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Kneadlessly Simple San Francisco Style Sourdough Bread

The recipe for this bread comes from Nancy Baggett’s Kneadlessly Simple, a book I rewieved here.

Ingredients:
496 g all-purpose unbleached flour (+ more as needed)
9 g salt (the bread wasn’t quite salty enough to my taste. Next time I’ll use 2% of the total amount of flour indicated in the recipe, including the flour in the starter, i.e. 13 g)
1/4 tsp instant yeast (I used SAF)
12 g corn oil, canola oil or other flavorless vegetable oil + more for coating dough and pan
368 g wild yeast sourdough starter (hydration 100%)
350 g ice water (water chilled to around 50 F/10 C by adding ice cubes)

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, salt and yeast
  2. In another bowl or measuring cup, whisk the oil and starter into the water
  3. Vigorously stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If too dry, stir in just enough ice water to be able to incorporate the flour but don’t overdo it as the dough should be very stiff (conversely, if necessary, add more flour)
  4. Brush or spray the dough with oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap
  5. If desired, for best flavor or convenience, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 to 10 hours
  6. Then let rise at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours. If convenient, vigorously stir the dough once partway through the rise (I forgot to do that part)
  7. When ready for the second rise, vigorously stir the dough, adding more flour as needed to make it very stiff and hard to stir (as I couldn’t bring myself to do that, I more or less stopped following the author’s instructions at this point and proceeded my usual way. I still did steps 8 and 9 however)
  8. Then using a well-oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center, working your way all around the bowl (which will help organize the gluten)
  9. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes
  10. Invert the dough on a lightly floured counter, sprinkle the dough with flour and pre-shape it into a boule (ball)
  11. Let it rest for 20 minutes under a damp cloth
  12. Shape it into a tighter boule and place this boule into a floured cloth-covered basket (probably because I hadn’t added flour as recommanded by the author, the dough wasn’t stiff enough to rise by itself on a baking sheet)
  13. Place the basket into a large clear plastic bag, blow in the bag and close it tightly. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or 4 to 24 hours in the fridge (I chose to let it rise overnight in the fridge)
  14. On the day of the baking, take the loaf out of the fridge and invert it onto a semolina-covered parchment paper and then to a Dutch oven lined with parchment paper (I use a 5-quart Lodge cast-iron oven but Pyrex or any large enough other covered ovenproof dish would work too). Do not cut the paper to the diameter of the Dutch oven as you will need the extra paper to carry the loaf into and out of the Dutch oven as on a sling
  15. Sprinkle some flour on the loaf, then score it in a tick-tack-toe pattern
  16. Close the Dutch oven and place it into the cold oven (once again, this is not the author’s method, but mine) and turn the oven on to 470 F/243 C. Bake for 45 minutes
  17. Take the Dutch oven out of the oven, get the bread out of it (lifting it on both sides using the paper as a sling) and set it back in the oven, without the paper, directly on the baking stone (if using)
  18. Lower the oven temperature to 440 F/227 C and bake for another 15 minutes (tenting the top of the loaf with foil to avoid overbrowning if necessary)
  19. Take the loaf out of the oven and check its internal temperature with an instant thermometer. If it has reached 204 F/ 96 C, it is ready. If not, put it back in the oven for another few minutes (taking care to protect the top with foil)
  20. When the bread is done, take it out of the oven and set it to cool on a rack before slicing it.

This bread didnt taste like the one I had several times in San Francisco but I like it better that way as I am not a huge fan of the famous San Francisco sourdough bread, except when eaten with clam chowder.
But I like the fact that without being exceptionally good, this bread is really tasty (especially after a few hours or the next day as it truly improves with age), that the work involved is minimal and that, best of all, all I had to wash afterward was a couple of bowls and a wooden spoon…

Nantucket Crown

This bread doesn’t have much in common with the quaint island that lies off the coast of Cape Cod. Rather it takes its name from the blend of dried fruit and nuts I used, which is sold at Costco under the name “Nantucket Blend”.
You will notice that, being calorie-conscious, I used very little of this blend, just enough to give the bread its fruity and nutty flavor.
Since this loaf contains 70% whole-grain flours, I added a bit of yeast to the starter. I could probably have done without but then I would have had to make the fermentation a while longer.

