Bread Toast & Crumbs

For Christmas, I asked my sister for a book by Alexandra Stafford entitled Bread Toast Crumbs and that's what I found under our tree. I have read it once cover to cover and couldn't wait to make the master recipe, the one that is the building block for the rest of the book - the recipe for her mother's Peasant Bread.

Before I started I faced two challenges: Finding two 1-quart pyrex bowls (the bread is cooked in the bowls) and finding RapidRise Yeast. Well I compromised on the bowls because 1-quart bowls are no where to be found in the Hamptons, so I bought two 1.5 quart pyrex bowls at our local grocery store. So my loaves will be a little wider and less round! But Alexandra emphasized the need for RapidRise Yeast not ActiveDry Yeast; no compromise here. When my husband checked there was no yeast at all left in the grocery store between Christmas and New Years. I checked the other day and found only ActiveDry. I figured the gourmet specialty store was a long shot but guess what ... they had it!

Alexandra provides clear instructions along with very helpful photos of her process and several really helpful tips which I'll summarize here:

Use Unbleached All-Purpose Flour and weigh it do not measure it. Apparently 1 cup of flour can weigh between 4 to 6 ounces which when multiplied by 4 can make a considerable difference in the taste and texture of the final product. I happen to have a digital scale which has been an invaluable fixture in my kitchen for decades. Put an empty bowl on the scale, turn the scale on and it will read 0 and scoop the flour in to the desired weight. Easy!
Use RapidRise Yeast (oh I said that before.)
To make perfect Luke Warm Water, use 1 part boiling water and 3 parts cold water. Voila! Luke warm water!
Create your own warm, draft-free place where your dough can rise. Preheat your oven at 400 ℉ for one-minute, then shut it off. The temperature will be between 80 and 100 ℉. You should be able to touch the racks without burning yourself.

If you love bread like I do and find store-bought bread falls short of anything pleasurable, then get this book. This is bread made easy and fun! Our first bite was soon after it got out of the oven and both Peter and I swooned. It's light, even airy, with a delicious crust and an indescribably wonderful texture. We can't wait to try Toast and then Crumbs.

In the meantime, here's Alexandra Stafford's mother's recipe for Peasant Bread.

Peasant Bread
(Makes two 14-ounce loaves)

512 grams (4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons RapidRise instant yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
Softened unsalted butter, for greasing the bowls
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexandra Stafford's Peasant Bread

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast.
Add water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the water is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball.
Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1 ½ hours, until the dough has doubled in bulk.
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 425℉ (after you've removed the rising dough!!).
Grease two 1-quart oven-safe bowls with the softened butter - be generous.
Using two forks, deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it toward the center. Rotate the bowl quarter turns as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough ball.
Using two forks and working from the center out, separate the dough into two equal pieces. Use the forks to lift each half of the dough into a prepared bowl. If the dough is too wet to transfer with forks, lightly grease your hands with butter or oil, then transfer each half to a bowl. Do NOT cover the bowls.
Let the dough rise on the countertop near the oven (or another warm, draft-free spot) for 10 to 20 minutes, until the top of the dough just crowns the rims of the bowls.
Transfer the bowls to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
REDUCE the HEAT to 375℉ and bake for another 17 to 20 minutes more, until evenly golden all around.
Remove the bowls from the oven and turn the loaves out onto cooling racks. If the loaves look pale, return them to their bowls and bake for 5 minutes longer.
Let the loaves cool for 15 minutes before cutting.