Baker Andrew has been on hiatus for some time, due to the demands of his work schedule, so sous-baker Catherine has taken over. My mom and sister swear by the no-knead bread recipes that have been circulating in food magazines and on websites, so I decided to try my hand at this simple approach to bread baking. While I have produced nice loaves of whole wheat bread in the past, I find that I am a bit impatient with the details of mixing, kneading, and rising, and the results are rarely guaranteed (hence, Andrew is bread master). In this case, however, the process is very easy and demands almost nothing of the baker. The results, as you can see here, were MIRACULOUS! This loaf not only looks picture perfect, but it has a lovely, crunchy crust and moist, chewy interior, just like I have always dreamed of making. It is truly simple and - if you have the right pot - anyone can make this! I was able to use flour milled in New England, but am considering trying some of the local wheat flour available at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Davis Square...the price has prevented me from buying it...
No-Knead Bread
from Margaret Foster's recipe box:
Begin 12-18 hours before baking.
In a large bowl, combine:
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/4 c. unbleached white flour
3/4 t. yeast
1 1/3 c. cool water
1 1/4 t. salt
Cover and let rise at room temperature for 12-18 hours. At the end of this time, flour another bowl and transfer dough (which will be very wet) to this bowl. Sprinkle top of dough with flour liberally. Let rise about 2 hours more. At 1 1/2 hours into this rise, preheat the oven to 475 and put the cast-iron casserole with the lid into the preheating oven. After half an hour of preheating, gently transfer dough into heated casserole (be careful!), cover with lid, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until crust is a medium caramel color (10-15 minutes). Remove bread from pot and cool on rack. Do not cut for 1 hour. (if you are using a pot with a plastic handle, like a Le Creuset pot, you should unscrew and remove the handle to prevent damage)
Easy as pie? Nope, much easier.
Looks so simple!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the results would be as good if gluten-free flour was used?
Kimberly - you would really have to look that up - bread depends so much on developing gluten to give it that bready, chewy texture. Are you allergic??
ReplyDeleteUgh...yes. I found out this fall. :(
ReplyDeleteNo bread, no bagels, no waffles, no donuts...
I've been experimenting a lot with different gluten-free recipes, store bought gluten-free items, and turning regular recipes into gluten-free...and I HATE cooking so this is all like a really, really bad dream!
The problem with most gluten-free recipes is that they are really complicated, ingredient heavy, and time consuming...