Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads Read online

  2½ tablespoons corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil, plus more for coating dough top and pan

  First Rise In a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl, make a mash by vigorously stirring the boiling water and honey into 1 cup (5 ounces) of the whole wheat flour until well blended and smooth. Cover with microwave-safe plastic and place in the microwave oven. Set a cup of boiling-hot water in the oven to help keep it warm. After 15 minutes, reheat the mash and hot water by microwaving on high power for 1 minute. Thirty minutes later, again reheat by microwaving on high power for 1 minute. Then let the mash stand, covered, in the microwave, until completely cooled. Set aside at room temperature for up to 18 hours.

  In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 2 cups (10 ounces) of the flour, the salt, and the yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the ice water and oil, then stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour until smooth and well blended. If the mixture is dry, add just enough more water to facilitate blending and produce a firm but not stiff dough. Brush or spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

  Second Rise Thoroughly stir the cooled mash mixture, then ½ cup (2.5 ounces) of the flour, into the dough, vigorously mixing until very thoroughly blended; if desired, use a dough hook and heavy-duty mixer on low, as this is tiring to do by hand. If necessary, using flour-dusted fingertips or the mixer, sprinkle over and work in enough more flour to yield a very stiff dough. Coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, then add 1 tablespoon flour, tipping the pan back and forth to evenly coat the interior.

  Using a well-oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center, working your way around the bowl. Invert the dough into the pan. Brush or spray the dough with oil. Smooth out the top and evenly press the dough into the pan with oiled fingertips; for best appearance, tuck the dough evenly underneath at the ends. Evenly dust the loaf with ½ tablespoon whole wheat flour; smooth it evenly over the loaf top. Cover the pan with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.

  Let the dough rise using either of these methods For a 2- to 4-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1½- to 2½-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water. Remove the plastic when the dough nears it, then continue the rise until dough extends ¾ inch above the pan rim.

  Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°F.

  Baking Bake on the lower rack for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the loaf is well browned and firm on top; if the top begins to over-brown, tent with foil. Bake for about 10 minutes longer, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles clinging to the end (or until the center registers 206° to 208°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for 5 to 10 minutes more to ensure the center is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf onto the rack; cool thoroughly.

  Serving and Storing

  The loaf slices best when cool. Cool completely before storing airtight in plastic or foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

  Four Grain-Honey Bread

  KS Quotient

  Easy: All ingredients added before the first rise. No hand-shaping.

  This recipe is a perfect place to start if you're trying to woo white bread fans away from cottony loaves and down the whole-grain path. Even before it's out of the oven, the handsome, homespun look and gentle fragrance of this bread attract a waiting crowd. And, owing to a mild, soothing flavor combo of cornmeal, oats, brown rice, wheat flour, and honey, it delivers on its promise. This is a fine bread for toasting, making sandwiches, and, as my family can attest, devouring straight from the oven.

  Yield: 1 large loaf

  2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached white bread flour, plus more as needed

  1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour

  ½ cup white or yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground, plus more for garnish

  1/3 cup rolled oats, plus more for garnish

  1/3 cup cooked and cooled brown rice

  Generous 1½ teaspoons salt

  ¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast

  ½ cup clover honey or other mild honey

  1¼ cups ice water, plus more if needed

  Corn oil or other flavorless vegetable oil for coating dough top and baking pan

  First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, oats, brown rice, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, thoroughly whisk the honey into the ice water. Vigorously stir the mixture into the bowl with the flours, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing just until the dough is thoroughly blended. If the ingredients are too dry to mix together, gradually add in just enough more ice water to facilitate mixing; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be stiff. If necessary, mix in more bread flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours; if convenient, stir once during the rise.

  Second Rise Vigorously stir the dough. Using a well-oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center, all the way around the bowl. Dust an oiled 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with 1 tablespoon each cornmeal and rolled oats, tipping it back and forth to coat the pan sides. Turn out the dough into the pan. Brush or spray the top with oil. Smooth out the top and press the dough into the pan with oiled fingertips or a rubber spatula. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon each cornmeal and rolled oats over the top. Press down to imbed. Cut four or five 3-inch-long, ¼-inch-deep evenly spaced slashes diagonally across the loaf top. Cover the pan with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.

  Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 2- to 4-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1½- to 2½-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave oven along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water. Or, for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then let stand at room temperature. Remove the plastic when the dough nears it, then continue the rise until the dough extends ½ inch above the pan rim.

  Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350°F.

  Baking Bake on the lower rack for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the loaf is well browned and firm on top; cover with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer, testing until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles on the end (or until the center registers 207° to 209°F on an instant-read thermometer). Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more to ensure the center is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf onto the rack; cool thoroughly.

  Serving and Storing

  Cool thoroughly before slicing or storing in a plastic bag or foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

  Rustic Rye Pot Bread

  KS Quotient

  Easy: A few fuss-free ingredients, most added all at once. Some hand-shaping.

  Made without molasses, brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, or any of the other ingredients often used to deepen rye bread color and gussy up its flavor, this hearty, but not heavy, loaf has an entirely different character from some of its darker-hued cousins. Here the distinctive, earthy flavor of the grain takes center stage, and, since the dough is not sweet, the pleasing slight bitterness of the rye comes through.

  As is true in most deli or Jewish rye recipes, the rye taste in this version is heightened (just slightly) with a sour component, though not the usual hard-to-come-by yeast starter. Instead, the recipe calls for a longer-than-normal first rise to boost the acid (a by-product of fermentation), and then after the first rise, the pH is lowered ev
en further with some vinegar or dill pickle juice. A combination of caraway, fennel, and dill seeds lends the best flavor to the bread, but just caraway seeds will do in a pinch.

  Though this bread is baked in a pot, the method is a little different from most pot breads in the book. Instead of simply being turned out into or shaped in the baking container, it is set on parchment, which is then used as a sling to slip the dough in and out of the baking pot. Particularly if the pot has a smallish diameter (less than 10 inches), the parchment will crinkle and fold up around the loaf edges, giving it an interesting uneven ruffled shape. It almost looks as if it were baked in a classic fluted brioche pan that crumpled from the heat! While this rough-hewn appearance wouldn't suit many loaves, it seems appropriate for this homespun, craggy bread.

  Yield: 1 large loaf, 12 to 14 portions or slices

  2 cups (10 ounces) rye flour, preferably dark, plus more for garnish

  2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached white bread flour, plus more as needed

  1½ tablespoons granulated sugar

  2 teaspoons table salt

  1 tablespoon assorted seeds, preferably 1 teaspoon each caraway, fennel, and dill seeds mixed together (or substitute 1 tablespoon caraway seeds), divided

  ¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast

  2¼ cups ice water, plus more if needed

  2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or dill pickle juice

  Corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil or oil spray for coating dough

  First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the rye flour, white flour, sugar, salt, 2 teaspoons of the seeds, and the yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, stir together the water and vinegar, then vigorously stir into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If the mixture is dry, add in just enough more ice water to facilitate mixing; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be stiff. If necessary, stir in enough more white flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 16 to 20 hours.

  Second Rise Vigorously stir the dough, adding more rye flour until very stiff, if necessary. Thoroughly scrape down the bowl sides. Using a well-oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center, working all the way around the bowl. Set out a 15-inch square of baking parchment. Spray it with nonstick spray, then very generously dust it with rye flour. Invert the dough into the center of the parchment. Generously dust the dough with more rye flour. Smooth out and round the surface and firmly tuck the dough edges underneath all around to form an evenly shaped, domed loaf; it will be sticky, so flour your hands, and sprinkle more flour over the top as needed. Using the parchment as a sling, transfer the loaf to a deep bowl just slightly smaller in diameter than the baking pot to be used. Tent the bowl with nonstick spray—coated foil.

  Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough doubles from the deflated size.

