Thursday, June 17, 2010

No-Knead Parmesan Bread

Oh goodness, I love baking bread. The whole apartment smells amazing and fresh, and it improves any dish you serve it with. I even love the way the dough looks as it's rising! When it's cooled enough to cut into and taste, the crust crunches perfectly and is better than anything store bought.
All that aside, homemade breads I don't have to knead are good by me, and that's why I love this recipe so much. Not only does the Parmesan cheese melt into the bread, leaving little cheesy holes of tastiness, but there's a bit of spice due to the ground pepper that's mixed in. In addition, this dough is left to rise on its own for a good 12-18 hours, making it the most effortless bread recipe I've ever seen! Although it does require a good deal of patience (there are over 14 hours of rest time for the dough), it's great if you want to put minimal effort into homemade goods. Just start the dough before you go to sleep on a Friday night, check on it before you run your errands on Saturday, and bake it later that afternoon.

Parmesan No Knead Bread (from Williams-Sonoma)
3 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese cubes (1/4 inch chunks)
Cornmeal as needed

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, pepper, and both cheeses. Add 1 1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. warm water and stir until blended (you can use your hands; I know I did); the dough should be shaggy and thick. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles, 12-18 hours.
2. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle dough with a bit of flour and fold dough onto itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth, just cheesecloth or plain cotton), with cornmeal. Put dough on towel and dust with a bit more cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise until dough is doubled in size, about 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and place 3 quart cast iron pot in oven for 30 minutes.
5. Carefully remove pot from oven. Place dough into pot and shake once or twice to evenly distribute dough. Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until loaf is browned, 15-30 minutes longer.
6. Transfer pot to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Using oven mitts, turn pot on side and turn bread onto rack. Let cool until you can't wait any longer then slice and eat up!

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