Experimenting with bread

3,000 years in the making

​Bread, apparently man can't live by it alone. We've been eating bread for about 3,000 years, and while the staple seems ubiquitous, its genesis remains a mystery. (Somehow we discovered yeast and added it to the wheat.Go figure.) This weekend, take a few minutes and rediscover the explosive, unique, chewy, delicious wonder of fresh bread. And don't be afraid to experiment.

Start with a big bowl, add 1 cup of warm water and 1 spoonful of yeast. Stir that together and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Then let the experimenting begin. Add at least 1 spoonful of salt and 3 cups of flour, but beyond that add a couple spoonfuls of whatever seems good. I've added different oils, soy sauce, an egg, different seasonings, cheese, and even taco seasoning (not recommended). It's amazing the different flavor and textures you can get.

brush with egg

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Recently I created a simple salt and pepper loaf that you can try.

After the water and yeast, add:
1 spoonful salt
1 spoonful pepper
3 spoonfuls sugar
1 inch of butter, melted
and 3 cups of flour.

Stir it with a fork until it is combined. Use you fingers to form it in to one big ball. Cover it with a paper towel and place is in a corner of your kitchen for 5 or 6 hours.

When you get back from work, place dough on a cookie sheet and form it into whatever loaf shape you like. Beat one egg and brush it over the top. You then can add parmesan cheese, garlic salt or in this case fresh ground pepper. Bake it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the top is just browned.

350 degrees, 15 minutes.

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Slice and serve. We like dipping our bread in olive oil with pepper added but you can use butter or whatever topping you like.

Really, don't be afraid to try unique ingredients.

Cook well, it's worth it.
Rob Barrett
www.cookingfordads.net