STEPHANIE'S EASY BREAD

 Stephanie's Easy Bread

Stephanie Kelly

This recipe comes from a member of my pastorate in Orlando, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.  Tom Kelly was a member of the church's Pastor Nominating Committee, which was charged with finding a new minister for the church, so he was one of the first people in the church I met.  His wife, Stephanie, shared this recipe, which she said was very close to what her father used to make.  It is ridiculously easy.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups of bread flour (regular flour will work fine)

2 teaspoons of Rapid Rise Yeast

2 teaspoons of salt

1 1/2 cups of very warm water

DIRECTIONS

1.  Mix all of the dry ingredients - flour, yeast and salt.  As this recipe came to me, there was no proofing of the yeast, so I just follow the recipe and mix all dry ingredients together.

2.  Add the warm water.  Mix well with a wooden spoon.  The dough will be moist and sticky.

3.  Keep the dough in the mixing bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap. 

4.  Allow to rise 2 to 3 hours to rise, so that it doubles in size.  If, after one hour, it does not seem to be rising, move to a warmer location.

5.  Preheat oven to 450 F WITH THE POT IN THE OVEN. For no knead bread recipes – to create a steamy environment to give the bread a rise boost before the crust sets.  This stops the rising.

6.  Pour or drop the dough onto surface that has been sprinkled with some flour.

7.  Shape into a dough ball.

8.  Put the dough upside down onto a sheet of parchment paper.

9.  Lift the parchment paper by the edges and lower it into the pot.

10.  Place the lid onto the pot and put the pot back into the oven (with the parchment paper at the bottom of the pot.

11.  Cook for 30 minutes.

12.  Remove lid and resume cooking for 12 minutes.  

13.  Cool for 10 minutes, if possible!