5 Minute "Artisan" Bread!

So my brother sent this recipe my way awhile ago and I just got around to trying it. I am completely hooked- it is SO easy and SO delicious. I was always intimidated by homemade bread, mainly because of the time involved. This recipe takes about 10 minutes on the day you mix it, and then 5 minutes of preparation on the day you bake it. It makes enough for 8 loaves (I halved it) and keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks. You just slice off a hunk every time you feel like fresh baked bread and then it's ready in a little more than an hour.

EQUIPMENT:

Pizza stone or baking sheet
1 cup measuring cup
1 Tablespoon measure
Flat shallow metal pan- a broiler tray or large cake pan works great
Serrated bread knife
A large bin, bucket, or tub with a NON-AIRTIGHT lid for the dough.
Pizza peel or rimless cutting board

INGREDIENTS:

6 C. Lukewarm Water
3 Tablespoons/28g Active Dry Yeast, or four packets
3 Tablespoons/50g Kosher or flake salt
13 C. All-Purpose Unbleached Flour (I use high altitude flour)

1) Put water, yeast and salt into 5-quart bowl or container.

2) Mix in the level scoops of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon or very wet hands until uniformly moist.

3) Cover loosely and leave out about two hours. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough.

4) Sprinkle pizza peel/cutting board with cornmeal.

5) Coat hands with flour and sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom creating a "cloak," until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

6) Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes.

7) Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone/pan on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on lower rack.

8) Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow you to slash the loaf with the serrated knife. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

9) Slide bread onto heated stone/baking sheet in oven. Quickly pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch, and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Allow to cool (if you can resist) before slicing.

10) Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded container and use it over the next two weeks. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.

Here's a video that shows the whole process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFJZPm-_2-M

And here's a link with step-by-step directions:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Artisan_Bread_in_Five_Minutes_a_Day/

Here's my first loaf:

And an "herbed"version I made tonight (I just rolled fresh rosemary into the dough). I served this with a frittata and an olive oil/balsamic/herb dip:

Mattar Paneer

It's a new decade! I had a hard time working on a new year's resolution this year. Usually it's to get in shape but I have been going to the gym pretty regularly and snowboarding keeps my high-altitude endurance in condition. The only thing I could come up with is to spend less time dwindling away on the computer (haha as I type this) and more time being creative, reading, hanging out with folks etc. I also want to try cooking new things but that is a constant in my life. Here's a hearty, sinfully good Indian recipe to start the year off right. This is a recipe from my friend Richelle who has more experience cooking Indian than I do. Although we made this together originally I managed to do it on my own and it came out great- just like it's from a restaurant.

1 package fried paneer (Indian grocery store)
heavy cream (about 1/4 C.)
1/3 cup kasuri methi leaves (Indian grocery store)
1-3 clove garlic
egg-sized piece of fresh ginger
16 oz. frozen peas
2 white onions, chopped
1/2 cup oil or ghee
1 tsp turmeric
10 oz canned crushed tomatoes
salt and sugar

1. In food processor or by hand finely mince garlic and ginger.
2. Coat large pan with oil and place on medium heat.
3. Add onion, keep covered and stir.
4. Increase heat slightly and make sure there is enough oil.
5. Cover pan and allow onion to soften.
6. Add garlic and ginger paste and a pinch of sugar and salt.
7. Fry for a few minutes, until lightly browned.
8. Add turmeric.
(at this point, you can leave it on low heat for a long time, or add a little more oil and increase heat to make it faster)
9. When onion is mushy and oil has separated, add the tomatoes.
10. Turn heat to low and keep covered.
11. Cook until dry, like a paste. Then add 1/2 C. water and bring to boil.
12. Add methi leaves.
13. Lower heat and add paneer, peas, and some cream.
14. Before serving, add enough cream to cover, and heat again.

I served this with warm store-bought garlic nan. Many recipes online add other spices like garam masala and coriander. I thought this was spiced perfectly although it is mild. You could experiment with any Indian spices and add some hot pepper to spice it up.