Artisan Bread (no need to knead)

Artisan Bread

INGREDIENTS

440g                        Strong Flour (3¼ cups)
2 level teaspoons      instant yeast (I used 1 x 7g sachet)
2 level teaspoons      coarse salt (I used Cornish sea salt crystals)
360ml                      cool water (i.e. room temperature) (1½ cups)
optional:                 Semolina (or polenta) for dusting pan

5-10 minutes work

• Use a large un-greased mixing bowl.
• Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together.
• Pour in the cool water and gently mix together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
• The dough will seem dry and flakey, but keep working it until all the flour is incorporated. If needed, use your hands. The dough will be sticky.
• Shape the dough into a ball as best you can.
• Place it back in the bowl (I used a clean bowl that would fit in the fridge).
• Cover the dough tightly with cling film and set aside at room temperature.
• Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.

After 2-3 hours.

You can continue with the next step immediately, but for absolute best flavour and texture, the original author recommends letting this risen dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

• Place covered dough in the refrigerator for 12 hours – 3 days.
• I let it rest in the refrigerator for almost 24 hours. The dough puffed up a bit during this time. It may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s fine and normal– nothing to worry about.

When you’re ready to bake

• Dust a large non-stick baking sheet with plenty of flour and/or preferably semolina.
• Turn the cold dough out onto a floured work surface.
• Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough in half. Some air bubbles will deflate as you work with it.
• Place dough halves on prepared baking sheet and using floured hands, shape into 2 long loaves about 9×3 inches each, about 3 inches apart.
• Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C).

• When ready to bake, score the bread loaves with 3 slashes, about 1/2 inch deep. If the shaped loaves flattened out during the 45 minutes, use floured hands to narrow them out along the sides again.
• Place the shaped and scored dough in the preheated oven on the centre rack.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Gently tap the loaves– if they sound hollow, the bread is done.

Adapted from: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-artisan-bread/

Never Fail White Bread

INGREDIENTS

650g           Strong flour
1 tsp.          Salt
2 tsp.          Sugar
2 tsp.          Dried yeast (now 1 x 7g sachet)
1½ tablsp.  Sunflower oil (add to lukewarm water)
400ml          Lukewarm water (Approx.)

METHOD

Mix all the dry ingredients together; add yeast last so it isn’t in contact with salt or sugar for too long.

Now add the lukewarm water and oil. The amount of water is roughly correct, the exact amount required will depend on the absorbency of the other ingredients that you are using. So, don’t add it all at once, add about ¾ and see how you go. For today, I used the 400ml water and just a tiny bit more. Only experience can tell you when the dough is just right for kneading – not too stiff and not too soft.

Knead this well now. Aim to knead for 8-10 minutes. Nice and steady as you go; after about a minute the dough should stop requiring tiny bits of scattered flour to stop it sticking – it should simply allow itself to be kneaded without sticking. It should become more elastic, the more you knead it. It is pretty much impossible to manually over-knead dough,

Now, place into a clean bowl (I spray my bowl with a thin film of oil first), cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to prove. For about an hour until the dough has doubled in size. Today, mine took 75 mins. Once it has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and ‘knock-it-back’. Then fit it into your well-oiled tin. If your tin is like mine and sticks, then line it with greaseproof paper – oiling both the tin and the paper.

Cover loosely with cling and put back somewhere warm to re-prove – again double(ish). Mine took 45 minutes today.

At this point, I turned my oven on and set it at 80^oC. I also placed a tray of water on the bottom shelf of the oven at this stage.  When the bread is ready to cook, place it onto the middle self and turn the oven up to 200^oC. This allows the dough to complete its rise as the oven comes up to temperature. Leave the water in the oven throughout – it provides the damp atmosphere that the bread enjoys.

The loaf will take around 25-35 minutes to cook, including the warm-up time. Once it looks ready, remove it from oven, take out of the tin and put the loaf back on the middle shelf for two minutes, just to finish it off.

Cool and eat.