the easiest (and fastest) bread you'll ever make...

This recipe is from Juila Child's book Baking With Julia. It's so easy and fast. You just gotta try it!


1 1/2 lbs russet or red potatoes
4 tsp salt
1/2 tepid reserved potato water
1 T active dry yeast
2 T olive oil
2 T dried or fresh rosemary
4 3/4 c unbleached all purpose or bread flour


cook the potatoes: cut into quarters, don't peel 'em!, toss into 2 quart pot, cover with water and add 2 tsp of the salt, boil until soft, reserve 1/2 c of the potato water, drain potatoes and cool on baking sheet. potatoes must be dry before they are mashed. when potatoes are cool, stir yeast into reserved potato water, if it's cool, warm it up in microwave for a couple seconds, it should be warm. mash the potatoes, add the dissolved yeast water, olive oil and mix. add the flour, rosemary and the remaining 2 tsp salt. this will seem like an incredibly dry dough, but have faith and keep mixing! I don't even use a wooden spoon at this point, I just mix with my hands, it's easier to get everything incorporated. 


First Rise: cover the mixing bowl with a kitchen towel, allow dough to rest at room temp for 30 min.


Shape the dough into either 2 torpedo loaves or 2 rounds, after shaping, place on floured baking sheet or onto the counter, cover and let proof for another 30 minutes. 


Preheat oven to 375. prepare oven for hearth baking (watch this video, it's 1 1/2 min.), place your baking stone in oven and on the bottom of the oven, place a baking sheet (this is where you will pour the water).  


gently place (either with your hands of with a baking peel) the dough onto the baking stone, pour approx. 1 c water into the steam pan and quickly close the oven door. this will create the steam you are looking for.


bake 45-50 minutes, the loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom and the interior temp should measure 200 F.