Have you been to the supermarket lately and the bread section was completely wiped out? I have, and it’s no big deal when you can make this no-knead loaf of bread in a few hours start to finish. It’s a great sandwich bread, toasts nicely, and the only equipment needed is a bowl and a spoon. If you cut out the center and crack an egg in the middle on a hot skillet, you have what we New Englanders call “Gas House Eggs” from the German word gasthaus – meaning country house or inn. It’s also known as eggs-in-a-hole, eggs-in-a-basket, and toad-in-a-hole. Whatever you call it – it’s a quick and delicious breakfast or lunch.
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 oz. boiling water + 9 oz. cold water ( 1 1/2 cups total)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
- The mix of boiling and cold water is a good temperature combo to activate the yeast. Stir the water into the flour mixture, and mix with a spatula until a ball forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400º for one minute, and shut the oven off. This makes the perfect warm environment to proof the bread. Let dough rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it doubles in bulk.
- Generously grease an 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pan with vegetable shortening or butter. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Let rise in draft free, warm spot for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425º. When oven comes to temperature, bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375º and bake for another 20 minutes until golden. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out to a wire rack.
To make the eggs:
Use a cookie cutter or a glass to cut a hole from the center of a slice of the bread. Melt some butter in a hot skillet and add the bread and cutout. When it’s toasted, flip over – add some more butter in the hole of the bread and crack a large egg in the center, turn down heat to medium. When the eggs are white and set, about 2 to 3 minutes, I like to flip it for about 30 seconds so it’s over easy style.
