The Clash and Bread

I've got another post I'm formulating in my head about some bullshit legislation being introduced in the New York State Legislature but I'm going to ruminate upon it a little longer while I'm working out.  Hopefully, I'll get it out tonight or tomorrow.  Until then I present you with this tidbit:

I recognize the Unions are trying to get caught up with the tastes of their younger members.  However, "We're not Going to Take It" by Twisted Sister, while awesome, is getting a little old to this listener.  In an effort to improve the cool factor for the Unions, I'd like to suggest they investigate the Clash.

If there ever was a band tailor-fit to the Labor and Social Justice Movements, it would be the Clash.  As an illustration of their awesomeness, I simply present their take on the Southern story of Stagger Lee -- Wrong 'em Boy-o:

Stagger Lee met Billy and they go down to gambling
Stagger Lee throwed seven
Billy said that he throwed eight
So Billy said, hey Stagger! I'm gonna make my big attack
I'm gonna have to leave my knife in your back

Why do you try to cheat?
And trample people under your feet
Don't you know it is wrong?
To cheat the trying man
So you better stop, it is the wrong 'em boy-o

You lie, steal, cheat and deceit
In such a small, small game
Don't you know it is wrong

Billy Boy has been shot
And Stagger Lee's come out on top
Don't you know it is wrong
To cheat the trying man
To cheat Stagger man
You'd better stop
So you must start all over again-all over again
You got to play it, Billy, play, you got to play it, Billy, play
And you will find it is the right 'em boy-o

But if you must lie and deceit
And trample people under your feet
Don't you know it is wrong
It is the wrong 'em boy-o

If I heard

Why do you try to cheat?
And trample people under your feet
Don't you know it is wrong?
To cheat the trying man
So you better stop, it is the wrong 'em boy-o

at a rally, I'd be psyched -- as would a lot in my generation (Gen-X -- we're notoriously hard to pin down but we do like our music).

Attention Unions of the World: Get some Clash for your rallys!  They are profoundly intelligent and their music is kick-ass.

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The invention of bread was one of humanities greatest advancements in the manufacture and storage of food.  Why is it people now buy this nearly essential food stuff as though it is a commodity?  Shelved and packaged in a supermarket.  Over priced with the profits going to some corporation somewhere?  We really ought to be distancing ourselves from the over reliance on corporations for our means of survival.  It really is a shame that, as a society, we have fallen into the "convenience trap" when we don't need to.

Making bread at home is amazingly simple and it costs pennies (yes, pennies) on the dollar when you compare it to the cost of bread in the store.  Plus, it tastes a lot better and makes your house smell great!

If you're interested in baking your own bread but you don't want to deal with kneading and all that nonsense, you're in luck.  You don't need to buy some expensive bread machine!  You can make bread at home with a bowl that you can cover (I use my crock pot) and a dutch oven (or a pizza stone and a oven-safe pot)!

Here's my recipe for a no knead whole grain bread:
Dry ingredients

1. 2 cups white flour
2. 2 cups whole wheat flour (or 2 more cups white)
3. 1 cup quick oats (or rolled oats)
4. 2 - 2.5 teaspoons salt
5. .5 teaspoon bakers yeast
6. (optional) 4 teaspoons wheat glutin
7. (optional) 4 maybe 5 tablespoons milled flaxseed

Wet ingredient -- 2.5 (maybe a touch more) warm water

Directions

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in your bowl.
2. Add the water and mix.  Your mixture should be a sticky mess but not runny.  Add small amounts of water until you get something that looks a similar to sticky oatmeal.
3. Cover the bowl and leave it alone for 8 to 24 hours.  It should, roughly double in size.  Don't worry about messing things up.  If you go too long, everything will be fine (assuming it's been covered the cat hasn't sat on it).
   
4. After the dough has risen, dust a surface with flour to prevent the dough from sticking and scoop the dough out on to that surface.
5. Spread the dough out a bit and dust the top.  Fold the dough over on to itself 1 or 2 times.
6. Let the dough rest for 15 to 30  minutes (again, don't worry about going long on time).
7. After the dough has rested, form it into a boule.  Oh yeah, this recipe is for an "artisan" bread -- that expensive stuff and it's cheaper than many brands of white bread!
8. Let the boule rise for about 2 hours (at 70F, longer if cooler).
9. Preheat your oven and dutch oven to 475F.  If you are using a pizza stone, heat that up.
10. After the boule has risen and the oven has preheated, open the dutch oven and place you boule in it.  Be careful not to burn your hands.  Place the top back on the dutch oven and return it.  If you are using the pizza stone, pull it out and place the boule on it.  Then, take your oven-save pot and fill it with water and place that in the oven as well.
11. Bake the boule for 30 minutes with the top on the dutch oven (or with the pot of water in the oven).
12. After the 30 minutes, take the top off (or remove the pot with water) and bake an additional 15 minutes to crisp up the crust.  Do this final step to taste.  Some people like really crispy crusts while others like softer crusts.
13. Remove your new loaf of bread and place it on a rack to cool.  Listen to it and it will "talk" to you as it cools.  This is the sound of the crust crackling.
    

There you have it!  A loaf of healthy artisan bread that costs about less than $1.00 (cheaper if you find deals) to make.

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Edit 4/10/11: Changed cost of bread from >$1.50 to >$1.00. The loaf of bread I just baked cost about 50¢!