Yeah, it’s really simple, almost foolproof, and with the yeast doing the work over the hours it is easy, too.
Some flour, rice, bulk meats and you’re set!
Another tip - never, EVER throw out drippings from meat. Add some water, and either reduce down as a gravy/sauce OR pour into ice cube trays and freeze - you have instant gravy-starter in the future! Pull out a few cubes or pork or beef drippings, boil the water out, add to some ground beef and your hamburgers will taste a lot better and be even juicier!
Great point!
I especially like to save all the fat that comes from cooking bacon, sausage, etc. when it is cooled enough to handle I put it in small jars and keep them in my refrigerator, putting the newest jar in back and using the oldest one in front first. It is great for sauteeing vegetables, making gravies, etc. My family especially likes me to use it when I cook green beans. I saute some onions or shallot in the bacon grease and throw in the beans just long enough to cook them through. They are absolutely delicious and a quick and easy side dish to any meal.
There was a link on the Weekly cooking thread this last week for a Dutch Oven Bread that was similar to yours but a bit more complicated than your recipe. I was actually going to pull out my cast Iron Dutch oven and try cooking the one on the link from the thread, but yours is so simple and looks so good, I am going to do yours instead. I like no fuss cooking best these days and your recipe fits my current style of cooking best.
I have been trying to find a good easy every day bread recipe for a long time, but the ones I have tried so far were either more far more expensive to make than store bought bread, too complicated to make easily, or it didn’t taste all that good.
I have a hereditary disease called Charcot Marie Tooth and I have difficulty standing for long periods of time and using my hands, so kneading bread is very difficult for me. Your recipe will be perfect for me to be able to make on a regular basis even with my physical limitations. Since it is cooked in a cast Iron Dutch Oven, it could probably also be cooked easily in a fireplace during a power outage, or outside on a BBQ or even over a campfire, so it might be a really handy recipe to have if things really get tough. I have cooked other more complicated bread recipes in a dutch oven on camping trips over the campfire or during power outages in my fireplace or on the BBQ, but my disease has progressed so much that I can’t make the complicated bread recipes any more that require lots of kneading.
I still remember my grandparents telling me that one summer shortly after they were married in the middle of the Great Depression they were so broke that they camped out all summer and lived in a makeshift tent on the banks of the Willamette River. They lived almost completely off the land and cooked meals over a campfire. They got their fresh water from a public drinking fountain, since the water in the river was not good for drinking. While I hope it won’t come to this, we all realize that it is best to be prepared for any economic downturn and any natural disaster that could cause power outages.
I still want to find really good and easy recipes for regular Rye Bread, Dark Rye Bread, Pumpernickle Bread, Sour Dough Bread, Whole Wheat Bread, a multigrain or Seed Bread, Bread. I am thinking that once I get the hang of your bread I might be able to adapt your recipe to make the other types of bread as well. I might also try this cooking method for Beer Bread and Irish Soda Bread.