Hi Pen,

I took note of this the day it was posted, but didn't get a chance to write till now. That looks great--I'm a big fan of Bittman, and was wondering if you've tried the infamous no-knead bread.

It's really pretty amazing that one can get such a great, artisan-quality round of bread from such and easy (though a long time to wait) technique. I do love getting my hands in dough, but this is such a good recipe. Good, sturdy crust, and great structure on the inside. I like the basic recipe very well, though I like to add a mix of course salt and herbs to roll into the dough when turning it from the towel into the Dutch oven, then adding some to the top just before baking.

(OK, sorry for that long tangent.... I'm thinking that you've probably tried that recipe by now, and recommending it, if you have not... and don't forget some good XVOO and balsamic for dipping. Soooooo good!

Happy eating,
Tami Wilson

Tami,

Thanks much for the great note. I haven't yet tried Bittman's bread [NYTimes: The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work, recipe], but it looks and sounds delicious. I'm pretty sure it inspired the recommendation to me of a new book called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

I'm shameless about outsourcing my baking, so I convinced my brother to get a copy. His first foray produced four delicious loaves of bread with the sort of crust that probably prompted the invention of olive oil and vinegar. Your addition of herbs and salt sounds delicious.

--Pen