Artisan Bread in a Flash...?

Look at that thing of beauty...
Do you like crusty, chewy, salty, yummy?
Think Panera bread on steroids.
Its that good, I wouldn't lie to you ;)
(Adapted from Jim Lahey's recipe)

p.s....if you are just reading this today, please note that you won't have bread...today.
its got to sit overnight, so its not so flashy.  haha
The only flash part is that it takes literally 30 seconds to stir up, then you wait.
I hate wait.

In a large mixing bowl combine:

- 3 cups AP flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. yeast (kinda heaping, at least make it a generous 1/2 tsp.)
- 1 2/3 - 1 3/4 c. warm water

Stir to combine, it should look kinda wet and shaggy, like a dog that's been out in the rain.
Ok, not like that.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for about 14-16 hours.
It will get all bubbly and rise a bit, too.
Dump the dough out onto a piece of parchment that has been floured sufficiently.
Fold in the four corners to the center.
What corners, you say?
There are no corners, but pretend there are.
Lift the parchment paper with the dough on it and set it down into a mixing bowl.
Cover again and leave it for 2 hours.
(At this point, feel free to top the dough with salt or seeds or nuts or sprinkles, whatever floats your boat)

Got a dutch oven?
No, quick!  Go get one!
Mine is one of those ceramic over cast iron dealios.
Make sure that the whole thing including the lid can take high heat, like 500*F.

30 minutes before your 2 hr. rising time is up turn on your oven to 500* with the dutch oven and lid in it.
After 30 minutes or so, the pot will be sufficiently hot, remove it from the oven and pick up your bread dough by lifting the corners of the parchment paper and lowering it down into the hot pot, parchment paper and all.
Top it off with the lid and put it back into the hot oven.
Let it bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake an additional 10.

Be careful as you remove it from the oven.
And for goodness sake, let it cool off a bit before you dig into it.
Or don't, whatever man, Im not your mom.

Portland in a Weekend

Recently, my best bud and I took a little jaunt to the Pacific northwest. 
If you find yourself in Portland, do yourself a favor and drop by Mother's...great food, incredible staff!

 Having never been to Oregon before, I must say I was completely enamored!   Cloudy skies, dripping mosses, tree covered cliffs leading down to the wind-swept beaches and pounding surf.

Idyllic!

But...the most incredible find was not at the lighthouse or the inlet bay or the sea lion caves but...

it was a maple bacon bar at Voodoo Donuts.
yeah...bay-bee!
I will not tell you how many I ate, its none of your business.
STOP GRILLING ME!

Thankfully, I fit in my seat when we got on the airplane.

English Toffee with Almonds

oh yeah baby, come to mama....

in a medium sized saucepan:
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbs. water

Stir until combined, bring to boil over medium low heat, cook while stirring occasionally to
300-305* F.

*now, here are the disclaimers...you knew toffee couldn't be THAT easy, right?
Please be careful not to walk away from the pan after 250* or so, it climbs to hard crack so quickly and will burn in a heartbeat.
Another warning is make sure your candy thermometer is accurate, to find this out boil some water on the stove and use your thermometer to measure the boiling water.
Not reading 212*F?
If its reading too low, then your candy will have to be taken off the stove at a lower temperature, too.
Too high?  Then your candy may not be ready until its reading a little higher than its supposed to.
Do the math and add or subtract as needed, most thermometers will be a little off.

Ok...now that your toffee is at hard crack you'll have to move quickly!
Have already on your work surface a cookie sheet that you've sprayed generously with non-stick spray...quickly pour your molten toffee onto the greased cookie sheet.
It will not reach the edges, its ok, just carefully shimmy the pan around until it spreads out, but don't touch it and for heaven's sake, don't burn your hands or the work surface!

*whew...and this stuff only has 5 ingredients!   what a bother, Piglet!

Your toffee will set up rather quickly, once it has a firm skin on top you can sprinkle about 1 cup chocolate chips over the top (I like a mix of dark and milk, but hey...its your toffee!).
Let the chocolate sit and it will melt.
When it looks like its all soft, use a spatula to smooth it over the top of the toffee.
Top with crushed roasted almonds.  (I processed about 2/3 c. roasted almonds in a food processor)
Chill off in frig.
Once everything is chill....man....break into manageable pieces and EAT IT ALL BEFORE THE FAM GETS HOME! store in a tin or tupperware container.