In the 1980's there was a writer by the name of Laurie Colwin, who had a
column in Gourmet Magazine. One of her articles, "Four Easy Pieces" had
the same message, that yes you COULD produce a wonderful meal while
working, raising children and other too numerous tasks to mention. Her
articles are combined into two wonderful books, "Home Cooking" and "More
Home Cooking" and have a prominent place in my kitchen. One of the four
easy pieces is a great bread, and one I return to each year after a summers
hiatus of not baking because of temperature.
"The Bread", by Laurie Colwin
This recipe produces two loaves, one for sandwiches and one for the worlds
best toast.
1. An hour before you go to bed, fling 1 cup oatmeal into your blender and
grind. Put the oatmeal, 1 cup of wheat germ (I have always used toasted),
6 cups of white flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast into
a large bowl. About 3 cups of tepid water will make up the dough. Knead
it, roll it in flour and put it right back in the bowl you mixed it up
in. Cover the bowl and go to sleep.
2. The next morning, make the coffee and knock down the bread. Divide it
in half and put each half into a buttered bread tin, (you can butter them
the night before and put in the fridge to save time in the morning) cover
the tins with a tea towel and go to work.
3. When you come home, heat the oven to 400 F, brush the loaves with milk
(this is a frill and need not be done, but it makes a nice looking crust)
and bake for 40 minutes, turning once. It is hard to describe the nutty,
buttery taste of this bread, and it is worth the 15 minutes of work it took
you to make."
Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes Laurie, you touched all of our
hearts and we miss you. Laurie died in 1992.
Anita Flanigan
p.s. I have cut this recipe in half and let the magic of the bread machine
take over and knead it on manual, took it out, dusted it in flour and put
in a plastic bag in the fridge overnight. Easy, easy.