Ok it has been busier than expected lately, and I am little behind on postings. I have a few articles on the docket still. I didn't end up writing anything while on my vacation as I thought I would, and this week was long work-wise. I have just started the winter phase at work, which although not as busy I work 10 hour days 4 times per week. This has proven difficult to do anything on weekdays, but I am sure that I will adjust so it is only temporary. The best part is having 3-day weekends.
I am using the extra day to play catch up, bake a pie with the last of the apples, make a stew, get the Mac and cheese oven ready for Sunday, experiment with new bread making method, and of course blog about it all. I have 2 posts in line before this one; the continuation of the wine tour, and one about pizza. However this one cuts the line. It smells so amazing at home right now, I just got inspired to write about this bread I am making.
About 2 or 3 years ago I caught an episode of Chef at Home, and it was about a no kneading type bread. I was definitely interested in trying this, problem was (and kinda still is) the time it takes. See the catch to this not having to knead the dough is more water, less yeast and 18 hours of letting it sit. Not exactly the spontaneous type of bread. I just kept putting of trying it, mostly because I couldn't commit to the 18 hours ahead of baking. I had a bread maker that took 3 hours and I got a little comfortable (lazy) with that method. Then when I moved in with my wife I couldn't make the bread fast enough, so doing the slow method didn't make any sense.
As this weekend was approaching and my wife is in Vancouver until Sunday, I started to plan what I wanted to make. I thought about the bread that takes so long to do and decided, why not? That at least was the idea. Since so much time had passed I thought I would look it up and see how it was done. I went to Chef Michael Smiths site to get the recipe and read about a method of getting the crust just right. That is where my thoughts went to that rye flour that I just bought and how much I love my rye bread recipe. Not knowing how to change the recipe to the wetter dough required, I improvised a little and combined the best of both, using the bread machine for the dough and the oven method for the perfect crust (and shape).
The oven method is the covered pot method on Michael Smith's site. Now to combine the use of the bread machine for the dough and use of the covered pot takes a little finesse and timing. Timing may vary between machines, for my machine it takes 2 hours give or take for a dough if the temperature of the ingredients are warm enough (about 10 degrees Celsius). Consult your guide for a timing chart if you are not sure. Find out when the last rise is (for me it is 1 1/2 hours in) and just before it the machine will knock it down. Using the directions for covered pot method: Flour a towel well and quickly forming a ball with the dough rest it on the towel, and cover it with another. Let it sit to double in size for about 1 hour, about 30 mins in preheat the oven to 450 F (230 C) with your covered pan (cast iron, ceramic or enamel). Once the dough has doubled in size carefully slide your hand under the towel the dough is on (and using oven mitts) invert the covered pan over it, and flip. Give the pan a little of a shake to settle the dough, and then bake covered for 30 min, and 10 to 15 mins uncovered.
I found that with the amount of dough the bread machine makes (2LB) that the recipe needs a little less time, it was a little dark and I pulled it out 10 mins early.
Well at least the bread is off the list, only problem is now eating it is now on the list...
Bon Appétit!
There is nothing like the smell of homemade bread...hope it was a good as the description...another enjoyable read...keep it up...
ReplyDeleteIt was the best bread I ever made. Even though a little dark on the bottom, it has the best texture and great crust. It is worth the extra effort for sure.
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