Adventures in Breadmaking

Here's my first attempt at no-knead whole wheat travel bread, from Mark Bittman's Food Matters cookbook. It turned out really tasty and was easy to make, so I'm hoping to make it a weekly ritual. I have my second batch rising right now.

What I love about the bread is that it is entirely whole grain (and super easy to make). Here's an abbreviated recipe:

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 c water, plus a little extra to add as needed
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Mix the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl - add water and stir. The consistency should be slightly sticky, not dry or runny. Cover with plastic and put in warm place (I use the oven) overnight (12 to 20 hours).

Grease loaf pan (I'm using a dutch oven because the loaf pans are packed away somewhere) with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add dough and cover with rest of olive oil. Cover pan with towel for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size. Heat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from loaf pan and cool on rack.

The bread doesn't rise very high, but it lasts for a few days before getting stale and it tastes good.

Mark Bittman has more variations in his book, which I recommend reading or buying. My favorite cookbook on my shelf is his The Best Recipes in the World, and I am hoping to buy How to Cook Everything Vegetarian someday. These are encyclopedias of recipes. I know you can collect recipes online nowadays, but I really enjoy just sitting down with books and recipe magazines and just picking out what looks good.