Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads (17 page)

KS Quotient

Easy: Easily mixed ingredients; prepping the herbs takes a little time. No hand-shaping.

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached white bread flour, plus 1 cup (5 ounces), plus more as needed

1½ tablespoons granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons table salt

¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast

2 tablespoons corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil, plus extra for coating dough top and baking pan

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

1/3 cup leftover mashed potatoes, preferably at room temperature

1/3 cup plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt, drained of any liquid, preferably at room temperature

¼ cup finely chopped fresh dillweed

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon dill seeds, plus ½ teaspoon for garnish, optional

First Rise
In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk the oil into the water. Thoroughly stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides and mixing to form a smooth, well-blended dough; it should be slightly moist and fairly easy to stir. Brush the top with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

Second Rise
In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, yogurt, dill, chives, and 1 teaspoon of the dill seeds (if using) until the potato is free of lumps. Vigorously stir the mixture into the dough until completely blended. (If desired, use a dough hook and heavy-duty mixer on low speed.) Scraping down the sides as you work, thoroughly mix in the remaining 1 cup of flour, plus enough more flour to yield a hard-to-stir dough.
Using an oiled rubber spatula, lift and fold the dough in towards the center all the way around the bowl. Invert into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Brush or spray the top with oil. Smooth out the dough top with the spatula or oiled fingertips. If using dill seeds, sprinkle ½ teaspoon over the loaf top, pressing down to imbed. Cover the pan with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.

Let Rise Using Any of These Methods
For a 2- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 1½-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 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. When the dough nears the plastic, remove it and continue the rise until the dough just reaches the pan rim.

Baking Preliminaries
15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°F. Using well-oiled kitchen shears, cut a ¼-inch-deep slash lengthwise down the loaf center.

Baking
Bake on the lower rack for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown. Cover the top with foil to prevent over-browning and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles clinging to the bottom (or until the center registers 208° to 210 °F on an instant-read thermometer). Bake for 5 minutes longer to be sure the center is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto the rack; cool thoroughly.

Tip

Don't use dried dillweed or chives, as they will contribute nothing but flecks of color. If you lack fresh herbs, make the plain potato bread variation below. And don't use extra herbs, as they can retard rising.

Serving and Storing

Serve warm, or cool, or toasted; the bread slices best when cool. Cool thoroughly before storing in plastic or foil. Keeps at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. May be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

Variation

Farmhouse Potato Bread

Increase the sugar to 3 tablespoons. Omit the dillweed, chives, and dill seeds from the recipe but otherwise proceed exactly as directed.

KS Quotient

Easy: Fuss-free ingredients; two-stage mixing. No hand-shaping.

½ cup boiling water

½ cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons light or dark molasses

2¾ cups (13.75 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus ½ cup (2.5 ounces), plus more as needed

Generous 1½ teaspoons table salt

¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil or oil spray for loaf top

1 large egg, at room temperature and beaten with a fork

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

First Rise
In a medium bowl, gradually stir the boiling water into the cornmeal until smoothly incorporated. Let cool to warm, then stir in the molasses until evenly incorporated. In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 2¾ cups of the flour, the salt, and yeast. Vigorously stir the ice water into the cooled cornmeal until very smoothly blended. Then vigorously stir the cornmeal mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If too dry to mix completely, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more ice water to blend the ingredients; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be fairly stiff. Brush or spray the top with vegetable oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

Second Rise
Vigorously stir the beaten egg, butter, and remaining ½ cup of flour into the dough. (If desired, use a dough hook and heavy-duty mixer on low speed.) Then vigorously stir in enough more flour to yield a hard-to-stir dough. Using an oiled rubber spatula, lift and fold the dough in towards the center all the way around; this organizes the gluten for forming a loaf. Invert the dough into a generously greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Brush or spray the top with oil. Using the spatula, smooth out the surface and press the dough evenly into the pan. Cover the pan with nonstick spray—coated plastic.

Let Rise Using Any of These Methods
For a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 2-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 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough nears the plastic. Remove it and continue until the dough extends ½ inch above the pan rim.

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

Baking
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, covering the top with foil for the last few minutes if necessary to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes more or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles on the end (or until the center registers 207° to 209°F on an instant-read thermometer). Bake for 5 minutes longer to be sure the center is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto the rack; cool thoroughly.

Serving and Storing

Serve warm, or cool, or toasted; the bread slices best when cool. Cool thoroughly before storing in plastic or foil. Keeps at room temperature for up to 3 days. May be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.