Our church congregation has an annual chili cook off. This year, with my stretched schedule, I volunteered to bring bread. I figured I could make it ahead and put it in the freezer without too much stress. I really enjoy making bread and do it often.
But alas, last night after arriving home rather late from a few errands, I realized that the cook off was Saturday evening and guess who was working at the store all day??! Yes, that would be me. So I made a plan to do it early in the morning. EARLY. 5:00am early.....not my favorite time of day, and really not my favorite time of day considering that I didn't retire until about 2:30am Friday night, or Saturday morning to be correct.
I set the alarm for 5:00am and had my ingredients ready to go the night before.
5:00 came rather quickly, but I arose and mixed the dough, kneaded it and set it aside to rise. I took advantage of the early hour to have a nap during the first rising. Everything was looking great and on schedule. I began the daily primping routine during the second rising.
This particular bread is one I have continued success with and it is always a hit at any function, as it is a huge round loaf (hardly a typical loaf)! and will feed about 30 people. It is called Sheepherder's Bread and comes from, you guessed it, Charlotte Jane Hunter Petersen, my darling mother. There are a few tips that ensure a great end result and I thought as I rubbed my tired eyes that early hour of the morning, how great a documentation it would make. As I said, it is one impressive "loaf".
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiwkzbDpA9HsdKSLjn-4XPZrxvddrH64-YLNb7kvossHcm9RUbnd_0NFfjfsTAl-pvgOExeVgNHs4LjAmjXs-uji_oHuiulyHLRWAgStPiwDchxYECMP_gQhlDc0xhMtLqMLRSOdtzG_E/s320/I'm+no+martha...+001.jpg)
After the dough is kneaded, it is shaped into a smooth round ball and put in a well -oiled dutch oven. It is important to spray the lid heavily as well.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66E5M-wQIYhsvcby3nyp7npEff-6R9bvqcxrczcv5vsmcV8gQJUvkNF1LMLcVyU-y4IhjkSpubbQCl-5Eh8Gis3LTr4b0pz9t6wcmkVs4yV4C0LKgGukDVqbssdDQcGazovGsyXGdsWgf/s320/I'm+no+martha...+002.jpg)
This bread rises for the third time in pan (heavy dutch oven) with the lid in place.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Uoej0SLEDDNYLTk6ApRgdS-WWBKA9orMuadNWGvWZjmjdg9Cm4Z1yWNPNz28g50FtgOjyGlSX9GfhafdnTE4kqvCS0D7ALNUt8si-1Bkytl532MO9MFQvkmXc29nyQ12uK6Peq8Gsxmo/s320/I'm+no+martha...+003.jpg)
When the dough pushed up the lid about a half an inch, it is ready for the oven. The bread begins the baking process with the lid on for about 12 minutes. This creates a beautiful brown crust.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBr-_Q_pT7nknbFHEBi1iRqxMxYQG1iql2yDERsQB25ag2fE-UOWmlngWF5mJ54pnRQhQMLru1l_liXGot1jhrcsAYWrH-OvGYsPEr0uO4T7_W2GnXVFD89j5KY2nMEi38Otev4bzEtP1J/s320/I'm+no+martha...+004.jpg)
After 12 minutes, the bread looks like this in the oven, and the lid is ready to come off. It is a bit tricky to take the lid off without deflating the tender dough. (You can see why the lid must be well-oiled. I use Pam.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXqEA-XXOPIl4GAq6n7fHs4AXjwx6HQ3zyf-92zStX8UvnO5KN8pKmS74g3qRhtnONlaJKP406KqFFInb1y7_gvnGF48oIddY790815HgZn7ZCmRuqlV2bGqfGOmvYpMSRIGnmSbBMIRG/s320/I'm+no+martha...+005.jpg)
All was going well, the delicious smell of baking bread waifed through the house as I continued to get ready to leave for work. The timer went off and I went in directly to take the bread out and take it out of the pan. Usually, this is an easy job. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself with the photo documentation to this point. I could just imagine how the photos would show step by step the process and the end result is a monument to bread baking!
You can just imagine my utter dismay within seconds of taking it out of the oven, when I realized that it would NOT come out of the pan.....suddenly that sacrifice of the 5:00 hour was nothing by a source of irritation at best! I've made this bread successfully hundreds of times! What the? Why today, when I would not be home all day to retrace my steps and produce the desired beautiful bread art???
I tried every trick in the book to release if from the pan, and when I had finally completed the task, this is what I had to show for my 3 hour very early morning adventure.....
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDoXv5EYiil9pnsgyN1x9ykJTN2sRbzZKkH1xb4Dts4s_LaMtzv5tZzUILUzXodSaTAMZtwx43J2oEyOx9gjNoaemyf60_sAPfdUYgLpZbj9B3xqOG6SnQXjVJaZaDLUTOxF__KPdLrn0/s320/I'm+no+martha...+007.jpg)
I cannot stress enough how thoroughly you must spray the pan and the lid. So sad, sad, sad, sad, very sad, so sad, SAD!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx240qguzYfR1kBIrEVBJOTZp_DizJW1gt1NCRI445qIg3v7L0VtEAR8QLsKsIfaJYeOqDAhzDjhJjMYAI0jzFzNObDnvisWaNpiBTmZQ1Ryki82585EjykAT47nGMUusgGdblycNDBoRm/s320/I'm+no+martha...+006.jpg)
I threw a tea towel over the hot steaming bread and left for work, feeling the frustration of failure.
Reviewing my options, upon returning home from work, I decided that I would tear the bread into large pieces. Wouldn't that be how sheepherders would eat it? They wouldn't have a knife for perfect slices! I had no choice and began to tear large chunks off of the two split halves.
I then decided to post a disclaimer (!) and serve it in the largest dutch oven I have, I thought it appropriate for the presentation.
So, here is the final outcome. Not what I intended, but pretty darn good for sopping up chili.
Tomorrow, when my frustration is far behind me, I'll post the recipe for you. I highly recommend it. Don't under use the pam.