Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads (31 page)
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Authors: Nancy Baggett
Tags: #Cooking
KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Surprisingly well-textured, moist, and flavorful. No hand-shaping.
To put it kindly, some gluten-free breads have an "unusual" flavor and consistency. But this moist, springy loaf seems so normal and appealing that many tasters won't even realize it's gluten-free. It goes well with cheeses and smoked meats and is excellent for both sandwiches and toast. Though completely "ryeless," it has a pleasant sour rye taste, owing to the caraway seeds, molasses, and yogurt. The yeast also lends flavor and some lift. Baking powder leavens some, too.
This loaf is fairly simple to make once the various gluten-free ingredients are on hand. All are readily obtainable in the gluten-free sections of health food stores as well as in some large supermarkets.
Yield: 1 large loaf, 12 to 14 slices
1 2/3 cups white rice flour, divided, plus more as needed
¾ cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup flax seed meal or golden flax seed meal
2 tablespoons caraway seeds, divided
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1¼ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1½ cups ice water
1/3 cup corn oil or canola oil, plus more for coating pan
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup plain low-fat or regular yogurt, drained of excess liquid
2½ teaspoons baking powder
First Rise
In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 1 cup of the rice flour, the brown rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour, flax seed meal, 1½ tablespoons of the caraway seeds, the xanthan gum, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the water, oil, and molasses, then vigorously stir into the bowl with the flours, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing until well blended. If the dough is too stiff to blend together, stir in just enough water to facilitate mixing, but don't over-moisten, as it should be fairly firm. If necessary, add more rice flour to firm it. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let stand at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. It's all right if this dough doesn't rise much.
Second Rise
In a small deep bowl, whisk the egg until smooth. Set aside 1 tablespoon for glazing the dough top. Stir the yogurt, baking powder, and 2/3 cup of white rice flour into the remaining egg. Vigorously stir the mixture into the dough until very well blended. If it is soft, stir in enough more white rice flour to yield a fairly stiff dough, scraping down the bowl. Turn the dough out into a well-greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Brush the top with oil, then smooth out the surface with an oiled rubber spatula. Evenly brush on the reserved egg. Sprinkle with the remaining caraway seeds. Using well-oiled kitchen shears, make a ½-inch-deep slash lengthwise down the loaf. Cover the pan with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap.
Let Rise Using Either of These Methods
For a 2½- to 4-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1½- to 3-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water. When the dough nears the plastic wrap, remove it and continue until the dough 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.
Baking
Bake on the lower rack for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned; cover with foil if needed to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes longer or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to the bottom (or until the center registers 206° to 208°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer to ensure the center is baked through. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto the rack; cool thoroughly.
Serving and StoringThe loaf slices best when cool, but the bread is good served warm or at room temperature. Cool completely before storing airtight in plastic or foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
Proceed exactly as directed for Gluten-Free Faux Rye Bread, except reduce the caraway seeds added to the dough to 1 teaspoon and add in 1 teaspoon anise seeds and 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest. Garnish the loaf top with ½ teaspoon each caraway seeds and anise seeds.
Proceed exactly as directed for Gluten-Free Faux Rye Bread, except add 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted after measuring) to the flour mixture. Add 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar and 1 cup dark, seedless raisins (rinsed and well drained) with the water-molasses mixture.
Chapter 7: Sweet Breads and Gift Breads
When most people think of yeast breads, peasant
rounds and sandwich loaves come to mind first, but enticing coffeecakes and festive sweet breads can be made with yeast, too. In fact, some of the most traditional holiday cakes—panettone and Mardi Gras King's cake—are actually rich yeasted breads.
Besides being aerated with yeast, the cakes and coffeecakes here differ from chemically leavened cakes in that the doughs tend to be less sweet. Yeast organisms don't grow well in the presence of a lot of sugar because as the sugar dissolves, it draws up water the yeast organisms need. More than about 2 tablespoons of sugar per cup of flour can cause yeast dehydration, even though the dough may still look very moist. So, don't be tempted to just toss in extra sugar, and follow the directions for incorporating it carefully.
It is possible to increase the level of sweetness by adding honey to a dough, or by tucking a sweet filling inside it. Another easy approach is to top the finished bread or cake with a sweet icing or glaze.
In addition to a nice selection of coffeecakes and yeasted cakes, check out the gift bread recipes at the end of the chapter. These feature easy, ready-to-use bread mixes that are attractively layered in clear jars. The recipients of these gift kits simply add water and oil and stir to create a delectable loaf of homemade bread.
KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Two-stage mixing. Some hand-shaping required.
