No Work No Knead Bread Food

NO-KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups/345 grams water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
• Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
• Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
• At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

NO-KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• 1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Make sure it's really sticky to the touch; if it's not, mix in another tablespoon or two of water. Cover the bowl with a plate, tea towel, or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature (about 72 degrees F), out of direct sunlight, until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size. This will take a minimum of 12 hours and (my preference) up to 18 hours. This slow rise-fermentation-is the key to flavor.
• 2. When the first fermentation is complete, generously dust a work surface (a wooden or plastic cutting board is fine) with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the board in one piece. When you begin to pull the dough away from the bowl, it will cling in long, thin strands (this is the developed gluten), and it will be quite loose and sticky-do not add more flour. Use lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula to lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
• 3. Place a cotton or linen tea towel (not terry cloth, which tends to stick and may leave lint in the dough) or a large cloth napkin on your work surface and generously dust the cloth with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Use your hands or a bowl scraper or wooden spatula to gently lift the dough onto the towel, so it is seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, making an indentation about 1/4 inch deep, it should hold the impression. If it doesn't, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
• 4. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third position, and place a covered 4 1/2-5 1/2 quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.
• 5. Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel, lightly dust the dough with flour or bran, lift up the dough, either on the towel or in your hand, and quickly but gently invert it into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution-the pot will be very hot.) Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
• 6. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. Don't slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes at least an hour.

NEW YORK TIMES NO-KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
• Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
• Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
• At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

NO-KNEAD PEASANT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F) and mix with your hands or a spoon until the dough comes together (it will be wet and sticky). Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap. If you have extra time, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours; this is not necessary but will improve the flavor of the bread.
• Let the dough rise, covered, at room temperature for about 18 hours; this rise is necessary whether you refrigerate the dough first or not. The surface will be bubbly after rising.
• Generously dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Turn the dough out onto the flour, then sprinkle flour on top. Fold the top and bottom of the dough into the center, then fold in the sides to make a free-form square. Use a dough scraper or a spatula to turn the dough over, then tuck the corners under to form a ball.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and generously dust with flour. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, seam-side down, and sprinkle with more flour. Cover with a cotton kitchen towel (do not use terry cloth) and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.
• Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and place a 2- or 4-quart cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven (without the lid) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. When the dough has doubled, carefully transfer the hot pot to a heatproof surface. Uncover the dough, lift up the parchment and quickly invert the dough into the pot (shake the pot to center the dough, if necessary). Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until brown and crusty, 15 to 30 more minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

OVERNIGHT NO KNEAD BREAD | WITH COMMERCIAL YEAST

Steps:

• In the evening before baking day (for me it was at 7 PM ), mix flour, salt and yeast.
• Add the water and mix with your hands, a wooden spoon or a Danish dough whisk, until combined and no flour is left dry.
• Cover and leave at room temperature for an hour.
• After an hour do around 10 stretch and folds, picking up the dough from one side, stretching it and then bringing it onto its opposite side or the center of the dough. Turn the bowl around 90 degrees and continue the same procedure 8-10 times.
• Cover and rest another hour, then do a second stretch and fold.
• Cover and leave it for the night.
• Next morning (7 AM for me), check the dough, it should have doubled in volume. If not, leave it some more.
• When dough is ready, preheat the cast iron pot with its lid, in the oven, at 220 °C.
• For the last fermentation you can use a proofing basket, or a bowl with a tea towel on top, or a strainer with the tea towel. Sprinkle flour generously on whichever you choose.
• Sprinkle lightly some flour on the working bench.
• With a dough scraper or a spatula, detach the dough from the sides and turn it onto the floured bench.
• Fold a few times the dough, grabbing it from the exterior and bring it into the center. Pinch it in the center and then turn the dough 90 degrees and fold again. Do this 8 times, or until you can feel the dough is getting tight.
• Then flip it with the seam side down, and with both of your hands, drag the ball from the far end towards you, tucking it underneath a little. This will create tension on the surface of the ball. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat the dragging and tucking, 4 times in total.
• Place the dough, flipped with the seam side up, into the proofing recipient you chose.
• Cover and leave to rest 45 min or until when poked with the finger, the dough comes back up slowly and leaves a slight dent into the surface.
• Remove the pot from the oven with the help of some oven mittens.
• Flip the dough onto a parchment paper, slice once in the center, from one side to the other, with a sharp knife or a razor blade. This first cut has to be quite deep, maybe 1 cm, so that the dough can have place to rise. You can make additional ornamental cuts on the sides if you like.
• With the help of the parchment paper, transfer the dough into the cast iron pot, cover with the lid, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 min.
• After 30 min, remove the lid and bake for 15 min more.
• Remove the bread carefully and leave on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

