Eureka!

Ladies and gentlemen, I have cracked the code of No Knead Bread.

My dear friend M (known around Teh Intarwebs as bramish) pointed me to this recipe, No-Knead Bread. Apparently it was all the rage on said Intarwebs a few months ago. My other dear friend H gave me some King Arthur French-Style Flour and some sourdough starter yeast for Christmas (along with some instructions for sourdough bread, which I promptly disregarded--I don't do instructions...sort of.) After some trial and error (as in, this is the second loaf I've made), I hit the jackpot. I give you No Knead Bread, Revisited--Again:

1 1/2 cups water, vaguely warm-ish
1 tablespoon table salt (I'm a salt Luddite, I guess)
3 cups bread flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil

In a large ceramic bowl, combine half the olive oil, the salt, the yeast and the water. Add the flour slowly and mix it with a wooden spoon until you have a big ball o' dough. Park it in a non-drafty spot in the kitchen for at least 18 hours. Punch it down and form it into a vaguely round shape and let it bench proof for approximately two hours. During the last 30 minutes, pre-heat your oven to 450 and stash a large covered pot in the oven so it pre-heats. Then swirl the remaining olive oil around in the bottom of the pot and throw your doughball in. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes.

(Note: For better instructions, see the Steamy Kitchen blog for adorable photos of Jaden's kid. My methodology is identical to hers. The only differences in the recipe are the olive oil and the fact that I add a lot more salt than she does.)

The first time I made this, I was ecstatic about the crusty crust, but disappointed with the flavor of the bread. I cured that by doubling the amount of salt I used. The olive oil in the pot made the bottom crust caramelize and gave it a very yummy flavor the first loaf didn't have. So...eureka!

Comments

[AikoAdam]

I'll have to tell the missus. Order some jam and jelly from dymaloma.com I know the couple that run it and it's damn near the best freaking jam ever!