The Absolute Easiest Bread Ever - No-Knead White Bread That Fits Your Schedule

Back in 2006, Mark Bittman, the food editor at the NY Times,  published an article
describing a clever method developed by Jim Lahey for baking incredible tasting French bread in a Dutch oven pot that didn't require any kneading at all. None. He later went on to publish a whole series of cookbooks, all wonderfully comprehensive and very modestly titled. Here are a few examples: The Food Matters Cookbook, How To Cook Everything, How To Cook Everything Vegetarian and more.You get the idea.  Every one a delight to read, clear and simple. The idea was so simple and yet produced the most incredible bread! Not only that, it seemed to go in the face of everything we had learned about bread making. Long, slow rises, wet dough and NO KNEADING at all. The reaction was instantaneous. Luminaries in the bread world started experimenting with this method and publishing their own variations. For instance, Peter Reinhart, in his now classic, The Bread Baker's Apprentice champions this method extensively. And again in his later book Whole Grains Breads. Nancy Baggett has produced a whole cookbook dedicated to baking using this method (or rather, her variation of the original) in her great book Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads. This recipe is my take on a recipe from her book. It is so simple, and the best part, is that you can delay the baking with the looong rises, so that it fits your schedule. Try it. I am sure you'll love it.

Here's What You'll Need:
6 1/2 cups AP flour (or bread flour)
3 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp dry yeast
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 3/4 cups ice water (yes, that's right - ice water)

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Use a very large bowl because the dough will have to practically quadruple its volume. In this bowl combine the dry ingredients - the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. In a separate bowl (or measuring cup) mix the oil and water together as much as possible. Then place ice cubes in the cup to chill the water.

2. Finally, make a well in the dry ingredients, and add 2 3/4 cups ice water to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon to form a dough that is evenly mixed. DO NOT KNEAD.

3. Form the dough into a rough boule, then spray lightly with spray oil. Cover with plastic (I placed mine in a plastic bag) and let it stand, at room temperature, for 3-10 hours (not a typo).

4. Place the still-covered dough in the refrigerator to rise slowly for 10-15 hours (overnight, basically).

5. The next day, divide the dough into 2 equal parts, and place it into two 9 in (23 cm) loaf pans. Let the dough rise, at room temperature and covered, until it reaches about 1/2 in (3 mm) above the rim of the pan.

6. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 425 F (210 C). Place the bread in the oven, and reduce the temperature to 400 F (200 C). Bake for about 45 minutes until the bread is browned nicely and crisp. Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

Yum!!!

Whole Wheat Bran Bread

As you might imagine, I read a lot of recipes for breads of all kinds. I mean, a LOT of recipes for bread. I have lots of cookbooks (maybe a couple of hundred) and even more pdf's of even more. Maybe thousands. I'm not kidding. And I'm always looking for another angle on bread making. I mean, when you get right down to it, there must be an infinite number of variations on bread starting with the basic 4 (flour, water, salt, yeast) and on from there adding sweeteners, and oils and dried fruit and nuts and seeds and... You see, the list is long. So, it is always comforting to me, after reading a lot of complicated and involved recipes, to come back to something basic, but still delicious and, of course, healthy.

This recipe is a variation of one I have used for a long time. It uses regular bread flour (or AP flour) in combination with whole wheat and rye. In addition, there is a substantial amount of bran which adds flavor, texture and fiber. All good things. You really should try this bread, Not only does it taste great, but it also is good for you. Oh, and one more thing. It keeps for several days at room temperature and makes incredible toast. TRY IT! You won't regret it.

Here's What You'll Need:
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C whole rye flour
1 C bread flour (or AP flour)
3 Tbs. gluten
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C wheat bran
1 Tbs. brown sugar or demerrara sugar
1 Tbs. dry yeast
1 3/4 C warm water

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Sift the flours with the gluten into a large bowl. Add the salt and stir to mix evenly. Add the bran, the sugar and the yeast and mix evenly.

