Soapsmith's No Knead Bread

 Hello Friends,

My Mom always blessed each loaf of new bread with a cross before cutting it.  With a beautiful crisp crust and tender inside, this bread is pretty much perfection and so easy to make. Bless that bread and listen to that fantastic crusty crunch. A little Amish churned butter and a nice bowl of bacon cheeseburger soup, lightened up with my garden tomatoes.  The perfect Autumn meal.  

Homemade bread, such a luscious luxury, now a quick and easy version that yields a crusty and golden  outside, and soft and flavorful texture inside.

 No Knead Bread has been popular for quite a few years and it is truly easy with nothing much required but a little planning. 

The basic recipe is simple 4 ingredients:

Flour, water, yeast and salt.  

3 1/4 cups flour

1 to 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp yeast 

1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees)

Notes:  You can adjust the recipe to your tastes. Add a teaspoon of honey, sub some of the flour with whole wheat, oat flour or rye flour, add flavorings like garlic, parmesan cheese, spices, onion powder, seeds, everything bagel topping or nuts etc.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients, stir to combine, add the warm water and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to form a loose dough.  No need to overwork it, just be sure it is all incorporated.

2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel. and let the dough rest and rise at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

3. The risen dough will fill the bowl. 

Empty the bowl to a well-floured surface. 

Stretch the dough and fold it to the center pulling the outer edges into the center about 8 times until the dough tightens up and form a round dough ball. 

Place the ball on a piece of parchment paper keeping a nice ball/circle shape. Loosely cover the ball with plastic wrap and allow it to rest while the oven heats. 

  

4. Place your Dutch oven inside of your oven.  Heat the Dutch oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes while the dough rests.   Using a sharp knife, gently cut shallow slits into the top of the dough to get a nice artisanal top crust that will crisp and curl during baking. 

I use a cast iron Lodge Dutch Oven but an enameled one will work, too. I have read that you can also bake it on a pizza stone but you won't get the same crust results as the Dutch Oven offers a different environment in the oven.

5. Use oven mitts to remove the Dutch oven from the oven, be careful as it will be very hot.  Lift the edges of the parchment to carefully transfer the dough ball and parchment to the Dutch oven.  

Cover with the Dutch oven lid and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. 

 Remove the lid and bake for 10-20 more minutes, until the crust of the bread is to your liking - golden brown or darker crisper.

6. Remove from the oven, carefully lift the parchment paper to move the bread to a wire cooling rack.

 

You can add melted butter to glaze the crust if you like. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

 I love it warm with a slathering of fresh Amish Churned butter - comfort food at its finest. Wonderful compliment to a fresh salad, warm stew or hardy soup on a cold Winter day. The open crumb texture makes a great toast, too. Lots of places to nestle that melted butter. Enjoy!

I’m not one for lots of gadgets.  I am quite the minimalist as I don’t like clutter.  I keep my counter tops bare, nothing outside the cupboards etc.  I never understood having appliances that are dedicated to preparing one thing when a multipurpose one is just fine or specialty cutters and utensils when a good knife works well.  Anyway, I found this is a useful addition to my quick no knead bread making.  A silicone mat that fits perfectly inside my cast iron dutch oven and eliminated the need for parchment paper.  I love my parchment paper and use it extensively in my kitchen and soapmaking.  This little mat is so convenient since the parchment paper is a little fussy fitting into the dutch oven.

  First time using it today and I like it a lot. 

Thanks for visiting,

Bonnie

Lunch from the summer garden...first ripe tomato and yes, it is June! Toasted tomato sandwich on my homemade no knead bread with lots of nooks and crannies to catch the juices and Amish churned butter (no mayo for me.) Some of my garden lettuces, a touch of my fresh basil to complement the tomato, sprigs of my mint for the melon and lemonade. Cukes aren't from the garden yet, but I should have some very soon as the plants are loading up with cute baby cukes. Best lunch ever!