Bread Your 8 Year Old Can Make or 5 Minute, No Knead Artisan Bread

5 Minute Bread



I don’t know where I’ve been but it has been some time since the book, “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” has been published. Well, actually it has been, like, from 2007 because I looked it up. I clipped out a recipe from the newspaper about this bread and I don’t know how long it has sat waiting for me to bake it, but my guess is it sat for maybe, oh, about 4 years. OK, I know you can never get back time – and I have missed out on this for that long. I could kick myself! OUCH!

This is so easy your 8 year old could make it. You may have to lift the pot for him but yeah, he could make it. I say, let him go for it. This is like science in action which is more than I can say for any science teacher I ever had. And Thanksgiving is around the corner, let him contribute. Teach him kitchen skills. And he will be soooo proud, but of course, so will you. You may notice I have been saying him, but she can make it, too. And one of the original bakers for this bread was a girl named Zoe. (Check out her great blog at www.ZoeBakes.com)YES! I am partial to the name Zoe and Alex, too. But they won’t be here for my Thanksgiving so I guess I’ll just have to do it myself (said the little red hen).

Zoe

Alex Smoking the Bird

I am not joking. This really only takes 5 minutes. It smells like walking into a bread bakery where you want one of everything. The crust on it is to die for and it doesn’t scratch the rooftop of your mouth like a lot of those breads at Whole Foods. Sorry, Whole Foods, but maybe I just have a tender mouth. It tastes as good as it smells and you can use leftovers for sandwiches, not to mention your morning toast. Go ahead. I dare you. Let your kids make the bread. PLEASE!

Bread After 24 Hours

Bread your 8 year old can make or 5 Minute, No Knead Bread

3c flour (I use unbleached)

1/4t instant yeast

1t salt

1 ½ c warm water (I like it where it feels a bit hot to the touch of my finger.)

1. Stir together the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water and stir to form a rough, shaggy lump of dough. (Yeah, it is ugly right now.) Cover with plastic wrap and leave alone at least 12 hours. (I usually start this about 3pm and start baking it about 3pm the next day.)

      2.  It should now be puffy and speckled with bubbles and holes. Turn the         

            dough onto a well floured cotton towel (not terry cloth). Fold the ends of   the dough to the middle. Flip it over, make sure you have enough flour on it and fold the towel over it like a little baby. Let your baby rest for at least 2 hours.









Unwrapped and Ready For Plopping

After 30 Minutes

3. Thirty minutes before baking the bread put a covered ceramic, glass or metal pot, similar to a Dutch oven, into the oven, lid and all, and heat the oven to 450 degrees.  (I use a cast iron dutch oven. Make sure your pot is at least 4 inches deep. After the pot has heated for 30 minutes, remove it carefully from the oven using pot holders. DUH! Remove the lid. Uncover your baby (dough) and plop her into the pot. Cover. Return pot to oven and bake for 30 minutes. Now remove the lid and bake for 10-15 minutes more. Bread will sound hollow when thumped if it is done. Remove pot from oven and enjoy.

Enjoy!

                                   

                   NOTES:  Yes, the correct oven temp is 450. No, you do not need to grease  

                                    your pot.  

              

                   YES- it is strongly advised that you help your 8 year old with step #3!   

Happy Thanksgiving!