Beer bread!
I declare the bread a success. Here's a photo of the loaf as it came from the oven. It has a real "crackling" crust, the kind that makes crackling sounds as it cools and is hard enough to shatter. The inside is chewy like sourdough. Very good, and quite easy. The only hitch is the long rising time (20 hours total.)
[Almost] No-Knead Beer Bread
Time: approx. 90 min. plus 14-20 hrs. rising time
3 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (+ extra for dusting)
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 can (12 oz.) beer
In a large bowl combine dry ingredients, then stir in the beer until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest at least 12 hours, and preferably about 18, at room temperature.
Dough is ready when surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle with a bit more flour and knead and fold a couple of times. Cover loosely and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Gently shape dough into a ball. Set onto a well-floured cotton (not terry) dish towel seam side down and place in bowl to rise. Cover with another towel and let rise until double or about 2 hours.
At least 30 min. before dough is ready, heat oven to 450F. Place a 6 or 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, or Pyrex) in oven to heat. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide hand under towel and turn loaf over into the pot, seam side up. If it looks messy, shake pot a couple of times to even it out. Cover with lid and return to oven. Bake 30 minutes at 450F with cover on, then remove cover and continue baking for another 15 min. Loaf will be dark brown and quite crisp outside. Cool on rack.
Yield: One 20-22 ounce loaf.
Since the oven was already hot, I made a pizza too.
Home made whole wheat crust with three cheeses, tomato, onion, green pepper, anchovies, mushrooms, pepperoni. Nice and tasty.
And it's snowing. Hard and fast, and right on schedule. Just maybe this storm will live up to the prediction, which means 8 inches by tomorrow morning and more during the day. Oh, and artwork happened (well sketch for same at least) while the bread was baking. Argos will have the news on that, at least as soon as he puts it up.