Today I have decided to post one of my favourite recipes, after receiving several requests for it. The recipe is quite easy to find online, but I have found small variances to work better than the method which I started following. It is a recipe for a "No-Knead Bread" which I first saw on the Martha Stewart Show. There were some small differences between the recipe found on the website and the method used on the show, and found it best to follow the taped version over the written recipe. The great thing about this recipe is that you do not need to set aside several hours at a time to make it. In fact the time spent working on the bread is very low, and all the time frames can be followed fairly loosely.
The ingredients that you will need to make a 1 1/2 pound loaf:
3 cups of all purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 teaspoon of instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
Olive oil, as needed
Cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed (optional)
To start you will combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and give them a quick stir to mix everything together. Next Take 1 1/2 cups of water (temperature does not make a difference) and stir until all the ingredients are equally blended. *Side note: It is a no-knead recipe, but sometimes I have found that all of the flour does not combine as nicely as expected. In that case it is ok to give the dough a quick kneading, just make sure that you start off with plenty of the flour on your hand to prevent sticking.* The dough will now be shaggy and sticky. Next you will want to coat another large bowl with olive oil (I find that ceramic mixing bowls work best), transfer the dough into this bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
Now you wait. The dough should rest at room temperature for at least 12 hours, preferably 16-18, but the beauty is that if your schedule is not flexible you can leave it longer. On one occasion I had left it up to 24 hours from starting and it turned out perfectly.
You will know that that dough is ready when there are visible bubbles on the surface, and the dough seems "wetter".
Now you will lightly flour your work surface, place the dough over the flour, and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself a few times, and loosely cover the dough with the plastic wrap that you had over the bowl. Allow it to sit for about 15 minutes (loose time frame).
Uncover the dough and sprinkle more flour as needed on the work surface and your fingers. Now you will gently and quickly form the dough into a ball. (I generally make four folds of the dough onto itself). From here you will want to generously coat a non-terry cloth towel with flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran (the choice is up to you) and then place the dough seam side down onto the towel. Finally dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran and cover with another towel (or you can fold the original towel over if it is large enough). You will want to let this sit for about another 2 hours, or until the dough does not spring back when pocked.
When the dough is close to being ready (usually after 1h 45min) preheat the oven to 450F. Place your baking dish (covered cast iron pot, or covered glass baking dishes) in the oven as it heats. * I have read that many of the knobs on the enamel coated cast iron pots are plastic, and can not stand 450F temperatures. Most knobs can be screwed off, or covered with foil. I have not had this problem since the handle of our dutch oven is cast iron itself.* When the dough is ready carefully remove the pot from the oven. Remove the top towel from the dough, slide your hand under the bottom towel and turn the dough over into the pot seam side up. Give the pot a quick shake to even out the dough and shake off excess covering. Place the lid on the pot, and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking until browned, I usually bake for an additional 10 minutes. Finally cool on a wire rack, and ENJOY!
Final notes:
-The original recipe called for 500F baking temperatures, I found the bread to be too dark and too thick of a crust.
-The recipe also called for slightly longer baking times, again finding too thick of a crust.
-The time frames are all pretty general, so if you need to leave the house between steps (obviously with the exception of the steps involving the oven) and can't meet the exact time frames it is ok! Although typically I would not use less time between steps (especially with the initial rising).
-I have not yet tried using cornmeal or wheat bran, but have heard that the wheat bran works well.
-One other thing that I have done is substituted 1 cup of all purpose flour with 1 cup of whole wheat flour, I enjoy this much better.
-Lastly I had one occasion where the flour I used didn't absorb as much water as all other attempts and was sticking far too much in all steps (especially to the towel). I'm not sure why, but it was a different brand of flour. The bread turned out ok, but I would assume just to add extra flour as needed to prevent the sticking if you find yourself in a similar situation.
Well I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do, the bread turns out delicious, takes up little time, is so freakin' cheap, and tastes better than store bought loaves!
Stay tuned for updates coming on Gregg's move next week!!!
take care
Holly & Gregg
