Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Best No Knead Bread Yet!

Timewise, this bread takes a while. Effortwise, it's a cinch.

I've made no knead bread many times before, usually a dough that's quicky thrown together in the evening with just a few stirs, and in the morning, dropped in small portions on to a bakesheet. After 25 minutes or so in a cold started oven, it's wonderful breakfast breadrolls. Nothing wrong with that, this recipe just takes it to the next level. It's Jim Laheys' of course. It's everywhere these days, and after, once again, having it presented to me in the paper, I thought, now is the time.

Danish readers can check out the recipe here.

For the Yanks, I shall translate below. Look what you've got to look forward to!







You'll need:

Yeast, the size of a pea (or 1 gram dry yeast)
8 grams of salt
300 grams of water (10.5 oz.)
400 grams of flour (14 oz.)
1 pot with lid that are oven-safe

Here's what you do:

Step 1. Dissolve the yeast in the water (I used room temperature water), and add the remaining ingredients. Stir around in the bowl only until all the flour is moist. Cover the bowl with household film and let it sit out for 12-18 hours. 18 hours is better than 12 hours.

Step 2. Dump the dough onto a floured work surface. Fold it gently a few times. It's a bit runny, so make sure your hands are floured up. Oil the bowl and dump the dough back in for 2 hours of rising.

Step 3. Turn the oven on to 250 Celsius (475 Fahrenheit?) and put your oven-safe pot in to heat through. 30 minutes of its a Creuset, less if it's metal (which I used). When the pot is hot enough, take it out, dump the dough in it, cover with the lid, and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 230 Celsius (450 Fahrenheit) and remove the lid. Give it another 15 minutes.

When it's all done, take it out and let it cool off for 2 hours before tucking in.

It's so much better than my old no knead bread, though I haven't tried it as rolls yet, will get back on that. It's chewy, reminiscent of sourdough, in a milder version. It's a very satisfying baking experience!

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