Following the unanticipated success of the Grizzly Bear 'Gumbo' recipe last year on DiS, we toyed with the idea of a regular indie-rock in the kitchen section on DiS. When we saw White Hinterland's twitter, with Casey Dienel & Shawn Creeden offering up recipes, we thought in the run-up to their new record, Kairos, rather than just review it and give away some tracks to showcase their snow-capped electronica (think Ladytron and Broadcast with a generous dose of Lykke Li, Bat for Lashes and JJ whisked in), we'd make them sing for their supper; or rather give you some ideas of what you can eat for yours... (See last week's Chicken Salad Recipe by Casey)

Easy Bread

By Shawn Creeden

Probably the most important culinary epiphany for me last year occurred in May when I attended an art exhibition which included a project by Tricia Martin called the Bread Friend Map - Portland. The centerpiece of the project was a five foot long loaf of bread to be shared and enjoyed amongst friends and strangers, with the aim of building community through eating (who can't get on board with that?). It was quite impressive and some of the best bread I had ever eaten, and it got me thinking...

Up to that point, bread-making had always seemed too daunting and impractical an undertaking for me. Having a severe attention deficit, the thought of waiting all day for dough to rise appeals to me conceptually, but in practice I had not had much luck in the past. So, with a new vigor I tested out a few different recipes and found this one and it changed my life. Beginning to end, this bread recipe takes about an hour and 15 minutes. It is GREAT bread, a sort of French style. Soft firm interior, perfect crunchy crust, looks very pro, great for dipping in olive oil or making sandwiches. All told, each loaf costs about ¢35 - ¢50. I've shared this recipe with many of my friends here in Portland and now there's always fresh bread everywhere I go.

Easy Bread

Ingredients

5-6 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1 or 2
cups)

2 tablespoons of dry yeast

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups hot water (120-130 degrees F.)

A cake pan of hot water

Directions:

Mix 3 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt.

Pour in the hot water and beat 100 strokes (or 3 minutes with a mixer).

Stir in the remaining flour until the dough loses its stickiness.

Turn onto a floured surface.

Knead for 8 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a warm damp cloth.

Let rise for 15 minutes in a warm spot (away from drafts). My house is cold and this slows down the yeast activity, so sometimes I will turn the oven on "warm" for a minute or two and either put the dough inside or just on top to keep things going.

Punch down and divide the dough into two pieces. Shape into round loaves and place on a greased baking sheet. Cut an "X" one-half inch deep in each of the loaves with a wet sharp knife.

Place baking sheet with loaves in the middle of a COLD oven. Place a pan of hot water on the lowest shelf. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and bake 40-50 minutes until golden brown.

When the loaves look done, take one out and flip it over and tap on the bottom. If it sounds like a drum, with a more hollow sound than a dense thud (this will make sense when you do it) it is ready.

Allow the loaves to cool for 10 minutes or so on a rack before you cut them to give them time to firm up inside, or else it will crumble under the knife.

I'll eat mine with local Kiyokawa pumpkin butter, olive oil + balsamic vinegar, pan fried with earth balance topped with baked beans, or just toasted with earth balance and bac-o's (my late night drank snack of choice).

White Hinterland's new album Kairos will be released March 8th on Dead Oceans.

Take a listen to 'No Logic' here