Knead-free bread II


Hear ye, hear ye!

I did it, almost a year later. Our tried-and-true bread recipe just had gotten too monotonous. I pulled up this recipe from my blog and ground up the hard white wheat berries at midnight. Bubby really is sleeping well, now; he only cried for a few moments before going back to sleep. Ooops. It soaked until 1 PM the next day, when I followed the rest of the recipe.

I had to remove the handle from my dutch oven lid, but that was easy enough. It is designed to withstand a 350 degree oven, and I had the oven temperature set to 500. Later, I glanced back at the recipe and saw that it called for only a 450-degree oven. Thus, the flavor was a little "brown," but not overly burned. This is a very forgiving recipe.

I also added a tablespoon and a half of whey, because I wasn't sure that the water-only fermenting process was "traditional" enough.

Here's the recipe.
3 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp instant yeast (yes, you read that correctly: one-fourth teaspoon)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c water
(1 1/2 Tbsp whey)

Mix dry ingredients together with your hands. Add water, pull together to a dough and let sit covered for 12-18 hours. Shape for the second rise and let rise about 2 more hours. Toss into a preheated Pyrex or Le Creuset pot. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes with the cover on, and 15 minutes with the cover off. Turn out of pan and let sit until cooled.

Easy Stuff.

~Drumroll, please~


The bread is beautiful. Okay, not the way I tossed the dough in the pan and was too scared of the heat to rearrange it and make it look nice. I mean, artisnal-beautiful. Hard crust, moist and chewy inside. The kids love it. The taste is a mild sourdough, and it becomes amazing with just a dab of butter.

Mark Bittman has delivered yet another awesome recipe, and I'm hooked.

Comments

Marie said…
Wow, that is BE YOU TEE FUL. I've gotta try it this weekend.

(Heh--and the lovely thing about getting a Le Cruset knockoff from IKEA is that their handles. are. cast. iron. Hot, but isn't the rest of the pot too?!

Did you use your larger or smaller pot? All I've got is slightly larger than I wish--big enough for a 5 lb. roast and some veggies.

Hugs to the kids!
Isaac'swife said…
yay - You did it!!

I have tried once to make bread, a random recipe I came across and it was a very hearty bread...........so I have been a little discouraged since then.
I will have to have some courage someday and make some bread again.
New Mommy said…
Marie: Are you saying that the Ikea lid handles are cast iron, too? My side handles are, but the lid handles unscrew easily. That would be a major plus for the Ikea version!

I used the larger Dutch-oven pot for the first loaf. Then, I made a double recipe to take to Monica's, and I used both pots, one for each loaf. I was more pleased with the size of the loaf in the 3-qt. saucepan. It was a nice, not-too-flat boule.

The only person who didn't like it over here was Zach (Mr. Sweet n' Picky :). Everyone else seems to really like it.

Isaacswife: I would totally recommend this recipe if you're sort of new to bread making! It's super-easy, and has great results. Typical Mark Bittman :D.
Unknown said…
You are truely inspiration. I now have the dough rising for the bread. Of course, I misread the recipe and only put the 5/8 cup of water and it took me a couple of minutes to realize that I still needed to add another cup of water. As easy as it was, if everyone likes it, I will probably make this on a regular basis, maybe even try with whole wheat flour (though my dear husband won't eat it then).
Marie said…
Hmmm-- I wonder if I did something wrong. I didn't like it--at all. I'm choking the bread down at this point--but I don't forsee that lasting very long. Perhaps I didn't add enough salt? I did start the oven at 500, since that's what stuck in my mind. But neither Mama nor I really like it. I think I'll stick with basic whole-wheat a little longer... I'm not tired of it yet (especially since I keep changing the recipe).

Talk to you later!
New Mommy said…
Oh, no! Come to my house and eat mine! You really need to try it again, even though it may seem like an exercise in futility.

To quote MB, "Although even my “failed” loaves were as good as those from most bakeries, to make the loaf really sensational requires a bit of a commitment. But with just a little patience, you will be rewarded with the best no-work bread you have ever made."

Take heart! You, too can have delicious lazy-bread! Heather, how was yours?
Unknown said…
Mine was rock hard on the outside. The house was a little chilly and I think the dough didn't get to rise enough. By the time I thought to put it in the oven on low with the door cracked, I think it was too late. Might try again this weekend if it's warmer. The flavor was decent though, but I'll probably try Marie's suggestion and add some butter milk or whey.
New Mommy said…
I can vouch that the hard crust isn't a mistake! It's supposed to be an "artisnal" bread-thing. The Crust That Shatters. Then again, maybe it's not to everyone's liking. [smile] I did use the whey, in ()'s on the post, and I think it helped achieve the pleasant, sour flavor. I used buttermilk on another batch, and results were just as good.

I hope it turns out better for you next time!