I tend to lean toward things that don't require kneading, since that's sometimes difficult for me. I don't have a dutch oven, so I'm going to check out the link about alternatives, but I wanted to share this, in case anyone is in the mood for some homemade bread. http://www.thebakerchick.com/2013/02/no-knead-crusty-artisan-bread/ She's got lots of pictures, so you can pretty much see how it goes step by step, but here is the recipe: no-knead crusty artisan bread Cook Time: 45 hours yield: 1 loaf ingredients 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups luke-warm water 1-2 tsp sea salt 1/2-1 tsp yeast* instructions In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water and using a wooden spoon stir together until the mixture resembles a shaggy dough. Cover dough with a plastic wrap and let sit in room temperature for 8-18 hours. Dough will bubble up and rise. After dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 F. Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and with floured hands form the dough into a ball. Cover with the plastic wrap and let the dough rest. While dough is resting, put your dutch oven into the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes are up carefully remove the dutch oven and with floured hands place the bread dough into it. (You can put a piece of parchment under it if your dutch oven doesn't have an enamel coating.) Replace the cover and bake for 30 minutes covered. Then remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered. Bread will be golden, crusty and delicious! notes *I used a full teaspoon of yeast because I like the flavor in bread. 1/2 teaspoon will work as well if you do not! I like salt a lot- I have added up to 3 teaspoons to this recipe and it's been great! Recipe from my Mother-in-Law with lots of help from this post from Simply So Good.
I would like to try that baking recipe because baking is a failed activity by the family, hahahaaa. However, that 8 to 18 hours of waiting somehow turned me off. It's quite a long time and I may have gone to the bakeshop and back by that time. But seriously though, my sister had tried baking several times and my sister-in-law as well and they did not succeed. What they came up with are either adobe bricks or hollow blocks. Maybe it is in the rising of the dough that was their problem. And to think that the ingredients are so simple and easy to procure, I guess it is worth trying. However, I am thinking about our oven which is using LPG gas tank. The temperature is too difficult to set unlike the electric oven that is easy to set to 300 degrees or whatever. So this is the time of thinking.... thinking.... for me.
I am a "failed bread maker", too ! However, I discovered a life-saving device (no kneading required) @Diane Lane. It is called a bread machine, and I totally LOVE mine ! I have to admit here that I also have a husband who is a "bread machine" himself, and he can make the most awesome fresh bread. But, aside from that; I use the bread machine. It even has a timer on it; so if we want hot bread for breakfast, I can set it to come on early in the morning and be done when we are waking up. Nothing quite as wonderful as waking up to the aroma of fresh-baked bread ! There are all kinds of recipes for the bread machine, and you just dump everything in and turn it on. If you want to make rolls, or maybe fresh pizza dough, then you just set it to mix the dough and let it rise. When it is done, then you can turn it into pizza dough, or whatever you want it to be and bake it in the oven. Or, even make Indian Fry Bread, which is insanely delicious ! Have you ever had an Indian Taco ? No ? Well, if you make a good-sized piece of frybread and then put all of the taco trimmings on it and add some salsa or tabasco on the top, and maybe some sour cream, you will have the best tasting taco that you have ever eaten. We do not make a lot of bread; but when I do make it, I really enjoy the ease of the bread machine.
I'm too lazy to bake bread. I just get some at Walmart or the supermarket. I go to Love's Thrift shop where we can get economical pastries and breads. We get a little card that they punch for amount spent to reach the end, so you can get the Manager's Special which costs only .25! Your sounds good and easy to bake! Thanks. Luckily bread goes on sale weekly or we can go to Love's Thrift Shop for bread. Eggs are sky high now going for 4.99 a dozen!