I have not given up on bread, I have just been busy. This recipe is a keeper. I used the focaccia recipe from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and divided it into three sections. I froze two of the sections and put the other in the fridge overnight. The next day I took the dough from the fridge and gave it about three and a half hours to come to temperature. I caramelized a bunch of Bermuda onions and cut stems of rosemary from my window herb garden. I cooked it on my new bread stone and the results were super yummy.

A few days later, I took one of the dough balls from the freezer and gave it most of the day to defrost and proof. That night, I baked it on the stone for five minutes in a 500 degree oven and then topped it with seasonal tomatoes, fresh basil, zucchini, onions, goat cheese, and parmesan. Then I stuck it back in the oven until everything was golden and bubbly. It made fresh and wonderful pizza. I plan on always keeping some dough in the freezer. This recipe knocked the socks off any prepared doughs I’ve used. Now, I just need to master the cool dough tossing thing. My attempts left me with a dough hat; neither hygienic nor attractive.

What I learned by this initial experiment is that you cannot bake bread if you are in a rush. It took most of the day. Of course, much of the time was waiting for it to rise or “proof” as my cookbook calls it. This allowed me plenty of time to give the house a good cleaning. I felt rather like a frontier woman, albeit a frontier women with plumbing, lots of appliances, and a terrific soundtrack to help the task along. Tomorrow, I continue my journey yeast. I lost a bet to the hubby. Since we share a bank account, waging money is an exercise in absurdity.  In our house, the stakes are much higher than mere dollars. We bet fresh baked cinnamon buns. I lost, I bake. I’ll let you know how things go. Update: here’s the Cinnamon Bun story.

There is something so comforting about fresh baked bread. It’s all yeasty goodness and love. It think there are few foods that are such a testament to time and care as a loaf of homemade bread. On a chilly winter afternoon, I want to be able to produce a warm pot of soup and a crusty loaf of bread.

Yesterday, I purchased a copy of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. I also picked up a selection of flours, yeast, lard, and my first food scale. I read over all the introduction and feel like I am ready to give it a spin.  I thing I will begin with a basic loaf of white bread. I will report back on my adventures as they unfold.

Thanks to Adactio for the lovely photo.