NO-KNEAD SALAMI BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water and stir with a stiff rubber spatula until combined and there are no longer bits of flour, 20 to 30 seconds. (It will be very sticky.) Cover with plastic and let sit on the counter at room temperature overnight, 12 to 18 hours.
• Remove the plastic cover and smell the funky fermented aroma and appreciate the bubbles. Sprinkle one-third of the salami and chives over the top. Using a rubber spatula, fold the outside of the dough over the salami to cover. Repeat this process two more times until all of the salami and chives are folded in.
• Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter and sprinkle with an even layer of flour to cover the surface (about 1/4 cup or so). Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment and use heavily-floured hands to shape it into a roundish blob. Press in any exposed salami bits and pinch the dough to seal. Sprinkle the top with another layer of flour and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Let sit until the dough has risen by half, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Place a 3- or 4-quart lidded Dutch oven on the rack and allow to heat while the oven reaches the desired temperature.
• When the dough has proofed, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Uncover the plastic from the bread dough and gently lower the dough into the Dutch oven on the parchment. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, then bake until the top is golden brown and crusty, another 10 to 20 minutes.
• Let it cool on a rack for about an hour, then slice and serve with butter if desired. This is best on the first day, but it will freeze well wrapped tightly in plastic.

NO WORK NO KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• 1. Before you go to bed, stir together 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, and the packet of yeast in a large mixing bowl. Don't worry about lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Let the yeast do its work while you sleep.
• 2. In the morning, stir in the remaining three cups flour, salt, olive oil, and the second cup of water. Try to get most of the lumps out. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Let it do its work while you do your morning activities. In a coupla-few hours, the dough swells to at least double its size. It may reach the plastic wrap. If it's a cool day, do this in the oven with the light on to make a warm place.
• 3. Remove the plastic wrap and "stir down" the dough. It will lose about half it's size. Flop the dough into a pan lined with parchment paper. (The loaf of bread in the picture was made in the kind of oval roaster one might use to cook fish, but I've used everything from bread pans to salad bowls. The most important thing is the parchment paper because the bread will stick like concrete to anything else.)
• 4. Let the dough grow again until it almost doubles. Do not cover it with plastic wrap as pulling off the wrap will make it collapse again.
• 5. When it has grown, preheat the oven to 440F and put a rack in the middle. When the oven is hot, put the pan of bread in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
• 6. After 20 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for an additional 40 minutes.
• 7. Remove from the oven and flop the bread out of the pan and paper. Optionally, put it back in the now turned off oven for a few minutes to crisp up the sides and bottom further. Cool set up on a rack or just balanced on the pan it cooked in as shown in the picture.

NO KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• Find yourself a suitable container that will fit in your fridge over night such as a largish Tupperware sandwich box (it will all make sense later)
• Pour 360ml warm water into the box and add the sachet of yeast and stir until dissolved
• Add 500g white bread flour and the salt, stir with a fork until all the flour has been incorporated, flatten with the back of the fork
• Pop the lid of your box on top but don't close tightly, you don't want it to explode!
• Leave it on the work top for about 2 hours for the yeast to do its thing
• After 1 1/2 to 2 hours it should have doubled in size, it's now time to put it to bed in the fridge overnight..
• After 24 hours or so take out the dough and tip onto a floured surface and fold onto itself a couple of times with floured hands, there's no need to do more than this
• Shape the dough and put onto a baking tray to rise a second time, approx 1 hour depending on the warmth of your kitchen, score the top
• After half an hour preheat your oven to 200 c
• When you're ready to cook your loaf add a cup full of water to the tray in the bottom of the oven and bake your bread for half an hour, it should sound hollow to the touch when tapped and be a lovely golden brown
• This dough can be left in the fridge for up to a week