As I’m sure my regular readers have noticed, I have a bit of an obsession with no-knead bread. I’ve marveled at the simplicity of it, and often wonder how such a thing is even possible. This article, from the New York Times, gives a good explanation.
I had tried a grainy variation of the no-knead bread in early February, and the results were unimpressive. I gave the recipe some thought, made a few adjustments and came up with a variety that really worked. The modifications are in bold.
Ingredients
- 3 oz whole wheat flour
- 3 oz steel cut oats, toasted in a dry pan
- 10 oz bread flour
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups water, heated to 105 degrees
- Heaping 1/4 tsp active dry yeast*
Instructions
Add yeast to water and allow to bloom. Mix all ingredients together. Cover and let sit overnight for 12-18 hours. Fold the sticky dough over onto itself 2-3 times and allow to rest for 2-3 more hours on a cornmeal-dusted cutting board, covered with a kitchen towel.
Slide into a dutch oven, preheated to 450 degrees for at least 30 minutes. Bake covered for 40 minutes, uncovered for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
Results: Thumbs up. After some initial skepticism about “the little dots in the bread,” the Tiny Kitchen Assistant gave it a thumbs up and told me it was “pretty yummy, even though it’s different.” The entire family noticed improvements in both taste and texture. This is definitely a keeper.
* Note: In the wake of the Failbread, I was contacted by The Baker. He assured me that you stick with active dry over instant yeast, no matter what the recipe says.