Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads (34 page)

KS Quotient

Fairly Easy: Starts with a batch of
All-Purpose Enriched Sweet Dough
. No hand-shaping.

1½ cups dried sweetened cranberries, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then well drained

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

1 batch
All-Purpose Enriched Sweet Dough
, ready for the second rise

¼ cup (1.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Powdered Sugar—Lemon Drizzle

Second Rise
Vigorously stir the cranberries and orange zest (and nuts, if using) into the dough until thoroughly incorporated. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cardamom, and coriander until well blended, then stir into the dough until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in more flour if needed to yield a fairly stiff dough. Turn it out into a well-oiled or nonstick spray— coated 8- to 10-cup Bundt pan (or similar decorative tube pan) or angel food pan. Brush or spray the top with oil. Spread the dough and smooth out using an oiled rubber spatula. Tent the pan with nonstick spray— coated foil.

Let Rise Using Any of These Methods
For a 2- to 3-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1½- to 2½-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 48 hours, then set out at room temperature. If the dough nears the foil, remove it and continue the rise until the dough has doubled from its deflated size.

Baking Preliminaries
15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350°F.

Baking
Bake on the lower rack for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is nicely browned; cover with foil partway through, if needed, to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with only a few particles on the end (or the thickest part registers 205° to 207°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for another 5 minutes to ensure the bottom of the loaf is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the center tube and sides to loosen the coffeecake, then invert
it onto the rack. Let cool, then brush off any crumbs from the surface. Transfer to a serving plate. Sift powdered sugar over the top just before serving, or top the cooled coffeecake with the Powdered Sugar—Lemon Drizzle, allowing it drip attractively down the sides. Let the coffeecake stand for a few minutes until the icing sets.

Serving and Storing

The coffeecake slices best when cool, but is good warm, at room temperature, or toasted. Cool completely before storing airtight in a plastic container or cake keeper. Keeps at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

Tip

A Bundt pan, angel food pan, or a kugelhopf mold with a dull finish is the best choice for baking this bread. A shiny aluminum surface hinders browning.

KS Quotient

Fairly Easy: Two-stage mixing. Hand-shaping required.

Generous ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1¾ cups fresh (or frozen) thawed cranberries, coarsely chopped

1 cup peeled and chopped (¼-inch) Granny Smith or similar tart apples

½ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

2/3 cup dark or golden raisins or a combination

1 recipe
All-Purpose Enriched Sweet Dough
, ready for the second rise

Unbleached all-purpose white flour for dusting

1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water for wash

Transparent Powdered Sugar Glaze
or
Powdered Sugar—Lemon Drizzle
, optional

Ready the filling
In a medium heavy saucepan, thoroughly stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Stir in the cranberries, apples, and orange zest. Cook, stirring, over low heat until the fruits begin to release their juice. Raise the heat slightly and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and the apples soften a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir in the raisins. Set aside until cooled.

Second Rise
Dust the batch of
All-Purpose Enriched Sweet Dough
all over with flour, turning to coat it evenly. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Coat an 18-inch-long sheet of baking parchment (or wax paper) with nonstick spray and generously dust with flour. Turn out the dough onto the center of the parchment. Dusting the dough with flour to prevent stickiness as needed, pat and press it into a rough 9-inch-long rectangle with flour-dusted fingertips. Dust with more flour, then press or roll out the dough into a 10 x 16-inch evenly thick rectangle. Evenly spread the room temperature fruit filling over the dough to within ¼ inch of the edge all around.
Tightly roll up the dough from a 16-inch-wide side to form a long pinwheel log; use flour-dusted hands and lift up the parchment to assist the rolling and pinch the seam tightly closed as you work. Roll the log onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, placing seam-side down. Stretch the log out from the center until evenly thick along the length. Bring the ends together to form a ring, pressing and smoothing and pulling away from the center so the ring is evenly thick and smooth and the center opening is at least 3 inches in diameter. If an ovenproof custard cup or small ramekin is available, coat the outside with nonstick spray, then set it in the center of the ring so it will stay open during baking. Using well-oiled kitchen shears, make 1½-inch-deep cuts into the ring sides at about 2-inch -intervals so the filling is exposed, then turn the cut portions on a slight diagonal so the pinwheel design shows. Brush the ring evenly with the egg wash. Tent it with nonstick spray—coated foil.

Let Rise Using Any of These Methods
For a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 48 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the ring has doubled from the deflated size.

Baking Preliminaries
15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°F.

Baking
Bake on the lower rack for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is well browned; cover the top with foil partway through as necessary to prevent over-browning. Carefully loosen, then remove the cup from the ring center. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with only a few particles on the end (or until the thick- est part registers 204° to 205°F on an instant-read thermometer) to ensure the ring is done. Let the pan cool on a wire rack until the ring has cooled for 15 minutes. Brush the ring with Transparent Powdered Sugar Glaze, or drizzle with the Powdered Sugar—Lemon Drizzle. Then slide the ring onto a serving platter and serve.