No-knead bread
The no-knead bread is ideal for those who want to approach baking and are beginners.
It is a simple bread that is not kneaded in a mixer or by hand but in a bowl with a fork, covered, left to rise, and after two folds, it is baked in a pot.
The inventor of this technique is the famous New York baker Jim Lahey, his recipe is so famous that it has recently gone viral on the web.
If you are skeptical and do not believe you can achieve good bread, I can only tell you to try it, I am sure you will change your mind.
Use good flours and you will obtain a delicious, soft, and airy bread with a fabulous crispy crust. You can vary the flours to your liking and add seeds, raisins, or dried fruit.
Ingredients
400 g of grandmother's flour
100 g of rye flour
350/380 g of water*
2 g of fresh brewer's yeast
10 g of salt
10 g of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of malt (you can substitute it with honey)
As needed. Semolina flour (for processing)
Procedure
In a large bowl, mix the flours with the salt. Dissolve the yeast and malt in the water, pour it over the flour, and slowly mix with a fork; the dough should not be worked for long, just 40/50 seconds, just enough time for the water to be absorbed by the flours.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 12/18 hours at room temperature.
The rising time depends on the temperature in the room; the higher it is, the less time it will need to rise.
In my case, with a temperature of 25°, it took about 11 hours for it to double in size**.
Dust the work surface with plenty of semolina and turn the dough out, moisten your hands, and gently stretch it into a rectangle.
Virtually divide the dough into three parts, take the right part and bring it towards the center, then take the left part, bring it to the center, and overlap it. Turn the dough 90° and repeat the process.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl lined with a cloth dusted with plenty of semolina. Dust the surface with more semolina and close it by folding the cloth over itself.
Let it rise for about 2 hours or until it has doubled in volume.
Preheat the oven to 230° (half an hour before the end of the second rising), place the empty pot on the rack, and bring the oven to temperature.
When the bread is ready, remove the pot from the oven and gently slide the dough inside from the cloth (be careful as the pot is very hot). If you are experienced, you can make cuts on the surface of the bread with a razor blade; I made two on the right, otherwise leave it as is.Close with the lid and place in the oven
Bake the bread for 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
Remove the pot from the oven, take out the bread and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes with the door slightly open.
The no-knead bread is ready, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Notes
*The amount ofwater needed to prepare the dough depends on the flours you use; more refined flours absorb less water, while coarser flours absorb more. In my case, I had to add 50g of water to obtain a soft dough; usually, 350 g is sufficient.
** The dough is ready when it has doubled in volume and has an irregular surface, full of bubbles that tend to collapse.
A hug
Simona Valli
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