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World's Easiest Yeast Bread, No Knead

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Sun, 07 Apr 2024 22:33:39 -0700
v124.n008.8
* Exported from MasterCook *

                Bread, World's Easiest Yeast Bread, No Knead

Recipe By     :Nagi
Serving Size  : 12    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread                           Bread-Bakers Mailing List
                 Hand Made                       Posted

   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   3               cups  bread flour -- or all purpose (Note 1), 450g
   2                tsp  instant yeast -- or rapid rise (Note 2 for 
normal / active dry yeast)
   2                tsp  kosher salt -- NOT table salt (Note 3)
   1 1/2           cups  very warm tap water -- (375 ml), NOT boiling 
or super hot (ie up to 55C/130F) (Note 4)
   1 1/2           tbsp  flour -- for dusting

Mix Dough: Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water, then 
use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix until all the flour is 
incorporated. Dough will be wet and sloppy - not kneadable, but not 
runny like cake batter. Adjust with more water or flour if needed for 
right consistency ( Note 5).

Rise: Cover with cling wrap or plate, leave on counter for 2 - 3 
hours until it doubles in volume, it's wobbly like jelly and the top 
is bubbly. If after 1 hour it doesn't seem to be rising, move it 
somewhere warmer (Note 6).

Optional - refrigerate for flavour development (Note 9): At this 
stage, you can either bake immediately (move onto Step 5) or 
refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Take chill out of refrigerated dough - if you refrigerated dough per 
above, leave the bowl on the counter for 45 - 60 minutes while the 
oven is preheating. Cold dough does not rise as well.

Preheat oven (Note 7) - Put dutch oven in oven with lid on (26cm/10" 
or larger). Preheat to 230C/450F (220 fan) 30 minutes prior to 
baking. (Note 8 for no dutch oven)

Shape dough: Sprinkle work surface with 1 tbsp flour, scrape dough 
out of bowl. Sprinkle top with 1/2 tbsp flour.

Using a dough scraper or anything of similar shape (cake server, 
large knife, spatula), fold the sides inwards (about 6 folds) to 
roughly form a roundish shape. Don't be too meticulous here - you're 
about to deform it, it's more about deflating the bubbles in the 
dough and forming a shape you can move.

Transfer to paper: Slide a large piece of parchment/baking paper (not 
wax paper) next to the dough, then flip the dough upside down onto 
the paper (ie seam side down, smooth side up). Slide/push it towards 
the middle, then reshape it into a round(ish) shape. Don't get too 
hung up about shape. In fact, lopsided = more ridges = more crunchy bits!

Dough in pot: Remove piping hot dutch oven from oven. Use paper to 
place dough into pot, place lid on.

Bake 30 minutes covered, then 12 minutes uncovered or until deep 
golden and crispy.

Cool on rack for 10 minutes before slicing.

MAKE AHEAD/Storage:

Fridge up to 3 days - Rise dough per recipe, then leave in bowl and 
refrigerate up to 3 days. Flavour gets better with time. Dough will 
stay bubbly for a day or two, then will deflate - that's fine. Shape 
into round and place on paper per recipe, then leave for 45 - 60 
minutes to take the chill out of it, then bake per recipe. Cold dough 
won't rise as well.

Cooked bread - great fresh for 2 days, then after that, better warmed 
or toasted.  Keep in an airtight container or ziplock bag. This stays 
more fresh than usual homemade bread, especially if you use bread flour.

Freeze cooked bread for up to 3 months.

Notes:

Flour - bread flour will give a more the crumb a more chewy, fluffy 
texture like bakery Artisan bread because it has higher protein, and 
bread stays fresher for longer. Plain / all purpose flour still works 
100% perfectly, texture is just not quite the same.

Wholemeal/wholewheat flour - start with 30g/ 1/4 cup less flour and 
just add more as needed to get the consistency shown in the video 
(because wholemeal flour is a bit more absorbent than white, I find).

Yeast - use yeast labelled "instant" or "rapid rise". If you can only 
find normal yeast (can be labelled "active dry yeast") then dissolve 
yeast in water first (no need to let it foam), then immediately add 
flour and salt and mix. Proceed with recipe as written.

Salt - reduce to 1 1/4 tsp if using table salt (finer grains = less 
volume for same amount of salt) otherwise it will be too salty.

Water temperature - if it's so scorching hot you wouldn't bathe in 
it, it will kill the yeast. If it's a lovely temp you could sit in 
for hours in a bubble bath, it's the perfect temp.

Dough consistency can be affected by factors like different brands of 
flour, humidity in air. If dough is too dry, add touch of water. Too 
wet, add a touch of flour. Compare to video at 17 seconds and photos above.

Dough rising - time will vary depending on room temperature, 
humidity, flour you use etc. It's fine if it rises faster or slower - 
you just need to achieve the dough rise as specified (double volume, 
bubbly surface, wobbly consistency, per video at 24 seconds). I told 
you - this recipe is forgiving!

If it's coldish in your kitchen (22C/70F or less) OR it's just not 
rising (check at 1 hour), then tuck the bowl somewhere warmer. Yeast 
loves warmth!

Simple method I use: in sink with warm (not hot) water, with ramekin 
to elevate bowl above water level. Or run dryer for a few minutes 
then place bowl in there. Do not put bowl in direct sunlight indoors 
- too hot. But in shade near sunlight is good!

If dough rises faster than 2 hours (eg super hot day), then put bowl 
in fridge to stop the rise while you preheat the oven. On super hot 
summer days, it can rise in 45 minutes!

Oven preheating - If baking immediately, start preheating oven when 
you can see dough is rising (at 1.5 hours) or if you refrigerated, 
while dough is resting to take chill out of it.

It's also fine to shape the dough into a round, place it on parchment 
paper and leave for 30 minutes while oven preheats (I told you this 
is a flexible recipe!!)

Dutch oven (cast iron pot) creates a steamer effect, a home version 
of professional steamer ovens used by bakeries to make bread.

Pot size does not matter as long as it's about 26cm/10" or larger. 
Pot does not shape the bread, it's to act as a steamer. Just need one 
large enough to give bread steaming space.

No dutch oven method - use 20cm/8" square metal pan (or similar but 
NOT glass, may shatter). Place in oven on middle shelf where bread 
will bake (or shelf under if tray won't fit on same shelf), preheat 
oven. Boil kettle. Place paper with shaped dough on a baking tray. 
When you put the bread in, work fast as follows - place bread in 
oven, fill pan with boiling water, shut oven door = makeshift dutch 
oven steamer effect! Bake for full 40 minutes until it's a deep golden brown.

Heavy roasting pan with high lid should also work - preheat per 
recipe. Bread is about 8-10cm/3.2-4" tall.

Fridge = slows down yeast rising = time to let enzymes in the yeast 
to do their work, transforming starch into sugar which creates a more 
flavourful bread. See notes in post for more info.

Different measures in different countries - cup sizes differ slightly 
between countries. The difference is not enough to affect the outcome 
of most recipes, but for baking recipes, it does matter. For this 
bread, as long as you use EITHER cups OR weights & mls for the flour 
and water, this recipe will work fine (I tested with US and Aus cups 
which have the greatest variance in size).

Source: Adapted from this recipe from New York Times (halved the 
recipe to make one batch, and added useful tips and tricks after much 
trial and error over the years).

S(Internet address):
   https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-yeast-bread-recipe-no-knead
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 129 Calories; 1g Fat (4.3% 
calories from fat); 4g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary 
Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 314mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 
Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat.

NOTES : 2024 - 0407

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 2019 0 2130706543 0