No-knead bread a simple solution

(Homemade bread got easier to make with these little- or no-knead recipes/Associated Press photos)

Freshly baked bread is the essence of home and hearth. With cooling temps in the air and leaves falling to the ground, baking bread becomes more of a routine in my home.

That is why I was so smitten with these recipes I found for today’s Busy Cook in the Poughkeepsie Journal. Not only are they creative, hearty recipes, they are artisan breads that require little kneading, with a five minute mix of ingredients. The recipes still have to rest and rise, but putting together an artisan loaf of bread was never easier thanks to these innovative cooks.

The recipes are based on three new books: Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois’ “Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day” (St. Martin’s Press, 2009); Jim Lahey’s “My Bread: The Revolutionary No-work, No-knead Method” (Norton, 2009); and Peter Reinhart’s “Artisan Breads Every Day” (Ten Speed Press, 2009).
Francois, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, said she was skeptical of the process devised by co-author Hertzberg, but “saw promise in the chemistry.” The dough is somewhat wetter than average and is made in large batches. The dough can be refrigerated for weeks. When you’re ready for a loaf of freshly baked bread, simple pull off a piece, let it rise, shape it and you’re ready to go. I love the premise, and I am definitely going to give all of these recipes a try.

So if you thought you didn’t have time or weren’t skilled enough to make your own bread, think again — it’s basic chemistry with simple ingredients you probably have on hand. And with the holiday season approaching, these books would make great gifts for novice and experienced bakers alike.

The recipes, intros and photographs are from The Associated Press.

Happy baking!

This easy bread from Jim Lahey’s “My Bread: The Revolutionary No-work, No-knead Method” is studded with chunks of pecorino cheese. If you prefer, any firm or semi-firm cheese can be substituted.

Cheese Bread

Start to finish: 15 hours (30 minutes active)
Makes one 10-inch round loaf

1. 3 cups bread flour
2. 2 1/2 cups cubed (1/2-inch cubes) pecorino cheese
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 3/4 teaspoon instant or other active dry yeast
5. 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6. 1 1/3 cups cool (55 F to 65 F) water
7. Wheat bran, cornmeal or additional flour, for dusting
   

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cheese, salt, yeast and pepper.
• Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds.
• Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.
• When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour.
• Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece.
• Using lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
• Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal or flour.
• Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal or flour.
• Fold the ends of the tea 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, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
• Half an hour before the end of the second rise, heat the oven to 475 F, with a rack in the lower third. Place a covered 4 1/2- to 5 1/2-quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.
• Using pot holders, carefully remove the heated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. Use caution; the pot will be very hot. Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color, but not burnt, about 15 to 30 minutes more.
• Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to gently lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly.

(Recipe from Jim Lahey’s “My Bread: The Revolutionary No-work, No-knead Method,” Norton, 2009)

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This delicious bread from Peter Reinhart’s “Artisan Breads Every Day” is studded with wild rice and onions and requires just a few minutes of kneading. It can be made into sandwich loaves, baguettes, round loaves or rolls. Fresh or dried onions can be used. If you use dried, add an extra 2 to 4 tablespoons of water while mixing.

Wild Rice and Onion Bread

Start to finish: About 18 hours (20 minutes active)
Makes 2 large loaves or many rolls

1. 6 cups unbleached bread flour
2. 2 1/4 teaspoons table salt, or 3 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3. 2 tablespoons instant yeast
4. 1 cup cooked wild rice or another cooked grain
5. 1/4 cup brown sugar
6. 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 95 F)
7. 1/2 cup lukewarm buttermilk or any other milk (about 95 F)
8. 1/4 cup minced or chopped dried onions, or 2 cups diced fresh yellow onion (about 1 large onion)
9. 1 egg white, for egg wash (optional)
10. 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash (optional)
    

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the egg white and 1 tablespoon water for the egg wash. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 1 minute. The dough should be sticky, coarse and shaggy. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
• Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 4 minutes, adding flour or water as needed to keep the dough ball together. The dough should be soft, supple and slightly sticky.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough will still be soft and slightly sticky, but will hold together to form a soft, supple ball.
• Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days. If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• When ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours before you plan to bake.
• Shape the dough into one or more sandwich loaves or into freestanding loaves of any size, which you can shape as batards, baguettes or boules, or into rolls.
• When shaping, use only as much flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. For sandwich loaves, let the dough rise in greased loaf pans. For freestanding loaves and rolls, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and let the dough rise on the pan.
• Mist the top of the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
• Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until increased to about 1 1/2 times its original size. In loaf pans, the dough should dome at least 1 inch above the rim.
• To make the rolls shinier, whisk the egg white and water together, brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash before baking.
• About 15 minutes before baking, heat the oven to 350 F, or 300 F for a convection oven.
• Bake the loaves for 10 to 15 minutes, then rotate the pan; rotate rolls after 8 minutes. The total baking time is 45 to 55 minutes for loaves, and 20 to 25 minutes for rolls.
• The bread is done when it has a rich golden color, the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, and the internal temperature is above 185 F at the center. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes for rolls or 1 hour for loaves before slicing.

(Recipe from Peter Reinhart’s “Artisan Breads Every Day,” Ten Speed Press, 2009)

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It takes just minutes to make the master dough used to make these whole-grain garlic knots with parsley and olive oil from Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois’ “Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.” The recipe makes 4 pound of dough. Each pound produces 5 knots. If you want to make just five knots at a time, the remaining dough can be refrigerated, covered, for 14 days. The knots did not remain knotted when baked, but they nevertheless were delicious.

Whole-Grain Garlic Knots with Parsley and Olive Oil

Start to finish: 4 hours (30 minutes active)
Makes 5 to 20 rolls

For the master dough:

1. 5 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2. 2 cup all-purpose flour
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
4. 1 tablespoon kosher salt
5. 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
6. 4 cups lukewarm water

For the rolls:

1. 1/4 cup olive oil
2. 1/2 cup finely minced fresh parsley
3. 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
4. 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
5. 1 to 2 tablespoons blended seeds (such as sesame, flax, caraway, raw sunflower, poppy and anise)
   

• In a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, a resealable, lidded plastic food container or food-grade bucket (not airtight), whisk together both flours, the yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten.
• Add the water all at once and mix without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if not using a machine.
• Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a cover.
• Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on the top), approximately 2 hours.
• After rising, refrigerate in the lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.
• This recipe makes 4 pounds of dough. Each pound makes 5 rolls.
• To prepare the rolls, use 1 pound of dough, refrigerating the remaining dough until desired.
• To prepare the dough as garlic knots with parsley and olive oil, in a large skillet over medium, heat the olive oil.
• Add the parsley and garlic, then saute for 4 minutes, or until the parsley is soft and the mixture is aromatic. Add more olive oil if mixture looks too dry.
• Break off 1 pound of the dough (returning the rest to the refrigerator). Dust the surface of the dough with flour, then divide it into 3-ounce pieces (about the size of small peaches).
• Dust each piece with more flour and quickly shape into a ball. To do this, gently stretch the surface of the top of the ball down and under to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
• Elongate each ball into a rope about a little less than a 1/2-inch in diameter, and tie a knot in the center of the rope.
• Allow to rest for 30 minutes on an olive oil-coated baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
• Meanwhile, place a baking stone on the oven’s center rack. Place an empty broiler tray on the bottom rack. Heat the oven to 450 F.
• Drizzle the olive oil, garlic and parsley mixture over the knots. You may have some left over for another batch.
• Place the baking sheet on the stone, pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 20 minutes, until browned and firm. Serve slightly warm.

(Recipe adapted from Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois’ “Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” St. Martin’s Press, 2009)