2. Slowly add about 3/4 of the water while mixing. Continue add ing the water as needed, to form a shaggy dough. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead gently for a few minutes adding flour or water as necessary. The dough will remain a little sticky. Do not add too much flour to 'dry out the dough'. This will only make the dough too hard and dry in the end. Resist temptation.

3. Place the still sticky dough in a lightly oiled bowl, lightly covered with flour sprinkled over, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled. About 2 hours.

4. Form the dough into a tight boule or a loaf in a 23X13cm (9X5in) loaf pan. Cover and let the dough rise again until it rises over the edge of the pan (or becomes quite puffy as a boule).

5. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Bake the bread for about 45 minutes or until the crust is quite crisp, and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

6. Cool on a rrack completely before slicing (if you can wait)!

Chobz - Moroccan White Bread

No doubt you have all noticed that I have been baking a lot of bread from the Mediterranean lately. Specifically bread from the Eastern Mediterranean. Specifically Greece. So I figured it's time to move on to a different location. But try as I might, I still find myself in this region, only I have moved to the other side completely. For quite a while now I have been following a food blogger from Morocco named Alia and  her blog Cooking with Alia. She also has a presence on YouTube. Not only are her recipes generally very tasty and attractive but her presentation is straightforward and a real delight.

Chobz is a simple bread, probably used for mopping up the wonderful sauces from Moroccan tagines and other delicacies. From start to finish it takes about 2 hours and includes only very basic ingredients - AP flour, yeast, only a little oil, salt and sugar. No eggs. The final product is thick and rich like a white sandwich bread, but with a pocket like a pita! After baking I had to immediately cut one open and stuff it with chicken. Yum!

Here's What You'll Need:
3 cups AP flour
1/2 Tbs dry yeast
1/2 Tbs sugar
a little warm water (to activate the yeast)
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 Tbs sugar
enough water to make a soft barely sticky dough

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Mix the yeast and 1/2 Tbs sugar in a small bowl, then add a small amount of water and stir. Set aside for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast.

2. In a large bowl, place the flour, the salt and the rest of the sugar. Add the yeast mixture and the oil. Finally, add the water, a little at a time, mixing all the while until a shaggy dough forms.  Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

3. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each into a round ball. Cover and let them rest for another 10 minutes.

4. Roll out each ball of dough into a round disc, about 12cm (5in) in diameter. Cover and let these discs rise, slowly, for around 1 1/2 hours, or even 2 hours. They will be puffy but not doubled.

5. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). A hot oven. Place the chobz in the heated oven and bake for around 12-14 minutes. About halfway through turn the breads over. They will puff up, like a pita (but not as much as a pita) and get very brown. Cool on a rack and then stuff with your favorite fillings. Yummo!!

Daktyla - Greek Village Bread

You have probably noticed that lately I have been baking a lot of bread from Greece. This is partly because I have a really strong connection with all things Mediterranean. And especially from the Eastern end of the Mediterranean, like Israel and the Levant, Turkey and yes, Greece. Another reason is the developing plans I am making for a culinary tour of Crete this summer. Mornings with yoga on the beach. Afternoons visiting local farmer's markets, oil presses, dairies, vineyards, you name it. Hearing stories, talking with locals and picking up supplies along the way. Back to the hotel for some cooking/baking workshops in Mediterranean-style vegetarian food. Evenings around a big table with great food we prepared ourselves, good wine great company. Personally, I can't wait. Just thinking about it, in cold February makes me a little antsy.

So... this is one of my test recipes for the summer workshops. This sesame-coated bread is traditionally made with 'yellow' or country flour, which is a blend of AP flour mixed with whole wheat and finely ground cornmeal. You could make it with just bread flour, but then you won't have the wonderful texture from the cornmeal. In Greece this bread is called 'Daktyla', or fingers. It is a tear apart bread, broken into fingers when eaten. It is particularly good spread with a soft yogurt cheese.

Here's What You'll Need:

2 tsp. dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/2  cups bread flour
2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. milk (or soy milk) , plus extra to glaze
sesame seeds to decorate

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. Sprinkle the yeast into 1/2 cup of the water in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Mix the flours, cornmeal and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast.

