Whole Wheat Bread

When we visit Robert and Judy, we often get to sample Robert's latest delicious homemade bread.  Robert shared with me the NYTimes recipe he follows for no-knead bread. He uses this recipe (also below, with whole wheat) with all whole-wheat flour, but suggested that I use some white flour the first time. I bought a 6 qt enamel dutch this week for this purpose, using it for the first time yesterday to make a yummy mushroom white bean gratin. Today I gave the bread a go. It turned out great! Definitely doing this again. 

Notes: 1/4 tsp yeast is enough for slow rise white; Robert suggested 1/2 tsp for heavier whole wheat bread, or even1 tsp yeast if you want to try shorter rise time (e.g., 10-hour instead of 18 hr). He also adds some flax meal and tries a mix of a few different flours.

Ingredients

3 C flour: at least 1/2 C white or oat, rest whole grain; for example:

1 C white flour (or oat flour)
1 C whole wheat flour

1 C whole wheat or rye

2 T flax meal (optional)
1 T honey (optional, food for yeast)

1/2 tsp instant or active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt 
1 5/8 C water (approximately; so the dough is wet but not sticky)

For dusting:
wheat bran
corn meal
rice flour

Parchment paper for transfer to dutch oven

optional additions to dough:
1 C chopped walnuts, OR
2 T finely chopped rosemary
1 C kalamata olives

Time needed: 18 hours + 2 hours + 40 min

Instructions

In a large bowl combine flour, flax meal (if using), yeast and salt. Add water until the dough is shaggy and sticky (no dry spots, but not too wet). Cover bowl with glass lid or plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 hours, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. (Let time do the work - longer is better.) I often put the dough in the oven with the oven light on (just the right amount of heat).

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. See the NY Times video on this page. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down in a batard and dust with more wheat bran or cornmeal. Cover with a cotton towel and let rise for about 2 more hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

A half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.

Place parchment paper on top of the batard and flip dough out onto paper, seam side up. Lift paper with dough and place into the dutch oven.  

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 8-10 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack for about 30 minutes before cutting. Serve with butter!

Gathering the ingredients:

Mixed by hand, just enough to blend (careful not to overmix):

Dough (with walnuts!) resting and rising (covered) for the next 18 hours:

18 hours later... It was nice and stringy. I folded it twice, with flour and bran. Then put in batard (my new fav!) and cover with mom's pastry cloth. to get beautiful circle design:

After 2 hours, flip onto parchment paper:

Lift the parchment paper with dough into the hot cast iron dutch oven, and put the cover on:

30 minutes later remove lid, and then another 8 minutes later remove loaf from oven: