Read Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads Online
Authors: Nancy Baggett
Tags: #Cooking
Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads (14 page)
KS Quotient
Easy: Fuss-free ingredients added all at once. Easy hand-shaping.
This golden, crackly-crusted round is reminiscent of the bread so many tourists take a fancy to and tote home from San Francisco: The texture is noticeably, pleasingly chewy, the aroma pungently enticing, and, as the name suggests, the loaf strikes a deliciously sour note. Like the classic loaf that the Boudin Bakery has been turning out since 1849, it is a straightforward, unenriched bread, incorporating no eggs, sugar, or flavor enhancers other than salt and a suitably sour starter.
As purists will immediately note, my recipe does veer off the traditional path in incorporating a little commercial baking yeast. (Some sourdough devotees consider this a capital offense.) I haven't found that it affects the desired sour flavor, and it's a sensible, convenient fail-safe that guarantees success even if your starter doesn't happen to be lively enough to fully lift the bread on its own. (In fact, the practice of boosting starters by adding some commercial yeast to dough before baking it is fairly common in Germany, and even the esteemed French expert on bread, the late Raymond Calvel, noted that a small amount of a commercial strain could be used in a proper sourdough, or pain au levain, without affecting its taste.)
Unlike most of the sourdough bread recipes circulating today, this one calls for baking the bread in a heavy lidded pot. Yes, it better approximates the method of the original California prospectors cooking over open fires, but it also comes much, much closer to producing the crackly, well-colored loaves turned out by the steam-jetted commercial bakery ovens of today. Due to its leanness, classic sourdough bread requires a very moist environment during the first stage of baking for good browning and crisping, and a heavy pot automatically traps the necessary steam inside.
As purists will rightly point out, for an absolutely authentic, City-by-the-Bay boule, you need the local wild yeast starter. However, I've found that using any purchased or homemade tangy sourdough starter in this recipe will yield loaves that roughly approximate the typical San Francisco versions. Additionally, I've experimented with a simplified, much more predictable shortcut cultured starter inoculated with a small amount of commercial "instant" baking yeast (see
Easy Cultured "Sourdough"Starter (with Commercial Yeast)
for the recipe). Though it tastes tamer than starter produced by its wild cousins, once it matures (this takes 10 days or so), it delivers enough tang for a satisfying sourdough-style loaf. Whatever the starter, read
Easy Cultured "Sourdough"Starter (with Commercial Yeast)
on getting it ready to bake bread.
Another even more convenient, "cheater's" alternative (which yields a delicious—though less sour-tasting—bread) is to replace the starter with some plain yogurt (be sure it includes "active cultures") mixed with cider vinegar. This combo instantly introduces a little of the same lactic and acetic acids that account for the zip of typical yeast starters, though the bread is, of course, not a real sourdough.
Yield: 1 large loaf, 12 to 14 slices
3½ cups (17.5 ounces) unbleached white bread flour or unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus more as needed
1¾ teaspoons table salt
¼ to ¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast (use the larger amount if substituting yogurt and vinegar for sourdough starter)
1 tablespoon corn oil, canola oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil, plus more for coating dough top and pan
2/3 cup wild yeast sourdough starter or
Easy Cultured "Sourdough"Starter (with Commercial Yeast)
(or substitute ½ cup chilled plain "active culture" yogurt and 2½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar)
1½ cups ice water, plus more if needed
First Rise
In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk the oil and starter (or yogurt and vinegar) into the water. Vigorously stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides and mixing just until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, 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 very stiff. If necessary, stir in enough more flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with 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 18 to 24 hours. If convenient, vigorously stir the dough once partway through the rise.
Second Rise
Vigorously stir the dough, adding more flour as needed to yield a very stiff and hard-to-stir dough. Then, using a well-oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center, working your way all the way around the bowl; this helps organizes the gluten for shaping a loaf. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Invert the dough so the underside is up. Sprinkle evenly with 3 to 4 tablespoons of flour. Working in the bowl, shape the dough into a ball; roll it in the flour until coated all over; then work in the flour until it holds its shape. Lightly dusting with flour as needed, form the dough into an evenly shaped high-domed 6-inch diameter round by firmly tucking the edges under all the way around; work gently, as the dough is tender and prone to tearing.
Gently transfer the loaf to an oiled 3½- to 4-quart Dutch oven or similar heavy ovenproof pot. Dust the loaf top with more flour, smoothing out evenly. Using a well-oiled serrated knife, make 3 or 4 parallel shallow slashes across the loaf top. Then, working on a diagonal, slash 3 or 4 more lines diagonally across the first set to create a diamond pattern. Brush or spray the dough with oil. Cover the pot with its lid.
Let rise until the dough doubles from its deflated size using any of these methods: Stand at warm room temperature for a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise; or in a turned-off microwave along with a cup of boiling-hot water for a 1- to 2½-hour accelerated rise. Or, for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough doubles in size.
Baking Preliminaries
15 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Generously sprinkle or spray the loaf with water.
Baking
Reduce the heat to 425°F. Bake on the lower rack, covered, for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the loaf is lightly browned and crusty. Uncover and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes more, 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). Then bake for 5 minutes longer to ensure the center is done. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf onto the rack; cool thoroughly.
