oh my, I just made bread and it is good, sooo good.
Sheesh...me, baking something non-desserty?! I must be sick, or something. However, as delicious as they are, one should not live on desserts alone. Key word: should not. Cannot would be blasphemy. See, this is what will make me a successful dietitian someday. Even though there are some (errr...many) days where dessert is impossible to resist for dinner, I realize that this lifestyle should not go on. And you realize this once you start craving vegetables, which, my friends, is a very strange feeling, indeed. And I am sure that all of my relatives who read this blog are flipping out by that comment and are all imagining me as a Poor Malnourished College Student. Don't worry, guys, it all balances out in the end. :)
The inspiration behind baking this bread is rather quite silly, and it just proves to me that I am, without a doubt, turning into my mother. No worries, though, this is not a bad thing because she's a great baker! Anyway, I was sitting in anatomy lecture, my eyes (and mind, for that matter) glazing over, when I decided that it was time for a walk and a bathroom break. I mean, seriously, people, how interesting can the effects of insulin and glucagon on the Islets of Langerhorn be? So down the hallway I went, and what smell was wafting through the air of the Med Sci II building? Bread. Yes...bread. Yeasty bread. Glorious bread. Bread with those perfect pockets of airy bready goodness. Okay, I never did see this bread, nor do I even know that it existed for sure. But it inspired me, and I knew that bread had to be baked today.
So I went home, furiously scanning foodgawker for bread recipes. And then, I saw it, as if in shining flashing lights: NO-KNEAD BREAD. BAKE ME NOW. Okay, okay, the "bake me now part" was a figment of my imagination...but it spoke to me, it did. Basically, the part about bread-baking that irks me the most is the kneading. And the waiting. With this recipe, there really is no kneading, but there is waiting. But...good things come to those who wait, right? With this as my mantra, I thought I would persevere through the 5 long hours of rising and try it out.
And man, was I ever glad that I did. This bread was Amazing, with a capital A. I only halved the recipe, and I will admit that I am so sorry that I did. Also, I lightly shined the pans with olive oil and rubbed some of it on top of the bread, as well. I'm a firm believer that this is a crucial part of the baking process, as the oil is what gives the bread it's crispy crunch.
Look at those airpockets of love, that fluffy white goodness. They're just screaming to be coated with a layer of spray butter.
My plans for this bread, you ask? Sandwiches. Really good sandwiches on really good bread and grilled on The George. And if this hunk of deliciousness cannot inspire me to eat real food, then I don't know what will. :)
Comments
Its 550am. I am still up.
bake me now. that might be very funny, or perhaps things are just funnier when you've been up 23 hours straight, with no end in sight...
~ingrid