2. Use a wooden spoon to draw enough of the flour into the dissolved yeat to form a paste. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let the sponge sit to become frothy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Add the oil, honey and milk to the sponge.

3. Pour about half of the water into the well. Mix in the flour. Stir in the reserved water, as needed, to form a firm, moist dough.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Knead until smooth, shiny and elastic, about 10 minutes.

5. Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, then let rest for about 10 minutes.

6. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece into an oblong (like a finger); arrange them in a row, just touching, on a floured baking sheet. Cover with a dish towel and proof until doubled in size, about an hour.

7. Brush the top of the loaf with milk (or soy milk) and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

 

8. Bake in a preheated oven (350F/180C), for 45 minutes, until hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack.

Psomi - My Big Fat Greek Bread

Lately I have been reading a lot about the latest diet craze - Mediterranean food. I have to tell you, it seems like a no-brainer to me. I love olive oil, and red wine. I eat little meat, and almost no red meat at all. I eat fish a couple times a week. Lots of fresh veggies, and fruit all the time. So when I found this bread, Psomi bread (pronounced 'sew me') from Greece I was thrilled. After looking over the recipe, I realized, it is actually quite similar to the American Anadama bread, but with some important differences. For instance, this bread does not use molasses, and so stays whitish rather than brown. Actually, light brown, like a 'harvest wheat', as Frasier used to say. And it uses toasted sesame seeds instead of the cornmeal found in Anadama. What it is, is delicious, with a soft but chewy crust and a close, tight crumb. It makes great sandwiches, and also, just in case you were curious, the toast is superb.

Here's What You'll Need: (for 2 loaves)
(for the sponge)
1/2 cup warm water
1Tbs instant yeast
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or sour milk), at room temperature
3 cups whole wheat flour

(for the dough)
4 Tbs honey
2 Tbs butter (or margarine)
2 to 3 cups AP flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

flour for dusting
oil for greasing the bowl

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. To make the sponge: Mix the warm water and the yeast to dissolve. Then mix in the buttermilk and the whole wheat flour to form a shaggy dough. Cover and set aside until double in volume (about 45 minutes).

add to the sponge, then mix...

2. Add the honey, salt, butter, sesame seeds and 2 cups of the flour and mix to form a dough that cleans the bowl. Remove the dough to a floured surface and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes) adding small amounts of dough as needed.

3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover to rise until doubled in volume (about 2 hours).

4. Remove the dough, cut in two, and shape either into a boule, or as pan loaves. If using loaf pans, oil them generously. Cover and let rise until doubled.

5. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Just before baking. slash the loaves with 3 horizontal slashes. Bake with steam for about 35-40 minutes or until they sound hollow when 'thumped' on the bottom.

6. Cool on a rack.

Nostalgia Time - Rye Rolls

What a week (a month really) it's been. Starting from mid-December right up until last Thursday, my wife and I have been working almost non-stop setting up and making all kinds of last minute arrangements for my daughter's wedding! Now that it's over, I'm sitting here, a few days after, in a state of shock, not really comprehending that it's over and the guests have gone home. That the party's over. That it's time to get back to work. So pardon me, please, if I have not been posting as much as usual. Truth be told, I have also not been baking as much as usual! But, like I said, it's time to buckle down, and get back to work.

Arranging a wedding made me very nostalgic. Of course, I think of my daughter as a little girl. But it also makes me think about my hometown when I was a little boy. A small one industry town in northeastern Canada. Literally in the middle of nowhere and filled with immigrants from all over Europe. Poles, Irish, Ukranians, Jews and, of course, many, many Scots.

Food from northern Europe is simple fare but no matter where you are from, there are certain things in common. For instance: since it is so cold there and winters are long, a lot of foods are based around root vegetables easily stored for the winter. Also, lots of animal fat (chicken, goose, pig). And preserved foods like pickles of all kinds, hard cheeses, and smoked and pickled meats, fish  and cheese. Bread is very heavy and hearty using whole grains and especially the heavy, dark flour from rye.