A Tangy Taste of History:The California sourdough culture, of course, dates back to the Gold Rush, when so many prospectors leavened their crude camp breads and biscuits with a tangy yeast starter that they came to be called "sourdoughs" themselves. The miners relied on the primitive leavening mostly because, unlike other leavening agents, it was easily renewed and maintained in the rugged frontier conditions.
Serving and StoringCut or tear the loaf into portions; it tastes good warm, but will cut much better when cool. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or, to prevent the loaf from drying out, store airtight in a plastic bag or wrapped in foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for a few minutes. The bread will keep at room temperature for 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
Proceed exactly as for San Francisco—Style Sourdough Bread, except reduce the white bread flour to 2½ cups (12.5 ounces) and add 1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour.
KS Quotient
Easy: Minimal ingredients. Super-reliable.
The easiest way to get started with a wild yeast sourdough starter is to beg or borrow a little from somebody who has already a good one bubbling away. For those lacking a necessary personal contact, the King Arthur Flour Company in Vermont is a reliable source for a vigorous, tangy starter that needs only a couple of feedings of water and flour to be ready for use. I've found that it makes an excellent San Francisco—style sourdough loaf, even though the company doesn't claim its starter has a West Coast pedigree! If you feel you must have an actual San Francisco starter, check out
www.sourdoughbreads.com
or other Internet vendors whose sourdough contains the
Candida milleri yeast
and
Lactobacillus sanfrancisco
bacteria.
If you choose to make your own starter, there are two basic ways to go: The purist's approach followed by professional bakers involves setting out a flour-water mixture and hoping that it has the right strains of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. The easier, virtually foolproof (some would say cheater's) approach involves seeding your water-flour mixture with a little commercial instant yeast, which is a "domesticated" cousin of the wild organisms. Since creating a wild yeast, or "spontaneous" starter, is a hit-or-miss proposition, and producing what is technically referred to as a "cultured" starter is quite easy and reliable, it seems appropriate to go the second route in
4Kneadlessly Simple
.
There's no trick to this recipe other than to use bottled spring water or any other pleasant-tasting water, good-quality unbleached all-purpose flour, and a very clean glass bowl, crock, or other container that doesn't react with acid. The mixing, feeding, and maintenance directions below are fairly specific, but in truth they don't have to be followed exactly for success.
It usually takes 10 days from the initial mixing for the cultured starter to yield a noticeably sour loaf. I've made the
San Francisco—Style Sourdough Bread
with a young (5-day-old) homemade starter, and though the bread was delicious, it wasn't really sour. For a very tangy loaf, give the starter a full 14 days.
½ cup (2.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus more for daily and maintenance "feedings"
1/8 teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
About 1/3 cup room temperature bottled spring water or other chlorine-free water, plus more for daily and maintenance "feedings"
To start the starter
In a medium glass bowl or large, wide-mouth jar, thoroughly stir together the flour and yeast. Stir in 1/3 cup water or enough water to yield a gravy-like consistency. Loosely drape a clean tea towel over the top. If possible, stir the mixture with a clean spoon once in a while; aeration causes more rapid development. You'll probably see bubbling whenever you stir. Let the mixture stand overnight at room temperature.
To feed the starter
For the next 3 or 4 days, stir in another 1/3 cup of flour and ¼ to 1/3 cup more spring water daily, stirring once in a while if possible. If the mixture seems to be getting thicker, add the larger amount of water at the feeding. If it's becoming thin, add the smaller amount of water to maintain a gravy-like consistency. The mixture will gradually become more sour tasting and smelling, and may have the aroma of alcohol, too. This means it's maturing.
On the fourth or fifth day pour off and discard about a third of the mixture before feeding the starter with the usual amount of flour and water. Then continue to feed the same way as before, every day for 4 or 5 more days, allowing the quantity of starter to build up again. At this point there will be plenty to bake with and a sufficient maintenance amount left over to store.
To liven and refresh the starter for Baking
Pour off a third of the mixture, then stir in 1 cup flour and ½ to 2/3 cup water. Let the starter stand for at least 4 hours until very bubbly before using it. Then stir it down and measure out the amount you need.
To maintain the starter
Replenish the remaining starter by stirring in the usual ½ cup flour and ¼ cup water or enough to maintain a pancake batter consistency. It's a good idea at this point to transfer the mixture to a large, clean container. Loosely cover it; don't use a tight lid. Once it is bubbly again, transfer it to the refrigerator.
After about a week, stir; then pour off about a third of the mixture; then feed the remainder by stirring in the usual 1/3 cup flour and ¼ cup water. Return it to the refrigerator for another week, and repeat this maintenance feeding weekly.
To revive a refrigerated starter
If left unfed for a long time, the refrigerated starter can become very sour and separate into layers. (You may also find that your sourdough loaves actually come out too sour.) Pour off most of the liquid on top, then give it a feeding (adding extra water if necessary), stir well, and set it out at room temperature. If it doesn't bubble at all, also add a tiny pinch of commercial yeast. Repeat the feedings each day for several days, pouring off some of the buildup, until it is bubbly and less sour again. The revived starter can go back in the refrigerator and kept indefinitely on its weekly maintenance feeding schedule. Pour off some of the old amount every time you feed so the quantity doesn't become too large. It's very rare for a starter to spoil even over years, but if it smells very unpleasant or moldy or has an orange color, it's time to discard it and start fresh.