Overnight bread without any kneading

 I can’t believe I never tried making no knead bread before… this is SOOO good!

See the original recipe for far more detailed instructions and variations. 

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-knead-bread/

Here is what I do…

Ingredients

• About 100g whole wheat flour
• About 325g all purpose flour (vary the proportions of the flours as you like.. this is the mix I’ve tried so far. Total of 425g flour)
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp traditional yeast
• 1.5 cups warm water

Method

Sometime between noon and 8pm…

1.  Measure the flours, salt, and yeast into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
2. Make a hole in the dry ingredients and pour in the warm water.
3. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined into a shaggy ball of dough with most of the flour incorporated (this should be pretty quick and easy)
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter

Carry on with your day, have a good sleep. The next morning (ideally 12-18 hours later, but 10 is enough)…

1. Generously sprinkle flour on the counter
2. Use a spatula to carefully nudge the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured counter, smoother side down
3. Go around the ball and fold the edges in to the middle until you’ve made a nicely shaped ball of dough
4. Flip the dough ball onto a piece of parchment paper, dust lightly with flour, and lay the dry side of your plastic wrap over it loosely
5. Set a timer for 20-30 minutes… meanwhile… Put a large cast iron Dutch oven with a lid into the oven and heat to 450F
6. When the timer goes off… remove the plastic wrap from the dough ball, take the Dutch oven out of the oven, close the door, and use oven mitts to grab the edges of the parchment paper with the dough ball on it to gently place it inside the Dutch oven. If my parchment paper seems too big, at this point I will cut the corners off with kitchen shears. Put the lid on and pop the Dutch oven back into the hot oven.
7. Bake 30 mins with the lid on then remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes for a not-overly-crispy crust
8. Let cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes before slicing and eating.

Try not to devour the whole loaf!

This is easier than the bread maker and so delish!

Strep throat survival soup, AKA Cream of Broccoli

 I have been plagued by a recurring bout of strep throat ever since mid August. I’m on my 3rd round of antibiotics now! Thankfully, the subsequent bouts have not been as bad as the first one, when this soup really was one of the few things I could eat that also filled me up and satisfied cravings for green food and protein. I have turned to it again this time around, knowing that if things get worse, this is one meal I will still be able to enjoy.

I had never made cream of broccoli soup before strep throat and I don’t know if it would taste so good if I wasn’t sick, but if you ever find yourself unable to eat solid or acidic foods and want something filling and hearty, I recommend it!

Here’s the original: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13313/best-cream-of-broccoli-soup/. I haven’t really made any changes to speak of.

Ingredients

• 2 + 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, diced finely
• 1 stalk celery, diced finely diced
• 3 cups homemade chicken broth
• 8 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• Pepper to taste (if your throat can handle it)
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Melt 2 tbs butter in a med-large soup pot. Sauté onion and celery until tender.
2. Add the broth and the broccoli, cover with a lid, and simmer 10 minutes
3. Purée with an immersion blender until smooth
4. In a small pot, melt the remaining 3 tbs butter. Add the flour and whisk together. Add the milk and stir regularly while you heat this mixture until it starts thickening and gets a little frothy/bubbly. I use a small whisk for this.
5. Add the milk mixture to the broccoli part and stir well.
6. Optionally add some pepper and/or salt to the pot, or just do this when it’s in your bowl.

Feel better soon!