Ingredients:

  • 250 g white whole wheat flour
  • 150 g all-purpose unbleached flour (I use Whole Foods 365 Organic)
  • 50 g sorghum flour (spelt or kamut flour can be substituted) 
  • 50 g dark rye flour
  • 50 g coarse yellow cornmeal 
  • 300 g water 
  • 170 g liquid starter 100% hydration
  • 55 g Nantucket blend (or other)
  • 26 g raw wheat germ
  • 11 g salt
  • 12 g almond oil (canola or sunflower oil can be substituted)
  • 4 g instant yeast (I use SAF)

Method:

  1. Put all the ingredients (except the fruit & nut) in the bread machine in the order specified by the manufacturer (in mine, liquid ingredients must go first)
  2. Select and start the dough program
  3. Check the consistency of the dough as it is being kneaded (for best results, reserve a tenth of the water at the beginning and add it or not according to the needs of the dough)
  4. When the machine beeps, add the fruit and nut mixture
  5. Let the dough program run its course till the end of the rising period
  6. Take the dough out of the machine and divide it into 8 equal pieces
  7. Pre-shape each of these pieces into a rough boule (ball) and let rest 20 minutes under a damp towell
  8. Shape each piece into a boule and put the 8 boules in a circle on a baking sheet covered with semolina-sprinkled parchment paper
  9. Put the baking sheet in a big clear plastic bag, blow into the bag once and close it tightly
  10. Let rise at room temperature for about an hour and a half
  11. Twenty minutes before baking time, turn on the oven (450 F/246 C)
  12. Put in a baking stone with an empty metal pan on the rack below it
  13. Before baking, score or stencil the loaves (or do both as on the photo) and pour a cup of cold water in the hot metal dish (taking care to avoid getting the steam in your face or on your hands)
  14. Open the oven again and slide the crown (still on the parchment paper) directly onto the baking stone
  15. Spray the oven heavily with water (taking care not to aim at the lamp to avoid cracking) and close the oven
  16. Spray again two minutes later, then lower the oven temperature to 450 F/232 C and do not open the oven for the next 30 to 35 minutes
  17. Take the loaf out of the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

This loaf would look good with a buffet-style dinner, or even at Easter on the brunch table. Each of the “little” boules is big enough to be thinly sliced and served with a runny goat cheese or with a Brie or camembert. It is also very good at breakfast with butter and honey or jam.

No-knead garlic parmesan bread

This recipe is one of several I tried in Nancy Baggett’s Kneadlessly Simple book. I am not a huge fan of no-knead breadmaking as I don’t mind the kneading (especially since I am the lucky owner of a bread machine, which means that, when I don’t have the time or energy to knead by hand, I just throw all the ingredients in the machine, select the dough cycle and let the machine take care of the temperature, the mixing and, sometimes, the first rise).
But I still find Baggett’s book rather amazing as it manages time and again to produce great breads with minimum effort.
While in most of her other recipes, I replaced the yeast with sourdough starter (with very good results), in this one, I stuck to yeast. The only thing I changed is the way I baked the loaf. From step 17 on, I reverted to my usual way of doing things.
Whenever possible, I like to put the dough in a cold Dutch oven which I cover and put in a cold oven which I then turn on. It saves on the energy bill and it is better for the environment than preheating. It also saves me the trouble of creating steam as the dough self-steams inside the Dutch oven.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil 
  • 10 g freshly grated Parmesan + 2 tbsp for garnish
  • 570 g unbleached all-purpose flour (I use Whole Foods 365 organic)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 3.5 g instant yeast (I use SAF)
  • 500 g ice water + more if needed

Method:

