Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads (3 page)

Experts almost universally agree that yeast breads benefit from a long, slow, cool or cold first rise. Developing the rich, soul-satisfying taste and aroma that make good bread one of nature's greatest foods just can't be rushed. And rushing won't save enough time to make yeast baking noticeably more convenient, anyway. On the other hand, slowing the process makes it easy to adjust the risings to the demands of daily life.

Even more important, dramatically slowing down the first rise by mixing the dry ingredients (including a rather modest amount of yeast) with ice water (yes,
ice-cold
water!) and then refrigerating the dough for a while has some remarkably positive
chemical
effects. While high temperatures can kill yeast organisms, icy temperatures just temporarily knock 'em cold (so to speak!) and put them in a sluggish state. With the yeast out of commission, some enzymes in the flour go to work breaking down damaged starch into sugars. Normally the yeast organisms would rev up activity in the presence of this banquet, but instead they remain available to significantly improve bread taste, crust color, and appearance. Other enzymes are also busy softening and smoothing the crumb and strengthening the gluten.

Known as "delayed first fermentation," this recently introduced technique is beginning to catch on with professional bakers, and, fortunately, it's an effortless way for home bakers to improve their bread, too. Peter Reinhart, who learned the basic method from a French baker and discussed it in his award-winning 2001 work,
The Bread Baker's Apprentice,
commented that it had tremendous implications for both professional and home bakers; he was absolutely right! I call for a 3- to 10-hour delayed fermentation because I've found that all the most noticeable improvements—richer dough flavor, smoother texture, and more attractive browning—occur in that period. (The time frame can be adjusted a bit to fit your typical work/sleep schedules although it does take a minimum of 3 hours for the benefits to accrue.)

The next, equally effortless step—setting the dough out in a 67° to 70°F room to slowly rise for up to 18 hours or even 24 hours—is at the heart of the
Kneadlessly Simple
process. As the dough warms and the yeast comes back to life, the long, slow fermentation produces even more flavor enhancers. If you don't have a suitably cool room, place the dough close to an air-conditioning vent or unit, or lacking that, refrigerate it for at least 3 hours first. This slows down the yeast organisms so they won't become too active from the heat and over-ferment the dough.

Fermentation also produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause the mixture to expand, sometimes three- or four-fold, and have a holey, sponge-like appearance. (This, of course, is why bakers often call the bubby, airy dough mixture a "sponge.") To the naked eye, the bubbling action of the sponge may not seem significant, but, over time, it accomplishes on the molecular level exactly what kneading does faster and more obviously: It jostles and bounces around molecules called gliadin and glutenin so they hook up and form the strong, elastic gluten strands needed for good bread structure. The process, which I've dubbed "micro-kneading," isn't visible, but its effects are: Thoroughly micro-kneaded doughs are extremely elastic and springy and will stretch out so thin you can see the light through them. (Bakers call this "passing the windowpane test.")

Aside from its ease, a big advantage of micro-kneading is that certain flavorful carotenoid compounds in unbleached flour that are normally lost through oxidation during vigorous kneading are preserved. Another advantage is that the long, slow fermentation actually boosts the digestibility of bits of grain and seeds.

Bread chemists have known for several decades that doughs, especially ones moist enough to permit lots of bubbling, will eventually and very effectively knead themselves. But except for a few minimal-knead, refrigerator-rise recipes for home cooks that appeared in the 1980s, recipes don't seem to have capitalized on this phenomenon until recently. Perhaps professional bakers didn't take an interest because they already have powerful, efficient kneading equipment to do the job. But for home bakers who don't have the time, skill, desire, or equipment to knead, the value is enormous.

After the first rise, most recipes call for stirring the dough. This is done to deflate it and to incorporate any dairy or other perishable products that can't safely stand at room temperature for long periods. Sugar and dried fruit also inhibit yeast organisms by binding up water vital for their growth, so they are often added after the first rise, too. Certain herbs and spices contain chemicals that hinder yeast growth as well. (In my experience, garlic, onion, oregano, thyme, mustard, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and ginger have particularly strong retarding effects. So, don't toss in larger quantities than my testing has shown the yeast will tolerate!)

Once these ingredients are incorporated, it's important to add in enough flour to stiffen the dough as directed in the recipe. While super-hydration facilitates the bubbling that develops the gluten in the first rise, in the second rise too much water can be a liability. It can lead to doughiness in the final product, and can weaken the gluten and add weight to the point where the loaf sinks in the center during baking.

