Busy crazy day!

 Do you ever have those? I feel like I couldn't fit much more in, and then I look back and look around me, and wonder what I actually accomplished. It doesn't look like much, but then, every little step helps I guess. 

So today I thought I would write about what is absolutely one of my all time favorite recipes. The reason I think today is good for this, is that this is a recipe even the busiest person can find time for, and I manage to make it very frequently. I make it for every Pampered Chef party, as a gift for my Host, and have been making it for a friend who buys it regularly, as well as making it for all sorts of parties, functions, etc. It is easy, yet looks and tastes so impressive. And the best yet? It saves you a ton of money on something comparable at the store. 

It is called Artisan Bread. It has only 4 ingredients, (in the basic recipe) no preservatives, and takes literally only a few moments of time to prepare and work, and 45 minutes total to bake. There are all sorts of ways to use it too, and every flavor I have tried so far has been amazing. It is also pretty forgiving I have found, so if something isn't perfect about it, it still manages to come out good anyhow.

Artisan Bread

3 cups Bread Flour (Do not use all purpose flour for this)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I prefer sea salt but any kind will work)

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (bread yeast also works well)

1 1/2 cups slightly warm water (I find that just slightly above room temp is perfect)

Combine all dry ingredients and stir to mix. Add water and stir. Dough will become rather sticky. Make sure to stir till it pulls away from the side of the bowl, and turn over to make sure there are no dry spots or flour that isn't incorporated.  (I find if my house feels really dry I sometimes need to add a little more water, so I add a little at a time till my dough is mixed and there is nothing dry, usually only a few more tablespoons at most depending on the weather and temp)

Cover bowl tightly and let sit on your counter for 12-24 hours. (Like I said very forgiving recipe) Get the bread ready about 2 hours before you want to bake. You will know it is ready to bake when you see that it has risen in the bowl and has lots of little bubbles on the surface and throughout. Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Stretch the dough a few times, and turn over to coat with flour. If there are very large bubbles you will want to pop them as they will expand when baking and fall when done leaving a hole in the bread. Small bubbles are fine and mean the dough is light and airy. (Do not overstretch as this makes the bread tough, do it 3-4 times just making sure it's well floured) Fold dough to fit your loaf pan. I bake mine in the Deep Covered Baker by Pampered Chef. If you are using a Standard loaf pan, cut the dough in half when stretching and make two standard loaves. I use parchment paper, if you do not have this, well oil and grease the pan before placing the dough in seam side down. Allow to rest covered on the counter for 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake covered (In Deep Covered Baker) for 30 minutes. Then remove cover and bake another 10-15 minutes to allow the top to brown. If you are using a standard loaf pan with no cover, start with 20-25 minutes and check the bread. When it is done, it will have risen in the pan, be nicely brown and spring back when pressed on. If it doesn't spring back it isn't done yet.

This bread does well when eaten within a few days, and around here it doesn't last that long anyhow. There are no preservatives in it, so in warm weather you will want to refrigerate it.

Some yummy flavors I have tried are :

any flavor of Mrs Dash, italian seasoning, rosemary - add 1 1/2 teaspoons to the dry ingredients, then proceed as above. 

Bread dipping oil seasonings, lighter flavored seasonings - add 2 teaspoons to the dry ingredients, then proceed as above. 

Pressed Garlic, parmesan cheese - 1-2 cloves, and 1/4 cup - add to dry ingredients, then proceed as above. When ready to bake, add thinly sliced tomatoes and onions to the top, with more freshly grated cheese, for a foccacia type loaf.

2-3 teaspoons of Cinnamon, 3 teaspoons orange zest, 1/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries. Add all to dry ingredients, mix well, and when adding water, replace 1/2 cup water with orange juice. Proceed as above. This makes a very lightly sweet cinnamon bread. You can add sugar or sugar substitute to the dry ingredients if you want a sweeter dough. 

Experiment and have fun! you can make dinner rolls, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, all sorts of yummy baked goods with this as a base. 

Have fun and let me know when you try it!

Happy Baking and God Bless!