My Daily Skillet Bread
I’m not used to this. Being home with nothing but time on my hands is a luxury that I haven’t had in a long time, so I’m trying to make the best use of it.
Bread is something that I always think of as time-consuming and difficult to make. I love a good, crusty loaf of bread with some Kerry Gold Butter - simple and delicious, but my grocery store right now is a place you don’t want to go to unless you have to. So I checked out my pantry and saw that I have the two basic ingredients you need to make bread - yeast, and flour. I usually use the quick rise type because it’s easier to use, and fortunately for me, my mother is an expert bread maker so I have some fail-safe tips that I always use.
I’ve worked on this recipe daily, and I’m excited to share this version with you. The best thing about this recipe is that you can change it up depending on what you have on hand - I used shredded Parmesan and tried rolling it into the dough as well as sprinkling it on top. Today I used sea salt and five pepper blend that I had purchased at Williams Sonoma on sale a while ago - it may be my favorite. You are only limited by your imagination. Just be careful to use items that aren’t too wet. Cheddar, kalamata olives, chopped jalapenos, and another favorite of mine - Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Seasoning. By doing different versions, this truly can become your daily bread! You also want to use the best olive oil that you can find - it makes all the difference. The fewer items you use in a recipe, the better quality they should be. My favorite is the Oakville Grocery Virgin Olive Oil from Napa Valley. This with some salt, pepper and spices and some balsamic vinegar makes a great dipping sauce to enjoy your bread with.
A note on cast iron skillets - if you don’t have one, go out and buy one now. I use my collection for everything, and it’s been a lot of fun working on various dishes to use it with. It is so easy as far as cleanup, and it helps give this bread recipe the perfect crispy crust.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups warm water
1 package Rapid Rise instant yeast
pinch of sugar
4+ cups flour - I prefer the bread flour, but try various ones and see what you like the most
1 teaspoon of sea salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Optional Toppings of Your Choice
DIRECTIONS
Run your hand under the hot water making sure that it isn’t so hot that you can’t have it touch your skin. Yeast is a living ingredient and loves warm conditions, but if it’s hot you can kill the yeast. Put the water in a bowl and add the yeast and sugar. The sugar acts as food for the yeast and helps it “bloom.” Let sit until it increases in volume.
Add two cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and mix until blended. I like to use my mixer with a dough hook, but you can hand mix with a wooden spoon or spatula as well. Do not over mix - it will make the bread too dense.
Add the salt and the rest of the flour until it forms a wet, loose ball. Cover bowl with wax paper and a clean dish towel, then set in a warm place for 45 minutes or so or until it doubles in size.
Place about a teaspoon of olive oil into your seasoned cast iron pan, and coat inside of the skillet with the oil. Put the dough in the center of the skillet, and cover it loosely again with wax paper then a dish towel and set aside for an additional 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use another teaspoon or two of olive oil and drizzle over teh top of your bread. Place in preheated oven for 20 minutes, then take out of the oven, put any toppings that you want to use and put back into the oven for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let sit for a few minutes if you can resist slicing into it immediately, and you can serve warm in the skillet or remove and serve. Enjoy!
