Bread Letter

Photo Credit: Jaden Hair, Steamy Kitchen

Uhg. Sometimes the best thing to do when you are frustrated is to create something positive. So here it goes..

Today - my students were on the second day of the Pennsylvania System of School Standardized Assessment (a high stakes, state standardized exam that we spend all year getting ready for... and take in March or April). While I am not at liberty to discuss the specific content of the exam, one of the essay questions was quite challenging in ways that I thought were classist against my students (I work in a high poverty urban school). I'm being purposefully vague, so as to not disclose any of the content of the test, but for reals. So yeah. I'm annoyed. The topic, however, was making bread.

Last year, my 7th graders (now most of which are my 8th graders) and I made bread as a two day science and math lab. It was the most fun I think we've had in a classroom. Well not the most. Science survivor was pretty fun too. But that's another story.. Not only had none of them had previous experience making bread, but I got to watch them work cohesively as a unit to make loaves of delicious bread (which they later ate with a plethora of toppings. WHO DOESN'T LOVE NUTELLA ON FRESH BREAD?).

While we didn't get too fancy as far as equipement goes (we used very clean hands), I was glad to see many of my students incorporating their previous experience into their responses. Experiential knowledge cannot be replaced by text books. I think every middle schooler in America has some favorite bread memory (or two).

The recipe I used with my students (and use at home often) is super easy. It's taken from Jaden Hair's blog "Steamy Kitchen." I've made it many times and it always comes out great! I'm ready to start mixing it up, I think it would be a good base for a Kalamata Olive loaf, or perhaps a rosemary and olive oil loaf with roasted garlic. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm being a little boring, huh? Well, what about a sun dried tomato and red pepper flake loaf, maybe with some cayenne for spice? What do you think? Anyone have any crazy, fun, delicious, interesting, or new bread flavors I should try, or that you haven't tried yet and want me to test out for you? I do love bread.

I have included the recipe below for your convenience, but I encourage you to visit her blog as well in order to see her son at age 4 show the procedure step by step. Yes, it really is that easy.

http://steamykitchen.com/168-no-knead-bread-revisited.html


no knead bread recipe

Servings: One 1-pound loaf Prep Time: Cook Time:
No Knead Bread Recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman of NY Times who got it from Sullivan Street Bakery. When the recipe first came out, it was the blogging community who took the bread to new heights, especially Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Bread Bible. I followed Rose's experiments through the weeks and learned from her recipe adjustments and the why's of how this bread works.

ingredients:
3 cups bread flour (I like Harvest King bread flour)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon fine table salt (or 3/4 tablespoon of kosher salt)
1 1/2 cups warm water

Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel...something that can go into a 450F oven.)

Directions:
1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.

2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough. Let it nap for 2 hours. When you've got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Holding towel, turn over and dump wobbly dough into pot, using your hands to get the dough off the towel. Doesn't matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes. Best way to eat it? Smear a warm slice with some good butter (Kerrygold and Lurpac are both found in your grocery stores, usually on top shelf)

Hope you enjoy Jaden's recipe and how to's and send me some GREAT bread ideas!