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madbakerThis week's Bonus Resolution Recipe is vittoriosa's fault. I'd seen the no-knead recipes for years, but never bothered trying them until this week.
4 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat and 2 1/2 cups strong white)
1/2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
2 cups lukewarm water
Combine the dry ingredients. Stir in water (about 70 F) until blended. You'll have a shaggy, sticky dough; add a little more water if it seems dry. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 18 hours at room temperature. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
Lightly flour a work surface, transfer the dough to it, and fold once or twice; it will be soft but not terribly sticky once dusted with flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton (not terry cloth) towel with cornmeal, semolina, or flour; or use a silicone baking mat. Place the dough seam side down and dust more. Cover with another towel or plastic wrap, and let rise for about two hours. When it's ready, the dough will be more than doubled in size and won't spring back readily when poked with your finger.
At least 30 minutes before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450. Put a 3- to 4-quart covered pot (with the cover) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. (It probably won't fall in artfully, but it will straighten out as it bakes.) Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 20-30 minutes until beautifully browned. Remove the bread and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
What worked: I can see why this exploded in popularity - it's easy and you don't have to know how to make bread to succeed. It was extremely tasty. Soft but good chew, even when toasted. It had a texture similar to a commercial sourdough boule (but not the depth of flavor, not surprisingly. I wonder if I could sneak in some sourdough?)
I didn't want to heat up the oven for just one loaf of bread so I made a second, standard sourdough pan loaf to bake alongside.
It did not set off our too-sensitive smoke alarm!
What didn't: 450 with the heavy cast iron pan I used may have been too high. It blistered and browned (almost burned) in 40 minutes. 450 was also a bit too hot for the sourdough loaf; I usually bake those at 400 for 40.
Despite the recipe's promise that the loaf would even out, it was a bit misshapen. Also I would put it on parchment to rise so that I could lift it via the baker's peel and plop in easily.
Will I make it again? It will go into the bread rotation. I have another, slightly smaller cast iron pan I could use for a second loaf alongside. Or I could use the Le Creuset (if it's big enough). Or I could use the 14" Lodge cast iron with feet that I used to bake in at SCA events...
vittoriosa's fault. I'd seen the no-knead recipes for years, but never bothered trying them until this week.4 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat and 2 1/2 cups strong white)
1/2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
2 cups lukewarm water
Combine the dry ingredients. Stir in water (about 70 F) until blended. You'll have a shaggy, sticky dough; add a little more water if it seems dry. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 18 hours at room temperature. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
Lightly flour a work surface, transfer the dough to it, and fold once or twice; it will be soft but not terribly sticky once dusted with flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton (not terry cloth) towel with cornmeal, semolina, or flour; or use a silicone baking mat. Place the dough seam side down and dust more. Cover with another towel or plastic wrap, and let rise for about two hours. When it's ready, the dough will be more than doubled in size and won't spring back readily when poked with your finger.
At least 30 minutes before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450. Put a 3- to 4-quart covered pot (with the cover) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. (It probably won't fall in artfully, but it will straighten out as it bakes.) Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 20-30 minutes until beautifully browned. Remove the bread and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
What worked: I can see why this exploded in popularity - it's easy and you don't have to know how to make bread to succeed. It was extremely tasty. Soft but good chew, even when toasted. It had a texture similar to a commercial sourdough boule (but not the depth of flavor, not surprisingly. I wonder if I could sneak in some sourdough?)
I didn't want to heat up the oven for just one loaf of bread so I made a second, standard sourdough pan loaf to bake alongside.
It did not set off our too-sensitive smoke alarm!
What didn't: 450 with the heavy cast iron pan I used may have been too high. It blistered and browned (almost burned) in 40 minutes. 450 was also a bit too hot for the sourdough loaf; I usually bake those at 400 for 40.
Despite the recipe's promise that the loaf would even out, it was a bit misshapen. Also I would put it on parchment to rise so that I could lift it via the baker's peel and plop in easily.
Will I make it again? It will go into the bread rotation. I have another, slightly smaller cast iron pan I could use for a second loaf alongside. Or I could use the Le Creuset (if it's big enough). Or I could use the 14" Lodge cast iron with feet that I used to bake in at SCA events...
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Date: 2020-04-14 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-04-14 07:41 pm (UTC)