Bread

We have slowly yet ruthlessly cut out  all processed foods from our diet, and we recently hit a road block...bread. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to buy bread without three syllable words in the ingredients list?

Home baked bread, yummy yummy

Baking my own bread has always seemed way too intimidating and time consuming, but as my priority shifts to eating only simple foods, I make time and begin to bake bread. As a result we haven't bought bread in weeks!

NO-KNEAD YEAST BREAD

2 (1/4 oz.) packets yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons turbinado (fancy name for raw brown sugar)
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups + 3 cups flour, divided (we use wheat or unbleached)
1/3 cup vegetable or corn oil ( we use olive oil)

Directions:

1. To proof yeast, pour warm water into a small ceramic bowl and add the yeast, but don't stir. Set aside    
 (when it begins to foam slightly you know you got good yeast).

2. In a large bowl, pour hot water over turbinado and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon to completely    
dissolve.

3. Combine 3 cups of flour with the hot water mixture. Pour the oil on top of the dough mixture, add the
 yeast mixture on top of that, but do not stir.

4. Top with the remaining 3 cups flour and mix well. Begin with a wooden spoon and move into
squishing the dough with your hands. At this point the dough should be pliant and moist but not    gooey.

5. Cover the bowl with a damp towel (paper towels work great) and set aside to rise for at least 45
 minutes.

6. On a lightly floured surface, divide the risen dough in half. This recipe calls for no kneading, and others who use this recipe say they don't knead and it runs out fine. I do like to knead it a bit myself and give it a good couple of turns on the countertop before I put it into bread pans.

7. Flatten each half  and put into bread pans or on a cookie sheet, one for each loaf. Cover again with a moist towel and let rise again for another 45 minutes.

8. After the dough has risen the second time, preheat the oven to 375 F and bake for 23 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Makes 2 huge loaves.
Prep time 2 hours (mostly waiting for the bread to rise)
Cooking time 23 minutes

You can improvise and add your own seeds, herbs etc. You can also glaze the bread before baking for a crispy crust. I have found that the wheat flour breads come out denser and are a great complement to soups, while the unbleached is just a fluffy slice of heaven.