Best Bread Found At Last

But there is a catch. You have to make it. But it is so easy. It is the NY Times Minimalist recipe.

I substitute 1/8 cup of olive oil for the equivalent of the water called for. It is perfect for my taste. I also have had fun mixing in other flours as an alternative. When doing this, I have found it works best if I keep the recipe pure for the first rise and use the alternative flours (rye, whole wheat, e.g.) as the flour I add in before the second rise.

I find, by the by, I have to add an ample amount of flour before the second rise, if I don't want it to stick to the towel. Yes, I use a towel rather than plastic wrap called for in the original recipe. I don't do plastic wrap generally due to the ecological and other havoc it is wreaking upon life on earth.

It is tremendously difficult to screw up this recipe. I have not managed to. If I add too little flour, and it gets sticky on the towel, it doesn't matter. I wash the towel and get a flatter, but still delicious loaf. If I add more flour, I get a denser delicious bread. All that said, two friends have reported screwing it up. One used ancient yeast that did not rise. Oops. And one used all whole wheat flour. Unless you want to build a brick house in your tum, not recommended!

Enjoy great bread in L.A. or wherever you are!