Some Truly Wonder Bread
October 7, 2011Have I mentioned that I really enjoy baking bread?
Oh yes that’s right, I have, and not just once, not just twice, but again, and again, and again, and again. Nonetheless, it bears repeating: I really love baking bread. And I’ve been making a lot of it lately, and always with Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice as my trusty guide and companion. And this past week I made Italian bread—a double batch, no less!
One of things I love most about bread is the complexity of taste that you can get from the humblest of ingredients. There’s nothing fancy in this dough: it’s just a mixture of flour, yeast, water, salt, sugar, and oil. Yet in the right proportions and with the right techniques, these ingredients combine to make an amazing loaf in the end. Check out the crumb:
I think I really nailed the baking time with this one. The crust came out nicely crisp and crunchy, while the inner crumb was soft and chewy, while at the same time very dense and not at all flaky. I particularly enjoyed topping this bread off with some freshly made roasted garlic paste:
Can’t wait to make my next loaf!
VeganMoFo #7/31
Until we eat again,
Willie
Until We Eat Again 
that bread is beautiful!!! i, too, love bread baking, in fact i’ve got some dough rising in the kitchen as i type this ;D