Easy Crusty Artisan Bread #Thanksgiving #recipe #giveaway @VMBurns

 VMBURNS: I have always been intimidated by homemade bread. Don't ask me why, but I'm sure it had something to do with adding yeast, or maybe it was the kneading, or well...I have no idea. However, after five decades, I was preparing to make soup and kept thinking how yummy if I had bread for dipping. It was late at night and my first thought was to order bread and have it delivered with my groceries the next day. While I love the convenience of having someone else shop and deliver groceries (I hate grocery shopping almost as much as a trip to the dentist), a recent shopper mishap meant that I had serious trust issues. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across a recipe that claimed to be easy with no kneading above a picture of a beautiful loaf of bread. I read the recipe (and about 15 others) and they all looked similar. There were only 4 ingredients. How scary could it be? So, I did it. I made bread and it came out deliciously well. Next time (and there will definitely be a next time) I'm going to try some of the variations (rosemary, cheese, etc.).

EASY ARTISAN BREAD

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Cups All-purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon yeast
• 1 1/2 Cups warm water
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• INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add flour, salt, and yeast to a large bowl and stir to combine.
   
   
   
2. Add warm water and stir. 
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 8-18 hours.
   
   
   
4. Transfer to a floured surface and fold a few times to form a ball. Place on Parchment paper and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
   
   
   
5. Place a dutch oven into the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. 
6. Using a serrated knife, slash an X into the top. 
   
   
   
7. Transfer the parchment paper into the dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 more minutes until golden brown.
8. Lift the parchment paper and remove the bread. Let cool before slicing.
   
   
   

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READERS: Have you made bread? What's your favorite bread to make? Let me know in the comments. One person will be selected to win a copy of the first book in my Baker Street Mystery series, Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder. Don't forget to leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you, if you're selected as the winner.


TWO PARTS SUGAR, ONE PART MURDER, Baker Street Mystery #1


Available everywhere books are sold


Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Target, Walmart









V. M. (Valerie) Burns

In this delectable new cozy mystery series, social media maven Maddy Montgomery’s perfectly ’grammable life has come undone, and she’s #StartingOver in a tiny town with one giant problem—a killer on the loose . . .
 
When Maddy Montgomery’s groom is a no-show to their livestream wedding, it’s a disaster that no amount of filtering can fix. But a surprise inheritance offers a chance to regroup and rebrand—as long as Maddy is willing to live in her late, great-aunt Octavia’s house in New Bison, Michigan, for a year, running her bakery and caring for a 250-pound English mastiff named Baby.
 
Maddy doesn’t bake, and her Louboutins aren’t made for walking giant dogs around Lake Michigan, but the locals are friendly and the scenery is beautiful. With help from her aunt’s loyal friends, aka the Baker Street Irregulars, Maddy feels ready to tackle any challenge, including Octavia’s award-winning cake recipes. That is, until New Bison’s mayor is fatally stabbed, and Maddy’s fingerprints are found on the knife . . .
 
Something strange is going on in New Bison. It seems Aunt Octavia had her suspicions, too. But Maddy’s going to need a whole lot more than a trending hashtag to save her reputation—and her life.