No knead dutch oven bread

[Stinky The Clown]

Yet another purloined recipe ......

A while ago, I scanned the magazine article into PDF format and offered it by e-mail to anyone who wanted it and was willing to share their e-mail address with me. Here is the same recipe, but now right here in C&B for direct and easy saving and printing.

This recipe mentions heat proofing your dutch oven. At issue are the plastic lid handles on the Le Cruset pots. That is what I have and mine is fine, even after a heating in a 500F oven. Anyway, all they suggest is replacing the plastic handle with a metal one. Stainless steel or chromed cast iron/steel cabinet handles (like from Lowes or Home Depot) are ideal for this. Apart from that, the pots can handle this technique just fine. Interestingly, far less expensive pots are better for this. They have integral cast iron lid handles that can take the temps, no problem.

Anyway, here ya go ......

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An enameled cast-iron Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid yields best results, but the recipe also works in a regular cast-iron Dutch oven or heavy stockpot. (See the related information in "Making Your Dutch Oven Safe for High-Heat Baking" for information on converting Dutch oven handles to work safely in a hot oven.) Use a mild-flavored lager, such as Budweiser (mild non-alcoholic lager also works). The bread is best eaten the day it is baked but can be wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.


Ingredients

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces), plus additional for dusting work surface
1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water (7 ounces), at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mild-flavored lager (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon white vinegar


Instructions

1. Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.

2. Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

3. About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge). Cover pot and place in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.


Step-by-Step

1. MIX: Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula.


2. REST: Leave the dough to rest for eight to 18 hours


3. KNEAD: Knead the dough 10 to 15 times and shape it into a ball.


4. LET RISE: Allow the dough to rise for two hours in a parchment paper-lined skillet.


5. BAKE: Place the dough in a preheated Dutch oven and bake it until it's deep brown.



Technique

Bread Sling

Transferring dough to a preheated Dutch oven to bake can be tricky. To avoid burnt fingers and help the dough hold its shape, we came up with a novel solution: Let the dough rise in a skillet (its shallow depth makes it better than a bowl) that's been lined with greased parchment paper, then use the paper's edges to pick up the dough and lower it into the Dutch oven. The bread remains on the parchment paper as it bakes.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. A couple of tips I forgot to add to this recipe ........

Yeast .... make sure it is rapid rise. Regular yeast will not work properly.

When doing the tiny bit of kneading called for in step 2, do not exceed 15 turns. 10 is better. I know this seems silly, but it isn't. Trust me on this.

The non-stick spray thing mentioned in step 2 ...... spray the parchment paper, not the pot. I misread this the first time I made the bread.

The loaf top slashing in step 3 ...... very important. A single blade razor works best. A box cutter works. If you use a knife, make sure it is really sharp. Do not omit this step. It allows the crust to expand and is quite important.

Do let the bread rest after it is done. Even though it appears done, it isn't. During that rest, the interior is still cooking.

[Warpy]

2. My variations

since I'm not a drinker include just mixing a little liquid barley malt (available at health food stores) into slightly warm tap water.

I do the second rise on a silicone mat sprinkled with a little cornmeal. I have a large, shallow pottery bowl that keeps it corralled. I just flip the mat over the Dutch oven and the dough pops right in.

I don't bother with the cut across the top. Mine never much seems to need it.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. I like that barley malt idea

A few have mentioned to me that they prefer not to use the beer. That barley malt's probably a good alternative.

[NMDemDist2]

4. You wanna know one of the many reasons you totally rock??

You have started consistently telling us modifications we can use for non-alcoholic versions of your recipes.

:yourock:


:loveya:

[Mira]

5. I just found this !!!! Thanks - and I know what i'll be trying later today.