unyeasted

With great trepidation, I decided to try making some bread without yeast. It really is just flour, water and salt. The recipe said things like, knead 300 times (count 'em). I followed it scrupulously, counting all the way. Not having the courage of my convictions, after its initial twelve hour rest I put it in a flat pan.

Two hours later (half way through its second rest) it had spread to fill the pan but had not risen.

Heart in my mouth, I decided to transfer it to a loaf tin in hopes of encouraging some rising up. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.

But lo, 2 and a bit hours later it had definitely risen. And look...

...a bubble of hope. Air. This is what uncooked bread is meant to look like.

30 minutes at 350 degrees later.

Looks like a loaf of bread. More hope.

After an hour at 400 degrees it looks even more like a loaf of bread. But feels like a brick. I cut. My heart in my mouth again.

It is very crusty but (yes, oh yes) it tastes like bread. Like good bread. Nutty, almost. It could use more salt but that is easily rectified. Bread. Hooray.



So I feel happy about the bread. Like this, maybe, for right now. I love David Rawlings' glee in this video - he can hardly wait to start the song. And it is an amazing rendition of the song. Gillian Welch is delightfully indulgent. It is all wonderful