Kurt R.A. Giambastiani

This weekend, treat yourself to homemade artisanal bread.

I put this recipe online a few days ago, and want to give it a bit more visibility because it is, in my humble opinion, the bread recipe.

It’s easy: Mix, let sit, shape, let sit, bake.

This is my version of the Bittman-Lahey version as posted by my friends over on CheapSeatEats. It’s a great recipe, especially if (like me) you’re a bit challenged in the Baking column. My main problems with baking bread have always been

• That they never rose enough
• I could never knead them down into that really glutenous, almost rubbery feel of the great artisanal breads
• The crusts were never as chewy as I wanted, but always crisp and hard

This recipe solves all of those problems. The rise is guaranteed, the “tooth” is glutenous heaven, and the crust is like the old Italian loaves of my youth: firm, but chewy.

It’s an overnight rise, which actually makes it much easier. And it’s a great “master” recipe, that you can vary and tailor to your specific tastes.

Check it out, and make some this weekend!

k