In keeping with my current nostalgia, I am posting a recipe for rolls, for any time of day, using rye flour. They are the kind of rolls I used to eat as a child, but lighter. The rye flavor is unmistakeable, and the texture, soft and just a little chewy, makes them perfect for anything from a nice sharp cheddar to a good pastrami with mustard. Enjoy them while reminiscing.

Here's What You'll Need:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbs. sugar
1 cup rye flour
about 2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. caraway seed (optional)

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Add all the ingredients, except the salt, and mix to form a shaggy dough. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the salt over and mix it in.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and just barely sticky.

3. Form into a ball, them place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

4. Shape the dough into 2 equal boules or about 12 rolls. (I made rolls.) Place the shaped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, covered, and let it rest/rise a second time, about 45 minutes.

5. Just before baking, slash the rolls/boules with a sharp serrated knife or a razor blade.

6. About 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Bake with steam (a small metal tray filled with boiling water on the bottom of the oven does the trick), for about 17-20 minutes (for rolls) or about 30-35 minutes (for loaves), until the crust is fairly hard and the bottoms are well browned. Cool on a rack.

Enjoy!

Artisan Bread (in only 48 hours!) - Sun-Dried Tomato Boule*

My kids sometimes tease me and say that actually I'm Amish. I'm not, but they sometimes think I am because I have this tendency to try and make everything by myself, from scratch. I have made homemade peanut butter which was great and really not so difficult. I'm just not sure it's worth the effort when you can get good peanut butter without the preservatives, emulsifiers and all the rest for only slightly more than it costs me to make, and without the fuss. I have made jams, and jellies and, yes, even some soft cheeses. My latest foray into that department was paneer, the soft, white Indian cheese that goes so great with curried spinach, and, of course, chapattis.

This bread is no different. It starts with a poolish of flour, water and only a small pinch of yeast. After 48 hours at room temperature, when it is good and strong, you build the rest. The 'Amish' part in this bread comes from the homemade sun-dried tomatoes, made actually in the oven and stored in olive oil. The result is an artisan loaf, with a thick chewy crust and a close, dense crumb. The flavor has a definite tanginess that comes from the poolish and from the tomatoes. What can I say. Last night I made a salami sandwich with sharp Dijon mustard that couldn't be beat. No sogginess, no falling apart. Just great flavor and texture from beginning to end. Definitely a keeper.

Here's What You'll Need:
(the the poolish)

100g (3 1/2oz) AP flour
100ml warm water
a pinch of instant yeast

For the bread:
the poolish
350g (about 12oz) bread flour
100g (3 1/2oz) whole wheat flour
50g (1 1/2oz) rye flour
7g (1/2Tbs) instant yeast
225-250ml (7 1/2-8oz) warm water
12g (1/2Tbs) salt
50g (1 1/2oz) sun-dried tomatoes, well drained
50g (1 1/2oz) green or black olives coarsley chopped (optional)

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. Mix together the flour, water and yeast for the poolish in a large bowl until you get a very loose slurry. Like thick cake batter. Cover with plastic, and let it ferment at room temperature overnight or even, if you're busy, for 2 days.

2. Mix all the remaining ingredients into the poolish, except the tomatoes and olives, and knead to form a smooth, only slightly sticky dough. Let the dough rise in a covered, lightly-oiled bowl until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

3. Remove the dough from the bowl, and deflate. Add in the tomatoes and olives (if using) then knead until evenly distributed. Form into a tight boule, and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

4. In the meantime, place a baking stone in the oven and preheat to 220C (425F).

5. Just before baking, slash the loaf, then place a pan of boiling water under the stone, and spray the loaf well.

6. Bake with the paper, right on the stone for about 35-40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cook on a rack completely before slicing.

* This is a variation of a recipe in an Israeli cookbook that features recipes from the outdoor farmer's market in Jerusalem. The artisan bakery there, Teller's Bakery, specializes in artisan loaves.

Yum!!