Hello all and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook–so glad you’re here!
After a week of idillic weather here in Northern California–clear, calm and about 70 degrees–we have suddenly returned to winter weather. A winter storm arrived today, and along with it came dark, foreboding skies, 50-60 mph wind gusts, lots of rain and temperatures in the 50’s. We will get a couple of inches of rain out of the 2-3 storms coming our way this week and the Sierras will get 5-6 feet (yes–FEET) of snow from this weather system.
What better time to curl up with a good book (and a dog, of course!) and make a pot of chicken soup and bread, right?
This week, I’m continuing my exploration of Biblical foods with a dive into one of my favorite food groups, bread. Bread has been an important food throughout the history of man. Historians estimate that it’s been around and comforting the human soul for more than 30,000 years; and it certainly makes lots of appearances throughout the Bible.
Yesterday, I featured pizza dough, which is an offshoot of flatbreads, which were probably the earliest form of bread.
Today, I’m featuring my basic yeast bread:
And really–is there anything that smells better than bread baking? Especially on a cold, blustery day?
This bread is my go-to. It takes a while (between five and six hours, depending on how quickly your rises go). It’s worth the wait, but plan accordingly. And bonus: it freezes beautifully. I usually make one large(ish) loaf and four small loaves that we can defrost on a weeknight and enjoy with soup or salad.
Tune in later this week when I’ll be sharing my recipe for focaccia bread–not to be missed!
Until then,
Peace, love and good food,
Keri