  Baking Preliminaries 20 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Heat a 3½- to 4-quart heavy metal pot or Dutch oven (preferably with 10-inch maximum diameter) or a deep 4-quart heavy ovenproof saucepan in the oven until sizzling hot (check with a few drops of water), then remove it (use oven mitts). Sprinkle or spray the dough top generously with water. Sprinkle over the remaining seeds, patting down to embed slightly. Using well-oiled kitchen shears or a serrated knife, cut a ½-inch-deep, 3-inch diameter circular slash in the dough center. Using the parchment as a sling, carefully lift the dough into the pot; take care not to touch the hot pot. Immediately top the pot with its lid.

  Baking Reduce the heat to 425°F. Bake on the lower rack for 45 minutes. Remove the lid. Using the parchment, lift the loaf from the pot and place on a baking sheet. Pull the parchment away from the loaf sides so they are exposed. (If the top is well browned, cover it with foil.) Bake for 15 to 25 minutes longer, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few crumbs on the tip (or until the center registers 210° to 212°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for 5 minutes longer to ensure the center is baked through. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the loaf to the rack; cool thoroughly.

  Serving and Storing

  Cool before slicing and storing. The flavor improves after several hours of storage. To maintain the crisp crust, store in a large bowl draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or store airtight in a plastic bag or foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for a few minutes. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

  Raisin Pumpernickel

  KS Quotient

  Fairly Easy: Two-stage mixing. No hand-shaping required.

  The mixing method for this bread is a little different than for most recipes in the book, but reminiscent of the one used for the 100 Percent Whole Wheat—Honey Bread. The raisins and some of the rye flour are hydrated with boiling water, then set aside at the same time the rest of the dough is separately set aside to rise. The boiling water plumps the raisins and activates enzymes in the rye flour, which give it a sweet, rich taste and cause it to absorb an unusually large amount of water. Once this mixture, or mash, is incorporated into the rest of the dough, the enzymes continue to work, producing a pumpernickel that is particularly mellow and moist.

  Yield: 2 medium loaves, 12 to 14 portions or slices

  3 cups (15 ounces) medium or dark rye flour, divided, plus ½ cup (2.5 ounces), or as needed

  1½ cups dark raisins, rinsed under hot water and drained

  1¼ cups plus 1 to 3 tablespoons boiling water

  2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached white bread flour

  2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted after measuring

  2¼ teaspoons table salt

  1¼ teaspoons instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast, divided

  3 tablespoons light or dark molasses (not blackstrap)

  2 tablespoon corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil

  1¾ cups ice water, plus more if needed

  2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  1 large egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water for glaze, or 2 to 3 tablespoons liquid egg substitute for glaze

  First Rise In a medium bowl, stir 1 cup (5 ounces) of the rye flour and the raisins with the boiling water to form a thin sour cream consistency; add a little more water or rye flour as necessary. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 20 to 24 hours. In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 2 cups (10 ounces) of the rye flour, the bread flour, cocoa, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, thoroughly whisk the molasses and oil into the ice water. Vigorously stir it into the bowl with the flours, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing until the dough is thoroughly blended. If too dry to mix, gradually mix in just enough more ice water to facilitate mixing; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be firm. If necessary, add in enough more rye flour to firm it. Brush or spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 20 to 24 hours; if convenient, vigorously stir once partway through the rise.

  Second Rise Stir the vinegar into the raisin mixture. Vigorously and thoroughly stir the raisin mixture, then ½ cup of the rye flour, into the dough until very well blended. If necessary, thoroughly stir in (or work in with flour-dusted fingertips) enough more rye flour to yield a very stiff dough.

  Generously dust 2 well-oiled 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans with rye flour. Divide the dough in half u
sing oiled kitchen shears or a serrated knife. Turn each half into a pan. Brush or spray the tops with oil. Using well-oiled fingertips, pat and smooth the dough out into the pans. Then smooth and firmly tuck the ends underneath to form evenly shaped loaves. Brush the loaf tops evenly with egg white (or liquid egg substitute). Cover the pans with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.

  Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough almost reaches the plastic. Remove it and continue until the loaves extend ¼ inch above the rims.