bread, part 1

Today, I am going to do something uncharacteristically naughty. I'm going to share a recipe that is not mine to share, but I am not giving it in order to make a publisher or an author irate, nor am I doing it without a fair amount of hand-wringing, rather, I am giving the recipe for the bread you see above in the spirit in which the wonderful Alice Hart offers it to her readers,

Let no-one tell you that making your own bread requires some kind of talent or special culinary gift. With a little patience (the resting time is long, but it gives this bread its lovely flavour) a chewy and characterful sourdough will be yours with barely a knead.

This is the bread every non-baker dreams about being able to present; it is everything Hart says it will be and I - a woman who has decided that $7+  is about $4 more than she ever wants to pay for a good loaf again - want you to understand that if I can find time do this, so can you. My mate Shula once said, "Y'know, I really hate shitty bread. But excellent bread is so expensive that I was obliged to take matters into my own hands."

Take matters into yours. I used to make Mark Bittman's no-knead bread, but Hart's recipe is far more reliable, and its simplicity is the chief reason I've been making most of our bread for the past 6 months. Kathryn put me onto this, as she does most things food these days, and if I do only one thing today that is worthy, I hope it's to send you out looking for a copy of Hart's brilliant Vegetarian. I use it all the time, think it a Modern Classic, and know that you will too.

Alice Hart's No-knead sourdough loaf

Mix together 250g (or 90z) of wholemeal flour, 250g (9oz) of strong white bread flour, 1/4 teaspoon of dried (fast-acting) yeast and 1 1/2 teaspoons of fine sea salt into a capacious bowl. Slowly add 375ml (1 1/2 Australian metric cups) of warm water mixing with a wooden spoon until you no longer can. Roll up your sleeves and form into a sticky dough with your fingers. Don't overmix - Hart says it should look "shaggy". Cover the bowl in either plastic wrap or, as I do, bound up in a plastic supermarket shopping bag kept solely for this purpose. Leave in a wam place* for 15-18 hours.

Lightly flour a board, and lightly flour your hands. Tip the dough out, and fold it over itself. Brush a sheet of plastic wrap with oil, lightly cover the dough (oiled-side down) and leave for 15 mins.

Tear a sheet of baking paper, fit it to a baking tray or a board (whatever you'll be proving the bread on), and lightly flour the paper and your hands. Shape the dough into a ball, place on the baking paper, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 2 hours.  

You'll need a 2 litre (2 quart) capacity lidded casserole dish for baking. About 40 minutes before you begin, heat the oven to 220 C (425 F) and put the casserole dish in to heat up at the same time. When the oven is ready, take out the hot casserole dish, slide the dough in from the baking paper (this is the only hairy bit of the process, but things come out right even if you think you've fuqed up), clamp the lid on tight, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and return the bread to the oven for a further 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.           

*Warm place. Not always easy where we live in the country, which is why, in part 2, I'll show you the other bread I make which takes far less time to rise, i.e., can be made in 6 hours if there's sun to be had somewhere in the yard.      

 

 

Comments

[Denise]

Bread baking is so gratifying. Your loaf here is gorgeous.

[Limner]

I wish all the whiners about Hostess not making Twinkies would come here and read this. In my comment I suggested they make their own, sans chemicals. They should make their own bread; and here you are, telling everyone how easy it is. Go figure. :) I love 12 grain brown breads. I'd make 12 grain cornbread if it tasted as good as my regular cornbread. ;)

I like your loaf. My brother baked bread back when his two were little ones. His girl would fill her mouth with warm bread, roll her eyes up in her head and say, "Dada, I want some more Good Bread." The name stuck. :)

[kathryn elliott]

Oh well, you know how much I love this recipe. And Alice Hart in general. I pretty much make it twice a week now and have, over time, found ways to vary it to suit me. I make a slightly bigger loaf than Alice's and often up the ratio of wholegrain to white flour, or in grains and seeds, depending on what I feel like.

In the middle of winter, when it was also hard to find a warm spot, I would end up leaving it for two days. Time, but it got there in the end.

Over winter, when it was taking so long to do anything, I started mixing the bread in a glass bowl. It meant I could see the air pockets forming in the dough and was able to tell when it was ready for the second stage.

I am so looking forward to your second recipe though.

[Lesh@TheMindfulFoodie]

That bread looks so good I want to eat it off my screen!
I have Alice's 'vegetarian', but haven't made the bread yet as I eat wheat (mostly gluten-) free. I must try it with oat flour. I hope it works.
Looking forward to part 2 x

[Anna]

I'm not sure I believe that anyone can really 'own' a bread recipe - people have been mixing flour, water, yeast, salt & heat together, in various combinations, for thousands of years. I think the method, or methods, of making bread should be passed around freely, with no hand-wringing required! My grandfather showed me how to make bread in his kitchen, and it was pretty much exactly like this - he didn't knead it, and he left it over night.

[Lucy]

hi guys, and thank you for all of your fabulous thoughts here.

anna - i am SOOO glad that you have said that. i mean, really, what is to own? grandfather-baked bread sounds like a wonderful kitchen memory to hold, one i hope my bloke can give to his grandkids when they (one day) arrive.

[paula]

I bake marks version its so good people don't believe its homemade half the time, making bread makes me feel so good, a real reminder that the simple things in life are often the best x nice new sink lucy

[Cat]

So that second loaf looks incredible. I was just wondering what time of the day (weekend?) do you start making it so the second prove and bake are at a desirable fresh bread time?

[Lucy]

cat, that is an excellent question, and i must say i meant to include it but...i forgot! so. i start the dough off on a friday night, just before i start on dinner (we eat early, so that'd be between 5 and 6pm). this means i can begin the proving process at 8am next day, and we have a loaf by midday.

i am lucky in that i work part-time, and at home, so it means i can do this on any day i like, but i always start at that 5-6 pm time so as i'm in a rhythm if that makes sense, can work on auto-pilot.

[Stephanie]

Lovely to pop in again to Nourish Me and I have bookmarked this recipe...so long since we've had a chat. Sorry to hear of your sleeping issues... it's hell. DO let me know if you come north.XX

[alison]

definitely want to try this...i've been making dosas from scratch and fermenting everything by the woodstove on the kitchen counter, so i should be able to do this too. the idea of no kneading really really appeals to me...shaggy bread. yeah. rock on, girl...

[narf7]

I can solve your sleeping problems...I will loan you Earl. The secret is to get up at 5am auspiciously to read your rss feed reader and then walk the dog for 2 hours from 7am on. I fall asleep at 7.30pm and it's a fight between me and sleep from then on. If you don't have a dog, get up early and just go for a walk. Trust me, I used to be an insomniac. I just found this wonderful blog through another blog and will be reading your posts over my first cup of tea in the morning bleary eyed and raring to go.