Daily Bread

I realize this has little to nothing directly to do with the daily lives of my children, but indulge me. I just made the most incredible loaf of No-Knead "Artisan" Bread (read the article first--it links to the recipe) using a newish method created by Jim Lahey and touted by Mark Bittman ("The Minimalist") in the New York Times a few years ago. Seriously, there was no kneading involved in this. It was the easiest thing ever, and I am decidedly not a baker. Or maybe now I am!

The whole trick is to let the dough sit for many hours--at least 12, but even longer is better. This long wait is what develops the gluten structure, which is traditionally the purpose of kneading. Then you let it rise for a few more hours, plop it into a super hot Dutch Oven and bake it at high heat for less than an hour. The result was better than the good crusty bread we buy at Wegmans. Tender, yeasty and sweet with a light, crisp crust.

We ate the whole loaf warm from the oven with rigatoni and my homemade pork and beef ragu. Unbelievably good. I'm going to tinker with the recipe this week and see if I can come up with a whole-wheat version and one with rosemary and olive oil.

Is there anything better than warm homemade bread?