  1. Peel off the papery outer skin from the garlic but do not separate the cloves. Cut across the top portion to display the flesh inside. Discard the cut-off portion
  2. Put 1 tbsp of olive oil in a small ovenproof dish, dip the cut side of the garlic in the oil, then turn the head cut-side up, place in the cup and cover the cup with foil
  3. Bake in a preheated 350 F/177 C oven for 35 to 45 minutes
  4. Let cool, then squeeze or scrape the garlic from the cloves into a medium bowl
  5. Add 10 g of Parmesan and thoroughly mash with a fork to form a paste
  6. Reserve (this paste can be made several days ahead and refrigerated; it would need to be brought back to room temp and stirred before using)
  7. In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, salt and yeast
  8. Vigorously stir the water and the garlic mixture into the bowl until the ingredients are thoroughly blended
  9. If too dry, stir in just enough water to blend the ingredients but don’t overmoisten as the dough should be very stiff (add flour if necessary to stiffen it)
  10. Brush or spray the top with olive oil
  11. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 12 to 18 hours (I put it in the fridge overnight)
  12. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. If convenient, vigorously stir the dough once partway through the rise (I forgot to do that)
  13. Using an oiled rubber spatula, lift and fold the dough in towards the center, working all the way around the bowl, taking care not to deflate it. Brush or spray with olive oil. Re-cover with plastic wrap
  14. Let rise at warm room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours or if preferred, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours (I refrigerated overnight again)
  15. Then set out at room temperature and let rise until the dough doubles from the deflated size, removing the plastic as the dough nears it
  16. Put a rack with a baking stone on it in the lower third of the oven
  17. Here is where I didn’t do what the recipe says, which is to oil a Dutch oven and heat it in the oven. I just took the dough out of the bowl, inverted it on a piece of parchment paper and, using the paper as a sling, lifted the loaf and put it into a cold Dutch oven
  18. I sprayed it with water and sprinkled the 2 tbsp of Parmesan over the top
  19. I put the covered Dutch oven in the cold oven and turned the oven on (475 F/246 C)
  20. I baked for 30 minutes at 475 F/246 C, then reduced the temperature to 425 F/218 C)
  21. After 10 more minutes, I took the loaf out of the Dutch oven, removed the parchment paper and set the loaf directly on the baking stone
  22. Then I let it bake until golden. When golden, I tented it with foil and continued with the baking until it reached an internal temperature of 207 to 208 F/97 to 98 C on an instant-read thermometer
  23. Then I took it out and let it cool on a wire rack.

Rustic rye mini-loaves with anise seeds

I know that spring has arrived in Europe but here, my gosh, March came in roaring like a lion (to paraphrase Mayor Bloomberg of New York City). It snowed huge clouds of white fluff, the wind is howling in the creaking trees and tonight will be bitterly cold.
So our little primroses remain inside on the window sills from which they like to contemplate the frost. For us, who don’t like it as much (although it is pretty, I must admit), I whipped up my magic wand (my 4-year old granddaughter was watching Cinderalla at the time and I felt I had to do something to impress her) and made rustic mini-loaves or honeycakes. Their fragrance filled up the house with dreams of other times, other seasons, other places…

The little ones loved them. Sophia (the 4-year old) even put big pieces in her cereal bowl and said they were delicious with milk. I tried and she’s right. It’s an awesome combination. The grown-ups like them too, especially the Man who, being born in Belgium, is a big fan of pain d’épice in all its guises. And what are these little loaves if not the rustic cousins of the French and Belgian honeycakes we grew up with? They are very comforting with a hot cup of tea.

Ingredients:

  • 140 g dark rye flour
  • 120 g all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 20 g of white whole wheat flour (if you don’t have any, don’t replace it by regular whole wheat flour. In combination with the rye, the taste would be too strong. Just add another 20g of the all-purpose flour)
  • 2 tbsp roasted almond butter
  • 200 g honey
  • 100 g liquid starter (100% hydration)
  • 100 g almond milk
  • 5 g ground anise seeds
  • 2 g each ground pepper, ginger, clove and cinnamon
  • 3 g salt

Method:

  1. Heat up the milk and melt the honey in it
  2. Turn on the oven ( 350 F/177 C)
  3. Add the almond butter to the milk and honey and mix well
  4. Mix the flours, the salt and the spices in a big bowl
  5. Add the starter
  6. Add the milk-almond butter and honey mixture. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated
  7. Spoon the batter into tiny pans (I used a mini-loaf pan sheet which I bought in France but I could have used mini-muffins pans). Mine do not need to be greased but muffin pans sometimes do. So check before spooning the batter
  8. Bake for 30 or 35 minutes. Turn off the oven. Take the loaves out of the pans and put them back in the oven for 5 minutes in case the sides are still a bit pale
  9. Cool down a bit on a cooling rack before devouring them with a nice spoonful of fragrant honey