your own bread.

I have not yet taken the leap of growing and grinding my own grains, but that day will come. For now, I am still purchasing bread flour, yeast and raw grains locally, but I am learning the joy and satisfaction of doing it myself, and that is priceless.

The recipe is simple, and I cannot take credit for coming up with it. I am an avid reader of things hands on and practical, and the credit for my success goes to a book entitled, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day", by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francios. I first learned of this method in an article published by Mother Earth News, and although I'm not sure about the five minutes a day part, the process is amazingly simple, and it works. Even if you have never made bread before, by your second or third batch you will feel like a pro at it, and best of all, you will never have to eat mass produced wonder bread again.

Here is the basic recipe for Artisan Boule:
(yields four 1 pound loaves)

3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 1/2 tbsp ground sea salt
6 1/2 cups bread flour (not self-rising flour)

*add yeast and salt to water and stir
*mix the ingredients but do not kneed. the dough will be loose and slightly wet
*cover loosely and allow to rise approx 2 hours
*put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make a loaf
*pinch a 1 pound ball of dough and quickly form it
*let it set for 90 minutes
*place it on a baking stone in the oven (preheated to 450 degrees)

you will want to have a broiler pan in the oven while preheating, and pour 1 cup hot water into the pan after placing the loaf in. quickly close the oven door to trap in the steam. After about 30 minutes it is done.

Experiment with grains, oats and spices and I suggest some fine extra virgin olive oil for dipping. Enjoy!