Week Late - Dollar Short

So have I mentioned that I got all caught up in this little thing called the Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenge two weeks ago? On the encouragement of a non-bread baking foodie I know I signed up for what looks to be a year long trip down a very doughy road. Myself and 199 other crazy foodies are going to make and bake every bread in the book The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. Why? Hmm. Quite simply because we can.

I LOVE to bake. But generally save that baking for the cooler fall and winter months. Cranking my oven up INSIDE when it is 110 OUTSIDE and I am paying upwards of $300 a month to keep the temperature below 79 INSIDE hardly seems like the smartest thing to do. I may make this a two fold challenge. Bake the whole book - but do it outside on the grill. I wonder if THAT has ever been done. I wonder how many disasters I will endure. I wonder if my coffee is ready… Regardless, here is the first in a continuing series of yeast and gluten - the Anadama bread.

Me thinks I let it rise just a weee bit to much, but over all it was a tasty bread. I did think that it tasted much better right out of the oven then it did say a day later. But that did not stop me from enjoying it all week. The recipe calls for corn meal (polenta) and molasses which give this bread a slightly sweet flavor. Perfect for french toast. You are just going to have to trust me on this as before I could get the camera, it was literally all gone.

It also took quite literally - all day to make.

The soaker rested overnight.

Then we had to wake up the yeast for an hour.

Knead the dough

Proof for 90 minutes.

Punch down and shape into a loaf

Paint the house.

Let it proof again for 60 minutes.

Pour a drink.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Wonder if the cows will ever come home.

Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before you even DARE slice into it.

Patience is not one of my virtues…

So I sliced into it within 20 minutes anyway as you can see from the knife marks on the loaf.

But that was the best part. The VERY best part. It was warm, and still a little doughy and the butter melted perfectly and I was able to eat that whole slice before I fell asleep amidst scatterings of flour and cornmeal.

Mmm.

Bread. Good.

PS If you my readers reader would like to bake along with us please do! Pick up a copy of the Bread Bakers Apprentice and post links to your creations in the comments section of the post with the matching bread. So bake Anadama - comment here!