Slow-Rise, No-Knead Light Wheat (Or White) Bread
"This is an adaptation of the now-famous slow-rise No-Knead Bread; the difference is that this version makes a lightweight American-style loaf. I have not made this yet but will give it a shot this weekend.
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Note that you can also use all white flour instead of the white/wheat combination.
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UPDATE: I made the part-whole wheat version and it is quite nice, although I had to tent it with foil to prevent over-browning on top. It's a little crumbly, so maybe not ideal for sandwiches, but quite nice for toast!
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From The Washington Post, Nov. 28 2007."
- Ready In:
- 18hrs 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 9
- Yields:
-
1 loaf
- Serves:
- 16
ingredients
- 3 cups white bread flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 1⁄8 teaspoon fast rising yeast
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups water, room-temperature
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1⁄2 tablespoon whole wheat flour
directions
-
For the first stage:
- Thoroughly combine the flours, sugar, salt and yeast in a 3-quart or larger bowl; mix with a large spoon.
- Add the butter or oil and water, stirring vigorously until well combined; the dough may be stiff.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a greased flexible spatula.
- Drizzle the dough top with about a teaspoon of melted butter or oil; use a pastry brush or your fingertips to spread it evenly over the dough.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at a room temperature of about 70 degrees or cooler for 12 to 18 hours.
-
For the second stage:
- Vigorously stir the dough until it deflates.
- Generously coat a 9-by-5-inch or similar large (1 3/4- to 2-quart) loaf pan with nonstick cooking oil spray.
- Turn out the dough into the pan.
- Drizzle the melted butter or vegetable oil over the loaf top, then spread it out with a pastry brush or your fingertips until the surface is evenly coated and looks smooth.
- Sift about 1/2 tablespoon flour evenly over the loaf top.
- Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap.
-
For a “regular” rise:
- Let stand at room temperature for 45 to 75 minutes or until the dough nearly reaches the pan rim.
- (The time will vary considerably depending on the temperature of the room and the length of the first rise.).
- Gently remove the plastic.
- Let it stand until the dough top rises 1/4 inch above the rim.
-
For a “quick” rise:
- Place a microwave-safe cup containing 1 cup of water in a rear corner of the microwave oven.
- Microwave for 2 minutes, until the water almost boils.
- Put the loaf in the microwave oven as far from the water as possible.
- Let it rise 30 to 50 minutes, or until the dough nears the pan rim.
- Gently remove the plastic.
- Continue the rise until the dough top is 1/4 inch above the rim.
-
For baking:
- Position an oven rack in the middle third of the oven; preheat to 425 degrees.
- Gently transfer the pan to the oven; jarring can cause deflating.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the loaf is well browned on top and sounds hollow when thumped with a finger.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for several minutes, then run a knife around the loaf to loosen.
- Transfer the loaf to the rack and let it cool completely before cutting it or storing in an airtight container.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I am a web producer and copy editor at an online newspaper.
Many of my favorite foods are down-home Southern comfort food like my grandmother and mother made, but I also live in an ethnically diverse area and have been able to learn a lot about different styles of cooking. I especially like Asian, Mediterranean and Indian food.
I'm working on learning to cook Indian food and I'm discovering that, like most traditional cuisines, it involves a lot of long complicated processes and a lot of intuition and background knowledge on the part of the cook. Hope I can begin to grasp some of that knowledge eventually.