The final step before putting the dough in its baking container is often to fold it in to the center all the way around using a rubber spatula. This particular folding action, followed by inverting the dough into its baking pan, helps organize the gluten strands properly and substitutes for "rounding," a hand-shaping technique some professional bakers use.

So now you know that the
Kneadlessly Simple
method
isn't magic. Instead, it's easy because it takes clever advantage of a whole array of chemical processes that naturally happen when water, yeast, and flour co-mingle under controlled conditions. Let's make bread!

Chapter 2: Getting Started: Basic Know-How, Ingredients, and Troubleshooting

Getting Started with
Kneadlessly Simple
Recipes: Read This First

Each
Kneadlessly Simple
recipe provides an ingredient list and directions, but this chapter provides some additional details and background information to help you carry out the instructions correctly. It covers everything from how to measure flour and ready the ice water properly to adjusting dough consistency to deciding on a rising method, and how to judge loaf doneness. To ensure smooth sailing on your bread baking journey, read through this section before you try any recipes.

Choosing a Bowl—
During the first rise, some doughs triple or even quadruple in bulk, so, following the recipe, use a large bowl (one that holds at least 4 quarts) or a very large bowl (one that holds at least 6 quarts) to avoid any chance of overflows. Stainless steel bowls are lightweight, durable, readily available, and economical, but ceramic or even plastic will do. Plastic holds odors and flavors, so be sure plastic containers are squeaky clean.

Measuring Flour—
Flour is the key ingredient in bread, so accurate measurements are very important. Professional bakers always weigh their flour, and, though not essential, this is the more accurate method for the home baker, too. If you have a kitchen scale, use the flour weights that are noted in parentheses after the cup measurements in each recipe. Otherwise, using a set of cups designed for measuring dry ingredients, dip the appropriate cup into the flour sack or canister, overfilling the dry measure slightly, then sweep across its top with a long-bladed spatula or straight-edged knife to even the surface. Don't tap or shake the cup or try to compact the flour. Don't try to fluff it up either.
Even careful measuring with the right cups will not yield the same quantity of flour every time because the volume of flour is affected by many factors, including the amount of settling during production and shipping—and even whether you're scooping the flour straight from the bag or from a canister. So, it's not uncommon when filling a 1-cup dry measure by dipping and sweeping to yield 4.7 ounces one time, 5 ounces another, and 5.2 ounces the next.
Kneadlessly Simple
recipes always compensate for this variability by specifying what consistency the dough should be at key points. Be sure to add more flour or water as necessary to achieve the dough consistency indicated.

Readying Ice Water—
All
Kneadlessly Simple
recipes initially call for ice water—that is, water chilled to around 50°F by adding ice cubes; this doesn't have to be exact. To obtain the correct temperature, fill a large measure designed for liquids with the amount of water specified; then add a heaping cup of ice cubes and stir vigorously for 30 seconds. Finally, measure out the exact amount of water needed (first discard the cubes) and incorporate it into the dry ingredients as directed. Recipes occasionally call for tablespoons or half-tablespoons of water and other ingredients. If you don't have a ½ tablespoon measure, note that 1½ teaspoons equals ½ tablespoon. In most cases, tap water is perfectly satisfactory, but if yours is heavily chlorinated or otherwise unpleasant-tasting, try bottled water and see if your breads improve.

Mixing by Hand or Mixer—
Remember that mixing, whether by hand or electric mixer, is not done to take the place of kneading, but simply to mix together the ingredients. The first key step is thoroughly stirring together the dry ingredients so that the salt and yeast are evenly distributed. For recipes that call for all ingredients to be incorporated before the first rise, the next step is to add the liquid ingredients into the dry ones. Simply stirring vigorously with a large spoon for a minute or two is often the easiest approach. If you prefer to use a mixer, it should be a heavy-duty model fitted with the paddle beater; the dough hook normally works best after the gluten develops. (Most lightweight mixers aren't powerful enough to mix bread doughs.)
When adding ingredients after the first rise, note that the dough will be rubbery (due to the gluten development), so it will take a bit more effort to stir in the eggs, milk powder, additional flour, etc. A heavy-duty mixer fitted with its dough hook will make incorporating the second batch of ingredients easier, though this can be done by hand, too.