Shaped like a large, oval doughnut and gaudily decorated with alternating sections of Carnival colors (purple, green, and yellow), the yeast bread known as King's Cake is one of New Orleans' many popular Mardi Gras traditions. The "cake" is an indulgence traditionally enjoyed on the Twelfth Night (the eve of Epiphany, which begins the twelfth day after Christmas) and up until Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The name references the custom of tucking a coin, miniature china doll, nut meat, or other small tidbit in the cake before baking and declaring whoever happens upon it the king of the next Mardi Gras ball. The King's Cake, sometimes also called Twelfth Night cake, actually dates to the Carnival celebrations of medieval Europe, where the notion of serendipitously becoming nobility was even more entertaining than it is today.
Both home and commercial bakers now prepare the
Gateau du Roi,
and many are shipped around the country for those wishing to participate in Mardi Gras from afar. Good-quality versions feature a light, not too sweet brioche, often flavored with citrus zest and spice. Some bakers go all out with the toppings, adding not only the traditional bands of icing or colored sugars, but bits of candied cherries or bright nonpareils for a jewel-studded look. (My grandchildren are always in favor of the heavy décor.) Since this is a Carnival-time treat, it's really impossible to be too fanciful or go too far over the top! Incidentally, both the loaf shaping and decorating are much easier than you might think.
Yield: 12 to 15, 2- to 2½-inch servings
2½ cups (12.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus 1 cup (5 ounces), plus more as needed
7 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1¼ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1 1/3 cups ice water, plus more if needed
Corn oil or canola oil, for coating dough top
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/3 cup good-quality instant nonfat dry milk (don't use a generic brand)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled just slightly
Grated zest (yellow part of the skin) of 1 large lemon
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pecan half (or other small edible gift to insert in the cake)
1 tablespoon whole or reduced-fat milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted after measuring
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons water, as needed
¼ cup each purchased yellow, green, and purple decorating sugar (or prepare your own using the sidebar recipe )
Candied cherries, candy dots, or nonpareils, optional
First Rise
In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 2½ cups of the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the salt, and yeast. Vigorously stir in the water, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing until the dough is thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to blend together, stir in just enough more ice water to facilitate mixing, but don't over-moisten, as it should be firm. If the mixture is soft, stir in enough more flour to make it firm, but not hard to stir. Evenly brush or spray the top lightly with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
Second Rise
In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk the eggs and yolk together. Remove 2 tablespoons and set aside in a small cup, covered, for garnish. Lightly whisk the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, dry milk, butter, lemon zest, and nutmeg into the egg mixture. Vigorously stir the egg mixture into the dough until thoroughly and evenly incorporated. (If preferred, use a dough hook and heavy stand mixer on low speed.) Stir or beat in the remaining 1 cup of flour until completely smooth; this will take several minutes. The dough should be stiff; if necessary, add in enough more flour to yield a hard-to-stir dough, then scrape down the bowl sides carefully.
Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Coat the parchment with nonstick spray, then dust with flour. Turn out the dough onto the center of the parchment, then dust with more flour and shape into a round. Push the pecan half (or other tidbit) down into the dough, carefully covering it up; it will be discovered by a lucky eater. With a well-oiled spatula or fingertips, form a hole in the center of the dough and work it outward until the dough forms a 15 x 12 x 3-inch oval doughnut with a 4-inch-wide center opening. Use the spatula or fingertips to work the inner circle of the dough to create a smooth, attractive edge and dust the dough with flour as needed to reduce stickiness. Brush or spray the top with oil and tent 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; 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 nearly doubles from the deflated size. Carefully remove the foil.
Baking Preliminaries
20 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°F. Whisk the reserved egg mixture together with the milk. Brush the dough surface evenly with the egg wash, wiping up any drips.
Baking
Bake on the lower rack for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned. Cover with foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles on the end (or until the center registers 206° to 207°F on an -instant-read thermometer). Let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the icing: In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and 1½ tablespoons water until smooth and well blended. Gradually add more water or more sifted powdered sugar to obtain a pourable but not runny consistency. Working in sections, pour the icing over the cool cake top, quickly spreading it over the surface and then sprinkling with colored sugar; work quickly so the icing doesn't dry before the sugar is added. Add the sugars in alternating yellow, purple, and green bands (using each color four or five times conveniently divides the cake into 12 or 15 servings). If desired, add small nonpareils by sprinkling over the top; add cherries or candy dots by lightly dipping them in the icing and then pressing into place on the cake.
Serving and StoringServe warm or at room temperature. Cool completely before storing airtight in a cake keeper or plastic container. Keeps at room temperature for up to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
To Make Colored SugarsFor each color, put ¼ cup granulated sugar in a small resealable plastic bag; add two drops of liquid food color, seal, and squeeze until thoroughly blended. For purple, combine a drop of red and blue first, then mix with the sugar. Let the sugars stand to dry out slightly before using if they seem wet.
