Artisan Addiction

We have discovered artisan bread. It's crunchy and chewy and soooo soft and it makes the very best toast....assuming there is any left after it comes out of the oven.  And did you know that it literally takes 5 minutes to mix up? Then you let it sit and rise for 24 hours. So, we got wise fast and realized that if you mix up two more loaves while your current batch is baking, you LITERALLY HAVE FRESH BREAD EVERY SINGLE DAY.

These are our very first loaves!!! awwwww.....(mine is the weird one)

Then I did one loaf of plain and one with Everything Bagel Seasoning (garlic, onion, poppy seed, salt and toasted sesame seeds).

When those came out of the oven the next day, I mixed up another plain and a parmesan/cheddar with just a hint of cayenne pepper....yum.

Then I tried cinnamon raisin pecan....mmmmmm

Then cranberry walnut...be still my heart.

I did push it a bit too far and made a loaf of chocolate coconut. It was nasty and it got thrown in the trash. I will not dignify it with a photo.

I made two rosemary loaves for my friends, Lauren and Alisa. They smelled fabulous, but I took them right over so they could get that "fresh out of the oven" experience.

And now I'm back to making mostly plain loaves. They are the most versatile. I'm not sure we'll ever need to buy bread again!

Artisan Basic Recipe

3 cups flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 c warm water

Mix just enough that the dough is combined and "shaggy" looking.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave on countertop for 18-24 hours. When ready to bake, place two dutch ovens or corningware dishes in in the oven while it preheats to 450, no need to oil pans.
Turn dough out onto floured silpat and knead just enough to make into a round ball. Set aside until oven is ready. Place loaves into hot dishes and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Done!

Don't forget to mix up two more loaves while those are cooking. Bread is everything.