Correcting Dough Consistency—
Often, directions call for adding enough flour to yield a stiff, or hard-to-stir (but not dry) consistency, but occasionally, a softer dough is needed. For best results, carefully follow the specific instructions for each bread. In many cases, correcting the consistency to create a stiffer dough before the second rise is especially important, as overly wet doughs can come out gummy or sink during baking. Incidentally, due to the fermentation process, it's common for a dough that was very stiff when first mixed to be moister after the first rise, requiring the addition of more flour before its second rise. Doughs containing an abundance of seeds and dried fruits, in contrast, tend to end up stiffer and drier, as these ingredients absorb a lot of excess moisture.

Spritzing (or Brushing), Slashing, and Covering the Dough—
Recipes always call for brushing or spritzing doughs with oil (or perhaps butter) to prevent the surface from drying out during the long rising period. The easiest method is to use nonstick spray; be sure to use a high-quality brand containing corn oil or other neutral-flavored oil. Or, if you prefer, simply brush the dough surface evenly with a little corn oil using a pastry brush, rubber scraper, or your fingertips. When a recipe calls for slashing a loaf or cutting dough into portions, do this with a well-oiled serrated knife or, even better, with oiled kitchen shears, as these doughs are usually too rubbery and soft for a plain knife to work well. To further prevent surface drying, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. As a precaution against the dough rising more than expected and sticking to the plastic, you may want to spray the plastic with nonstick cooking spray before the first rise. Recipes routinely call for coating the plastic wrap with nonstick spray before the second rise to prevent any chance of the plastic sticking to the loaf top and marring its appearance.

Estimating Rising Times and Choosing a Rising Method—
The yeast are living organisms, so their growth rate depends greatly on the temperature of the dough and the room. As a result, the rising time ranges given in recipes must be considered rough guidelines only. In fact, one portion of a dough set out in a 75°F kitchen will likely rise in half the time it takes another portion of it placed in a 65°F spot. If your room is warmer than normal, simply anticipate that the yeast will grow rapidly and check the dough sooner than is indicated; if the environment is colder, expect that they will grow slowly and the dough will rise more slowly than is indicated. If you happen to live at high altitude, take that into consideration too; the lower atmospheric pressure allows bread to rise 25 to 50 percent faster than normally.
Since the
first
rise really needs to be cool and unhurried for optimum bread flavor and texture, in warm weather try to find the coolest spot in the house, for example, a table near an air-conditioning vent or unit, or in a shaded, ground floor area. It's fine to speed up or slow down the
second
rise to suit your schedule by selecting either an "accelerated" rise that provides an extra-warm environment or an "extended" refrigerator rise that provides a very chilly one.
For an accelerated rise (which can reduce second rise time by a third to a half), bring a 1-cup glass measure of tap water to a boil in a microwave oven. Let the cup stand for a minute or two to avoid any chance of being burned by an eruption of steam, then set it in one corner of the microwave. Set the dough (in its baking pan and covered) inside on the other side of the microwave, close the door, and let the yeast thrive in the comfy, draft-free environment. This rising method is particularly handy in a cold house, when a recipe indicates the dough is normally very slow-rising, or when, for whatever reason, you want your bread done as soon as possible. In a few recipes in which the dough rises particularly slowly, it's suggested that after an hour or so in the microwave, the dough should be temporarily removed and the water brought to a boil again to provide a second burst of warmth for the yeast.
Another convenience option, the extended (refrigerator) rise method lets you put off baking for up to 24 hours for many doughs and up to two days for a few. The cold temperature causes the yeast fermentation and dough rising to slow dramatically. To "restart" the rise, let the dough stand on the counter until it returns to room temperature (usually 1½ to 2½ hours), then proceed with a regular or accelerated rise. Note that holding a dough longer than the number of hours specified in the recipe can debilitate the yeast, resulting in a denser baked good.
All recipes suggest how high doughs should rise in their pans before baking. Follow this instruction carefully, as some doughs spring up and do much of their rising after they're in the oven, and others rise very little during baking. If you aren't sure whether a dough is raised enough, test it by pressing a finger into the surface: If the indention stays instead of gradually filling up again, the dough is sufficiently raised and ready for baking. When a loaf inadvertently rises more than it should, it's best to stir it down, return it to the pan, and let it rise again, as over-raised doughs have a tendency to sink or collapse during baking.