Laowai

I’ve been making a version of the Jim Lahey No-Knead Bread lately. There are so many variations but after reading a bunch of them I just went with the easiest instructions. It’s very flexible and forgiving. I let the wet dough sit there and bubble for around 18 hours. I punch it down once or twice – no bothering with trying to shape the dough or transfer it with a kitchen cloth. I just sort of fold it around in the bowl with a rubber spatula for a minute. I usually start the dough around mid-morning one day and then it’s ready for a final rise and baking then next morning. When it’s ready to bake I preheat my cast iron enamel pan in the oven. I put some olive oil in the hot pan and then just plop the dough in and bake. While it is tasty it’s not the most flavorful bread. The best part is its nice texture and crunchy crust. Not too shabby as my dad would say and Brian likes it.

Of course you have to have some yeast which I hear is hard to come by in some places in the US at the moment. That’s a shame.