Babushka Delight: BREAD: 8 hour No-knead bread

Babushka Delight

As a child, Liz’s father did the bulk of the cooking in their home. Norm Robinson was a creative and resourceful culinary artist, never cooking from a recipe and always applying the creativity required when feeding a family on a meager budget. As a hungry child, when Liz began smelling tasty aromas waft from the kitchen she would consistently ask, “Dad, what’s for dinner?” And much to her chagrin he would he would respond, “Babushka Delight…and then insert a random number.” A variation of Baked Ziti would be called Babushka Delight #14 and Pork Chops and Rice entitled Babushka Delight #982…no rhyme or reason for the numbering system and never a dish or number repeated. Night after night, meal after meal, our table and stomachs were warmed with a series of meals made by a loving father each entitled Babushka Delight. As a child, anxious for dinner, Liz found his predictable answer a bit silly. Now, as an adult, when contemplating the daily questions, what shall we have for dinner?” she hears the trusted words of her father ringing clearly in her mind…”Well, tonight we are having Babushka Delight.”

Burke grew up working inside the delicious walls of a professional kitchen at his families business, Jacob Lake Inn nestled near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. While standing on milk crates Burke joined his parents to help peel potatoes, crack eggs, flip burgers, and sling hash. Through this process Burke developed the confidence of a chef, the speed of a line cook, and the creativity of a working mans Iron Chef.

Growing up in a foodie family has real benefits for a newly married couple. For Burke nothing brings a bigger smile than the potential of a handful of chopped onion, celery, carrot, and garlic sautéing in a few hearty splashes of a fine olive oil…and Liz is more than happy to sample the tasty outcomes.

Together Burke and Liz enjoy nothing more than a fine meal shared with family and friends. In keeping with tradition of both families, Babushka Delight is a collection of their favorite recipes and culinary creations.

Enjoy!

The Texas Rich’s

Sunday, January 16, 2011

BREAD: 8 hour No-knead bread

8 hour bread (no-knead recipe)

http://bread-and-honey.blogspot.com/search/label/breads

Wait! Before bother to make this, make sure you have a deep casserole dish with a lid or something you can COVER and put in the oven.   

1 1/2 cups all purpose (or bread) flour 

2 1/4 tsp. (or more, or less!) active dry yeast

1 tsp. salt 

3/4 cup water 

A sprinkle of cornmeal  

Whisk dry ingredients to combine, then stir in water. Dough should be shaggy and a little wet. Add a few more drops of water if necessary. Place in a large oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rest for 8-10 hours. (While you're asleep!)  When you wake up, dough should be dotted with tiny bubbles. Turn out onto a floured surface and try to form it into a ball. You'll need a fair amount of flour, it's sticky. Let rest for 15 minutes uncovered, then cover with a non-terrycloth towel and let rise for 2 more hours. (Moms- a cotton receiving blanket works great.) Half an hour before loaf needs to go in the oven, place your pot inside and preheat to 450º. When preheated, remove pot from the oven, dust the bottom with some cornmeal, and place your loaf inside. Bake for about 25 minutes covered, then another 20 or so uncovered. Cool before slicing (or it will deflate). Makes one small (about 6" in diameter) loaf.

Reflection:

1 I am so glad that I learned how to make no kneed bread. This is such an easy way to make bread and it is something that anyone do. As I reflect upon my newly acquired bread making skills I think my fear was clearly rooted into two basic aspects….yeast and kneading. No knead bread recipes are like the multiplication table to the math world-a helpful way to make connections, see patterns, and solve problems. I am interested in making this bread in the future and plan to add in a variety of spices, cheese, and roasted veggies. If I keep with the math theme then adding extras to this recipe is like moving into algebra. Simple rules must be applied to both but there are a variety of combinations and opportunities when concrete concepts can be combined.

Babushka Delight