Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Artisan Bread, despite myself


Jayme Goffin did a tutorial last week and shared her deeelicious artisan bread recipe. If you go to her blog Tales from the Coop Keeper it's one of the header pictures, the one that looks like it was baked at a fine Parisian bakery. Jayme listed the 4 ingredients and made the recipe step by step. I knew I could do it.


The night before at bedtime I stirred up the ingredients, then yesterday bright and early I logged onto the blog so she could "talk me through it."



That's when I realized I didn't have 3 very important elements for baking the most beautiful artisan bread I've ever seen. I didn't have parchment paper. I have looked at it before at the grocery store but when I saw the price $3.16, I jumped back and ran away fast. I was already knee deep in sticky dough so I had to figure something out, aluminum foil seemed the best substitute.


Next Jayme used a fancy knife that cost $130 to crisscross the bread but I all I had was one of Ron Popeil's Showtime bread knives so I just had to make do.



It's looking good despite the fact that I'm woefully unprepared for bread making. The smell in the kitchen would have brought a grown man to his knees. I wish I'd had one here this morning, I'd have sent him to town for parchment paper.


Jayme keeps saying, "Don't be afraid, it will turn out perfect no matter what you do!" She throws it in the cast iron pot to bake, a bead of sweat is now on the tip of my nose since I realize I don't even have the right pot to bake in. How is this ever going to be remotely like hers?


I plop mine in the heated pot, cover and slip into the hot oven lowering the temperature and whispering a prayer. Thirty short minutes the timer dings and I take off the lid and peer down into the stainless pot that should have been a cast iron Lodge dutch oven.

Fifteen more minutes and it's ready to make it's arrival into the world. It did peel off the foil ok, but it's not perfect like Jayme's bread. It has lumps and bumps and the crisscross is woefully nondescript due to the fact that it was just a cheap Ron Popeil bread knife. I put an ample serving of butter out, hoping to hide the fact that my loaf was a little misshapen and a little too pale. About that time Hubby walked in from work. The first words out of his mouth were, "How did the bread turn out?" He had watched the night before as I stirred it up. He'd evidently been thinking about it all day long.


I had already eaten the end piece and it was better than good, it was delicious. The texture was soft and heavenly, just like a cloud. He grabbed the second slice, buttered it and carried it away with him to the bedroom while he changed. At dinner we had two more slices, warm and buttered it was the main attraction of the meal. We have half a loaf left, two people did quite a bit of damage to this loaf of bread that didn't look perfect, but was.

For complete instructions for this easy to make bread that will improve your marriage, cure cancer and impart world peace...click HERE! 

12 comments:

  1. Thank you for the encouragement here, Joycee! I'm glad to know that even though I don't have the things Jayme mentioned, I can still make the bread. Probably won't happen until next week...but I do want to try it! Yours is beautiful!

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  2. I love Jayme's blog...and don't ask me why but I have always been afraid of making bread! Silly!!.. will have to give it a try -

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  3. Joycee Jo! I SQUEALED out loud last night before bed when I saw your FB status, and now this morning - I'm squealing again. You did so good! Isn't it the best? Just think when you have the parchment paper - how awesome it will be! Keep going girl - who knew something so easy could cure all the ails of the world!

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  4. What a nice tribute to my sweet friend! I'm going to try it soon too...last night I made dilly onion bread. My hubby walked in and said, "sure smells good in here"! Isn't it sweet to have them come in after a hard day's work to the smell of fresh baked bread? I LOVE IT! And loved your post!! :)

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  5. i can smell here in utah. it looks great to me. i may give it a try even though i don't have the correct 130.00 knife.

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  6. Oh! Your bread looks so good I can almost smell it from here. I'm headed over now to get the instructions. Thanks a bunch for sharing!

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  7. OH MY! I can smell it here in the Hollow, Joy!...:)JP

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  8. Looks fabulous ~ after seeing Jayme's video ~ I thought about trying it out, got side tracked last night and ended up throwing in a beer bread this am...was sooo good. Your blog looks beautiful!
    http://welcometotheturnerfarm.blogspot.com

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  9. I'm so proud of you, Joycee!! I told my husband last weekend, I want a dutch oven so I can bread like the Coop Keeper. But you inspire to try it in whatever I've got ...it looks delicious and I think your loaf has it's own special character.

    : )

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  10. Congratulations! The bread looks wonderful.

    Of all the breads I make, I have never done the 'no knead' one.

    I have a cheap bread knife, a Romertopf clay baker...ran out of parchment paper so need to get some.
    I want to do a loaf just to see what the fuss is about.

    Nothing is better than that first slice of homemade bread.

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  11. I think your bread looks so delicious!

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  12. Joycee, your bread looks perfectly done! Bravo. I like the texture as well. Really inviting.
    Cheers, Kristy

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