Monday, November 12, 2012

No-knead Bread, Fast!

Ever been in the mood to make bread but then found out you had to let it "rest" OVERNIGHT!? NO WAY!
 
Crusty exterior with soft light inside, but not to doughy. Great for sandwiches too!
Well, since I'm not the world's best planner when it comes to cooking, do not own (or plan to ever own) a bread machine, this happened to many a times.  Frustrated I set out to find a way to make bread on a whim, and make it without a huge production.

Thus....this simple recipe I perfected after making it only three times!

INGREDIENTS:
3 Cups all purpose flour
1 Tsp Kosher salt
1 1/4-oz envelope RapidRise Highly Active Yeast( I use Fleischmann's)
1 3/4 Cups warm water

REST TIME: 2 hrs
BAKE TIME: 40 mins @ 450 degrees





 MIX all ingredients with a wooden spoon until well combined.  Dough will be sticky.


LET REST for 2 hours in airtight container. I put mine inside my microwave.  It will about double or triple in size. 


KNEAD dough just until bubbles are gone and dough is smooth...about a minute.
At this point you could add flavors like: cheeses, garlic, olives, ect.  This is right before kneading and forming into a loaf. I've only added garlic, but plan to experiment with adding other flavors!

SHAPE into bread shape(s).  You can make one or two loaves. AT THIS POINT, before shaping, you can add other flavors, like pan roasted garlic, kalamata olives, cheeses, ect.

Here I browned some garlic in some EVOO and added it to the dough before baking.
 Here is shaped it into two loaves.

You could also shape into a round shape, as below. To this I added some dried thyme and EVOO right after taking it out of the oven.  Delish!!
 COVER bread loosely with crinkled foil. I crimp the edges of foil to the side of the pan and with a long spoon lift the middle to make a "tent" for  over the bread.  If you skip this you may burn it!
 BAKE  on cookie sheet at 450 for 35 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake 5 more minutes until golden brown.

Result, beautiful and delicious bread with a nice crust and soft inside.  This bread is not so think so you can slice it for sandwiches, or in rounds for crostini! ENJOY!!!




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