The concept of overnight/no knead breads is not new but they are popular these days. I have shown a few here this year, usually made with specialty flours. I am not expecting everyone to pop out to their closest organic mill, so when I finished up a batch of yoghurt, I thought I would use the whey in a simple all purpose loaf to encourage not pouring it down the drain and to have a post to celebrate Homemade Bread Day on November 17! Water is easy to substitute if whey is not handy.
Posting this early to give a few days of planning time.
You will need for one loaf:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whey or water if that is not available
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. yeast
Extras added to a second loaf made at the same time:
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
3 Tbsp. sundried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
Bread, honey and milk/wine are common items used in European offerings to the Gods/Goddesses. Rice and fruits tend to show up more in Asian countries. It is about using the staple foods that grow or are eaten locally, the sharing of your table with the provider of that food. Demeter and Ceres are the Greek and Roman Goddesses of grain. Sil, in the Norse pantheon and Cerridwen in the Celtic also hold strong associations with grain. Having grains meant having life as they could be easily stored for times of lack.
” In my kitchen filled with care, I welcome, Earth, Fire, Water, Air ” is an appropriate invitation to bread making as all of these elements are needed to be successful.
In a medium sized bowl add the flour, salt and yeast ( and any other dry additions you are using ). Stir once or twice with a spoon.
I am making a double recipe here, one plain and one with extra; parmesan, sundried tomatoes and thyme.
Add the whey to the dry ingredients and stir.
It will start out dry and moisten as the whey incorporates into the flour.
Do not overwork the dough. No kneading required and because of that the work of creating gluten is done in the time the dough sits.
For that reason the dough will not feel the same as when bread dough has been worked, either by hand or with a dough hook. This is more like patting or forming the dough.
Wipe down the sides of the bowl to ensure the bowl is as clean as possible, cover and place in a warm location for approximately 12 hours.
I covered everything in a blanket and placed it infront of the gas fireplace overnight. Away from drafts in the oven will work as well.
My grandfather had a cardboard box he built over his gas stove and the warmth of the pilot flame was enough to keep his dough in heaven.
Truly anything from 10 – 18 hours will be fine for the yeast to work, so there is no need to stress about the timing.
Do what you need to do to keep just enough heat that the dough is cozy and not chilled during cooler winter months.
It is going to happily bubble away all night. In the morning the dough will be very loose and tend to slither rather than sit.
Cover a counter with a bit of extra flour and let the dough gently fall on top. You might need to turn it a couple of time to get flour all the way around so flouring or oiling your hands can be helpful.
The addition of the grated parmesan makes that dough a little firmer. The plain dough is moister and happily unfolded itself, slinking down on the counter when poured out of the bowl.
If you have never made this style of bread before, do not panic. It will be alright in the end.
See Below!
Let the dough rest for a hour on the counter, away from drafts.
Up until now I have always baked casserole breads by placing the dough directly into the preheated casserole container.That can make for a thick layer of crust which is not everyones favourite option.
This time I decided to line the bowl with parchment paper and that also created a lovely crust just thinner. I think that will be an ongoing step for me now. Preform the parchment paper before putting the bowls into the oven.
I say bowl as I have a pyrex one that is just the right size and height that I like to use with a plate on top to act as the lid. A casserole with matching top will work as well. Push and crease and tweak so that the papers will sit nicely and then put the parchment paper aside.
At 30 minutes into the dough sitting time, turn the oven on to 450 degrees F. Once the oven is hot, place the baking container and its lid into the oven to heat until the hour is up. Remove the baking/casserole dishes carefully as they will be very hot! Place on a heat resistant surface.
Replace the parchment paper into the container without touching the heated surfaces.
Gather up the dough, form it into a loose shaped ball by folding the edges under to give a smooth top. Gently drop the loaf into the center of the parchment paper. Dust with a extra little flour if you would like. Snipping the top will help to give you that cracked artisan look.
I let the plain loaf on the left split on its own and clipped the other one above to show the difference.
Place the lid on top of the bowl and return to the oven for 30 minutes. This is the loaf at 30 minutes once the lid has have been removed.
When taking the bowls out of the oven and taking the lids off, be careful to open away from you. The air within the casserole/bowl will be very hot. Return the bread to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
The plain loaf got to hang around for several days and I was very happy to find it stayed moist inside for that entire time, even once cut. It was great as toast and I could easily see it being scooped out for dip.
Another idea is to bake tokens into the bread for games and rituals; clean coins, charms, keys or words wrapped in foil can all be used to celebrate festival days.
This is the plain loaf when the baking is complete. The parchment paper is a one or two time use item when baking bread this way.
The bread will fall from your container easily. Let it cool on a rack before cutting and it is a good idea for the air to be able to get all the way around while cooling. Storing the loaf in a paper bag will keep the crust crisper longer. If you prefer the crust soft, use plastic.
This was the parmesan tomato, thyme version with the clipped top. I gave it away to friends as two cut loaves was a bit much to have around the house.
Just take a pair of scissors and snip a pattern around the top. The dough will then split easily as it bakes.
Once the first cut was made and pictures taken, it was torn in pieces, dipped in vinegar and oil and gobbled up that day.
Overnight White Bread with/out Whey and a Parmesan, Thyme Tomato Option from My Kitchen Wand
Update: This loaf has a mixture of ground pumpkin, flax and sesame seeds with walnuts ( 1 Tbsp. each)
The bread was patted into a rectangle and the chopped seeds spread over the dough then rolled up and allowed to rest for the hour.
Next time I think I would mix in the additions from the start along with the 1/2 cup of wheat germ I substituted for white flour.
Just wanting to add in a little extra nutrition to a white loaf without it being too obvious.
I am pretty sure you have similar things to contend with in your home from time to time so a little experimenting is good.
