Kame-pan!

When I spent a month in Friday Harbor, one of the owners of the farm, Elaine, baked some really good bread. A lot better than what I do. She taught me the recipe she uses, which is surprisingly simple. I believe it is from the book, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day", I have never read it so can't say, I just refer to it as "Elaine's Bread". I just made it in the shape of a turtle (kame) for kicks.

-12.75 oz Bread Flour
-12 oz Water
-1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
-0.75 Tbsp Salt

-Bloom the yeast in warm water, and then mix all ingredients together. Kneading is not necessary, just stir until they form a ball.
-Cover and ferment for 2-3 hours.
-Shape the dough, working in enough flour so that it holds its structure.
-Proof for 45-60 minutes.
-Bake at 425 for 35 minutes.

The simplicity of this recipe is apparent, I guess that's the tenet of the book from which it comes. It is a little too simple for my taste, honestly. Kneading is necessary for good gluten development, instead of just working in lots of flour. It uses a lot of yeast in place of extended fermentation and proof, and those are necessary to develop flavor. Don't get me wrong, the bread is good, even with the same recipe, Elaine's is still a lot better than mine, but I guess from my experience, I know too much about the science of it for it to really work for me. However, for beginning bread bakers it is a great start, and also for someone who wants to bake a pretty good loaf without a lot of time investment.