The thing about sourdough bread is that it takes TIME. Time for the starter to wake up, time for the leaven to develop, time for the gluten to form and time overnight for the flavor to develop – the tart, rich aromatic flavor that tells you “this is bread, the way bread was meant to be made”.
But what do you do when you have everything you need to make bread except for time – the one ingredient you can’t pluck out of your larder, or run to the store to pick up at the last minute ?
If you’re like me, you search for a fast bread recipe. And guess what? I found a great fast bread from Faith Durand and her team at Kitchn. The recipe takes advantage of your Kitchen Aid and a microwave to move things along, and adds a touch of sugar for encouragement and a bit of vinegar to modulate gluten development, resulting in a surprisingly lovely rise. From start to finish in under 2 hours!
Let me admit right up front – this is NOT going to be the most flavorful bread you’ve ever made. You are not going to wow your fellow bread-making friends with this bread, or become famous at your farmers market selling this bread.
What you will do is create a perfectly lovely, surprisingly light and well-risen loaf of plain white bread, with a lovely crunchy thin crust. If you make it in a loaf pan and slice it thin for sandwiches, I suspect you’ll find yourself thinking of Wonder Bread, or the Italian bread served before your meal at your local Trattatoria. It’s not the main show or the centerpiece of your table, but a strong supporting actor, more than fine enough to dip into good olive oil or to stand alongside an amazing bowl of homemade soup or pasta. Toasted and spread with butter and jelly, this bread is a delight. Use it to sandwich your husband’s amazing chicken salad and you’re in heaven.
But the best thing about this bread? You can think about making it at 4 pm and have it with dinner at 6.
NO TIME BREAD RECIPE
I can’t improve upon the great pics and video accompanying this recipe at the Kitchn website, so I’m just gonna send you there. Stay tuned, though, I’m experimenting with making a fast bread using whole wheat, and when I get it right, I’ll post that recipe.
Thank you