Tactical Cheat

It occurred to me last night that if there was ever a candidate for one of those faux-sourdough flavor enhancers, this bread is it. Being a bit if a purist in these matters (OK yeah I’ll say it: snob) I’ve frowned on such things in the past, but there are two types of flavor booster on the market that could really put Mr. Lahey’s no-knead bread over the top. One is simply called “sour salt”, just plain old citric acid in a powdered form, which gives flat-tasting bread a nice little sour tang. Others combine sour salt with deactivated yeast to deepen the yeasty flavor. A spoonful of either one might be just the ticket for this bread, which only lacks real, long-rise flavor. If I found myself in a pinch for a boule-type bread with company coming the next day, I’d be sorely tempted to do that very thing. Hmm…maybe I’ll just order a little to have on-hand, you know, for emergencies.