Sheep Camp Bread To NY Times?
Thursday, February 19th, 2009I’ll bet anything this recipe came from an Irish sheep camp much like my father’s. The recipe’s originator, Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York ought to give you a hint.
The easiest bread recipe ever
By Gail JokerstFebruary 18, 2009 edition Christian Science Monitor
Every so often a recipe crosses my path that is too good to keep to myself. If it’s straightforward to prepare and success follows, I spread the word to food-loving friends from Boston to California. Which is exactly what happened recently after I tasted a memorable rustic bread at my sister-in-law Ruth’s home in Wisconsin. With just four ingredients – flour, water, salt, and a measly 1/4 teaspoon of yeast – it could certainly be classified as basic. But it was also remarkable for its flavor, textures, and the unusual method used to make it. Moist and chewy inside with a crisp crust that shattered when I bit into it, the bread reminded me of the best Italian and French loaves I’ve bought from big-city bakeries. Only this creation came from my sister-in-law’s oven, her Dutch oven to be precise.
No-Knead bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon granular yeast
1-3/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
Cornmeal for sprinkling
Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in water till the mixture is blended. The dough will be loose and wet. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature 12 to 19 hours– the longer the better.
Flour a work surface and turnout the dough on it. Flour your hands and sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour. Turn the dough over on itself a couple times and then let it rest 15 minutes. Form the dough into a ball using as little flour as possible. The dough will seem somewhat fluid but it will form a ball. (It’s tempting to use a lot of flour here but don’t. The dough should stay moist.)
Place the dough seam-side down on a smooth-surfaced towel sprinkled with cornmeal. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour or cornmeal, then cover it. Let the dough rise till doubled (about 2 or 3 hours).
At least a half hour before the dough has finished rising, place a Dutch oven with a lid in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the pot from the oven and carefully turn over the dough and place it in the Dutch oven. Then shake the pot to distribute the dough evenly. Replace the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until the top is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
– Adapted from The New York Times
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Cont from Christian Science Monitor:
When Ruth was ready to make this loaf, I kept her company in the kitchen as she measured the ingredients into a bowl. Then I watched as she mixed them all together to form a shaggy mass that did not appear to have a promising future. Unlike most bread doughs, which are kneaded till satiny, this dough was neither smooth to the touch nor kneaded. In fact, it was stickier than any dough either of us had ever handled.
Although tempted to add more flour and yeast, we resisted the urge to obey years of bread-baking instincts and faithfully followed the remaining directions. We let the dough rise overnight as instructed. Then we formed it into a ball, waited while it rose again, and baked it inside a steaming-hot Dutch oven.
When we lifted the lid 30 minutes later, we were amazed to see a gorgeous, golden round loaf sporting professional looking splits across the crown. In another 10 minutes, we pulled the boule from the oven and listened to the crust crackle as it cooled on the counter. [read on]
Zoe