I picked this up a few months back at the invite-only Cooking.com warehouse sale, a special treat once a year that I’m lucky enough to attend. The unit pictured is a specialized mandoline for shredding whole heads of cabbage – not a necessary gadget- but making a 10lb batch of kraut might justify it. I haven’t used it yet but it seems sturdy enough. I’m planning a full post on Sauerkraut, so I’ll put up a few pics of it in action then.
I love this recipe for a “lazy” loaf of bread. I’m not sure of the origin since I got it from a friend at work. It is really simple and requires virtually no kneading.
3 cups flour
1.5 cups H2O
1/4 tsp yeast
A little salt
Combine to make a shaggy dough and cover with plastic film. Wait 24 hours. The dough will have doubled in volume and the surface will have a lot of tiny bubbles. While you preheat a 6qt Dutch Oven to 450F, form the dough into a ball shape and let the dough rise for an hour or so. Fold the dough over on itself without overworking it and set it on some parchment paper dusted with corn meal. Carefully place the dough, parchment and all, in the Dutch oven and cook covered for 1/2 an hour, and uncovered for another 1/2 hour. That’s it! The bread should have a cracked, crusty exterior and soft bubbly crumb inside.