Bread in a box

The facts

•  A few weeks ago, I noticed a stack of bread kits for sale in a Midwest grocery store. I had never heard either of the item or of the company before but I was immediately curious
• I snapped a picture with my phone and started asking questions
• Floyd Mann, the selfless soul and passionate amateur baker behind The Fresh Loaf, directed me to his review of the product
• I purchased the Cook’s Edition kit for one of my sons who had never baked bread before but had expressed an interest
• A firm believer in beginner’s luck, he decided to try and make the bread for Christmas Eve dinner
• So he mixed the dough on the 23rd in the afternoon and let it proof at room temperature for eighteen hours. He baked it around noon on the 24th
• He used his convection/microwave oven because a turkey was occupying the conventional oven
• The rule was that I would document the process but offer no help, so that he would be in a real average Joe’s situation. I couldn’t hold my peace however when I saw him:
  – Draw ice water from the fridge to dissolve the yeast
  – Pet the dough like you would a puppy instead of developing the gluten by pulling and folding
  – “Shape” the proofed dough by patting it gently on the head for a few minutes
• Also the instructions that came in the box were written for the complete kit which includes a special pot in which the shaped loaf is supposed to proof and bake. Although they do suggest baking the loaf in a Dutch oven in case you didn’t purchase the pot, they also recommend pre-heating said Dutch oven which precludes using it to proof the bread. Stumped, my son asked me what to do. I suggested he line a colander with a floured linen and use it as a makeshift proofing basket
• Such was the extent of my intervention
• And now…

                

The verdict

• The bread came out really well and was received with a rousing chorus of oohs and aahs, soon to be followed by much merry dipping when a small bowl of olive oil was put on the table
• A longer fermentation (the instructions suggest up to twenty-four hours) would have made it more flavorful but it needed to be ready for dinner
• As explained in the booklet, the baker may need to use additional water at the mixing stage so that all of the flour is completely hydrated. My son added one tablespoon
• The lid is taken off at half-bake for better browning. We thought the bread would turn out darker than it did. It might mean that convection isn’t the way to go when using a Dutch oven or that the oven isn’t properly calibrated
• The kit yields three loaves total. Although refills can easily be procured, my hope is that after the third one, the baker will no longer need to bake from a box
• That would make the method an excellent introduction to making real bread at home for would-be bakers who have no patience for bread blogs…