I've been playing with this recipe since it was posted here and I
wanted to share my experiences, too. This seems to be quite the
controversial technique! People hate it / love it. It's gotten an
enormous amount of attention.... isn't this great? It speaks of what
can now be accomplished via the Internet!
My recipe is a flour blended of 9 pounds organic bread flour, 3
pounds of organic pumpernickel flour and 3 pounds of organic AP [well
blended and stored in a flour bucket so I only have to scoop out my 3
cups], 1/4 tsp SAF Instant Yeast, 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1 3/4 cup
cold tap water.
This produces a very tasty loaf of ciabatta, which I have baked in 3
different containers... the best is a 7 quart Lodge cast iron dutch
oven. The idea here is to create a "mini" oven, so you really don't
want to go too small or you'll lose the effect the space inside has
in regards to the steam produced by the dough as it heats up, which
is what is making this replicate the artisan breads made by
commercial bakeries much closer than the usual stone, spray, water in
receptacle home method we usually use.
These Lodge dutch ovens are inexpensive and I highly recommend
getting one to use for this technique. You can also use it for lots
of other things. I have no sticking issues. I did have an Innova
dutch oven that is like a Le Creuset, but the first time I used it
for anything, the porcelain cracked right off, so now it is a plant pot.
The next best is a 4.5 quart rectangular Le Creuset covered roaster.
I think any turkey roaster, casserole, dutch oven, stock pot will
work if it's roomy enough. This LC bakes a ciabatta shape perfectly
as is has a very small footprint, yet swells nicely from there with a
nice, highly domed lid. This item is now hard to come by... I see it
at Amazon, but that's it. I got mine for 50 bux on sale [Actually
bought 2 as I wanted to make 2 loaves for Christmas dinner. We only
ate 1, but I was not allowed to take home my remaining loaf. It was
declared most delicious, but not up to traveling, so must stay
behind...], but it is now 99 bux.
The worst bread came from a fish steamer. It wasn't really a bad
bread, just average- no big holes, so so crust, little oven spring.
The roomy oven effect is lost here.
Where I deviate from the technique is what I do after the dough has
rested on my counter for approximately 12 hours. It is kept in a
tightly sealed dough rising bucket on the counter in a low 70s
kitchen. At that point, I stick it on the top shelf of the fridge. I
did this with the very first batch I tried because I was too tired to
bake it when it was ready. I took it out 12 hours later and got a
great bread. I dump it out cold, let it sit a couple minutes, then
fold it up briefly into the ciabatta shape, cover with a towel, heat
the oven for an hour at 450 F and pick up the loaf and stick it in
the hot pot, which is still in the oven as I'm not about to try
lifting out a screaming hot 7 quart monster.[ I tried the dumping
from towel advice and too often dumped it in the wrong spot. I can
tenderly pick it up and place it just fine.] Longwise slash, cover.
Remove lid at 30 mins and bake 15 more, at which point the bread is
consistently 208-210 F degrees internally.
Experimentation has given me excellent results at 36 hours of fridge
time with holes big enough to park a pick up truck, thin and crispy
crust and excellent flavor. I have also let this dough stay out on
the counter with no fridge time and that wasn't as good a bread as
the fridge variety. I think this might be a great trick for the
summertime kitchen that gets too warm for slow countertop rising.
I had one loaf not rise much in the dough bucket. I am not sure what
happened, but I did autolyse this batch. The dough was so smooth and
silky it was incredible, but just refused to do anything but lay
there like a limp blob. It had the required yeast and salt added
after the autolyse, nothing else was changed. I fridge the dough when
it's risen the the 2L mark on the bucket, but this batch just never
got there, so I put it in at 12 hours anyway and baked it off after a
12 hour chill. It had a tiny oven spring and had huge holes under the
crust, but was eaten anyway. I'm going to try the autolyse again as
soon as I remember not to add the yeast/salt right off to see if it
was the problem or if it was just a bad baking day.
I have been baking french style bread for 30 years, having learned
how from Julia Child, and I must say, this technique really does bake
up nice bread with little trouble. This no kneading thing is pretty
interesting as it just doesn't seem like it should work. This is now
our daily bread recipe, but I have many other recipes I also like to
make for other types of breads, so consider this an addition, not a
replacement. However, all artisan/ french style loaves will be baked
in the mini oven technique. It is just so much simpler than the usual
home oven gymnastics.
Only one thing is missing..... I have been getting delivered to me
the 4 K miche from L Poilane's bakery in France. It has this
incredible aroma....mmmmmmmmmmm!! I believe it is from the wood used
in the ovens there. If somebody could figure out a way to replicate
THAT in my home oven, I'd be very appreciative!
Elizabeth/ibbibud