Elizabeth Among the Flowers

Elizabeth's favorite outdoor activity is picking flowers. She's stopped eating them and started studying their intricate and beautiful colors and designs. She just loves them.

MUST TRY THIS ARTISAN BREAD!!

Someone gave me a loaf of this bread to try and it was SOOOOOOOOOO good!

It's kind of a funny shape, (like the sample bread at Wholegrain Bread) but it's 

perfect for sandwiches. I think Dad will especially like it.

The loaf I had was seasoned with a little rosemary, and today I tried one with garlic. Yum!

ARTISIAN FREE-FORM BREAD (Makes 4 loaves)

3 cups warm water (aprx. 100 degrees)

1.5 T granulated yeast

1.5 T coarse kosher or sea salt

6.5 c unbleached flour

cornmeal

1Add yeast and salt to the water. Add a couple teaspoons of your

       favorite herbs to this mix if desired.

2 Mix in the flour by hand or in a food processor with a dough hook.

        (DO NOT KNEAD!). This should only take a few minutes. Dough

        will be very sticky and wet.

3 Cover loosely (with a towel or lid, but do not seal). Allow to rise at

       room temperature until it begins to collapse in the center (aprx 2 hours,

       but up to 5 hours will be okay). Refrigerate. This dough will be good for

       up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Baking Day:

1 Prepare a pizza peel or flexible cutting board with a generous layer of cornmeal.

2 Sprinkle the dough with flour, then cut off a grapefruit sized piece. Wrap the edges

       underneath the loaf, then place the ball on the pizza peel. Let rest 40 minutes. 

       Refrigerate the rest of the dough.

3 20 minutes into the resting period, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone

      on the middle rack. Play a broiler tray on another shelf.

4 Dust the loaf liberally with flour. Slash loaf with a serrated knife, 1/4 inch deep

       (cross, scallop, or tic-tac-toe pattern). This will help the baking bread expand.

5 Slide the loaf onto the hot stone. Add a generous cup of water to broiler pan, and 

       quickly close the oven to trap the steam in. Bake 30 minutes, or until the crust is

       brown and firm. (There is no chance of this bread drying out).

6 Remove loaf from oven (it may "sing" or crackle when exposed to the air).

       Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Do not store in fridge or bag. 

       Simply tip bread onto the side you cut pieces from.

A Night We'll Never Forget

The News Report on the Incident at the River