Wednesday, March 9, 2011

No Knead Bread


Make your own Artisan bread.  This bread is simple, but you must have patience.  There is really minimal work involved and it is so worth the wait!  I am not sure where I found out about this bread, but here is the link to the original post from the New York Times.



In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.


Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.


Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.


Heavily dust a tea towel (not bar towel) with cornmeal.


Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball, just kind of folding up the side on top of each other.  This dough is really soft and can seem very difficult to work with, but it is so worth it. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. (Prepare the towel before you shape your dough so you can immediately flip it over on to the towel coated with cornmeal.) Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.


When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it will look messy and cornmeal may fly everywhere!  


Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.


Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

NO KNEAD BREAD
  • 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
  • ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1¼ teaspoons salt
  • 1-5/8 cup water
  • Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. (Mine was on the counter for about 24 hours...I was busy.)  Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball, just kind of folding up the side on top of each other.  This dough is really soft and can seem very difficult to work with, but it is so worth it. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. (Prepare the towel before you shape your dough so you can immediately flip it over on to the towel coated with cornmeal.) Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.  At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it will look messy and cornmeal may fly everywhere!  Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

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