No Knead Bread

So I thought that I would try my had at bread making. There has been a no knead bread recipe that has been really popular in the food blog community, although it originally came from a New York Times article. I have been wanting to make this bread for al long time but I lacked the essential pot that can go in the oven since we have been without our stuff for so long. I found a cheap pot here the other day so..... The bread is really yummy, and moist. Perfect for a big spread of yummy honey butter. You should all try making it. Next time I want to make some homemade butter to put on it, cream here is really cheap.

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

My turn

Shan tagged me so, my turn- here goes

The rules are...A. List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B. Tag seven people to do the same.
C. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it"

1- I am a feminist. I know that was hard to guess since that is what my degree is in but I quite enjoy feminist discussions, and reading various pieces of feminist literature. I focus most of my readings on women’s movement across borders for jobs, such as nannies and maids. Although I do partake in the bloggernaccle (Mormon feminist blogs) on a regular basis.
2- I love, love, love, love food blogs. Just check out my favorite spots on the side bar. I usually go tastespotting first and spend way too much time looking at various foodies creations, then usually try to find a recipe that I can create. Every month a group of baking blogs have a competition, who can make the best of a certain recipe. I am always really excited when I have already mastered the item they are creating, such as the crepe cake they made in the summer. I also really would like to learn to photograph food like some of the bloggers. My pictures of my food never turn out anywhere near as good.
3- I would love to learn how to do way too many forms of art. I want to be a great photographer. I want to learn how to blow glass, and make glass beads. I would love to know how to work with various metals, and make jewelry. Also I would love to be able to make amazing ceramics. Actually I want to be perfect at all of these crafts and have a huge studio in my home where I had all of the equipment needed to do these projects on my own. I know that this will never happen and I am going to be stuck taking classes at arts centers, but I would also love to be perfect at these.
4- I love to quilt, bug surprise eh? It is actually on of my favorite things in life. I love to design quilts and piece them together. Going to the fabric store and touching all the fabric and looking at the great vast amounts of quilting fabrics get me really excited. If only I had a machine quilting machine so that I could finish the quilts myself in a timely manner.
5- I really enjoy cooking for people. I love finding recipes and planning menus and making favorite recipes for people. This is why being married to Adam is ideal. I cook a huge dinner for a party and Adam does all of the talking. It works out perfect! Along with this, I would love to someday have my dream kitchen. A really big kitchen with all the gadgets that I dream of and so many different place settings that they fill their own pantry.
6- I ran a marathon 5 ½ years ago. It was one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done, next to natural childbirth and my mission. The feeling I had after finishing running those 26 miles was amazing. I really want to do another one, hopefully at the end of this year!
7- I really enjoy moving to different countries (don’t tell Adam). There is always a huge hassle in getting everything set up, with no credit histories and not knowing correct word for things. But there is something really exciting about learning about different cultures, language, and customs. There are great people to meet everywhere, and you can pretty much find a friend anywhere you go. I know that we have only moved to English speaking developed countries so far, but I have found something that I love in every place we have lived. I am really excited to see where we go next.


There you go-- and I tag--
Adam
Jack
Holly
Daphne
Darcia
Liz
Meagan

Not all these people have blogs but I figure emal and facebook would work too.

Rolling baby!

Little Miss Anyanka has become a crazy rolling baby. The second we put her down she starts to roll over, I barely had time to take these pictures of her in action. So has become necessary to baby proof the living room. She now rolls onto her tummy and scoots herself up to her toys, then yells at me because the toy doesn't do anything and she is still unable to make them do stuff. It is pretty funny.

Anyanka also really likes to talk to her dad. During the day, she will talk to me a little bit but as soon as Adam comes home from school she starts talking to him like a crazy person. Most of the time it sounds like she is telling him all the mean things I did to her during the day. Eventually they start to have a yelling match, with Anya yelling and then Adam imitating her which only makes her mad so she yells louder. Very funny.

New Hat

Aberystwyth is the smallest town I have ever lived in. And not only is it a very small town, like 25,000 people including 10,000 students, but there are no big towns anywhere nearby. In fact, Aberystwyth is the largest town in the area. Because the town is so small, the church here is really small. Our branch meets in a school, and has about 30-45 people who come regularly. That number is including us and the two families of 6 that moved in the same time as us. Even though the branch is really small, the Relief Society sisters get together every wednesday for enrichment. Everyone brings what every they are working on, or just come to chat. So, the old ladies that are in the branch have been attempting to teach me to knit. Today I finish my first project, a little white hat for Anya- I started this hat while I was in Ottawa with Adam's aunt Karen, but I needed alot more help to get it finished. But she sure looks super cute in it. Next I am going to make a little hooded sweatshirt for her. By the way, whie I have been writing this post, Anya has been laying on the floor in front of me and she has completely turned herself in a 360 degree circle and just rolled from her back to her tummy- yea! That was a first.

Baby hair

This is what happens when you don't comb a babies hair while it is wet.



And Miss Anya holding herself up-