No-Knead Bread: Baking with Kids
May 04, 2016 in bread, breakfast, family, festive, fresh, homemade, kids, baking, kid friendly. Read the original on: Coco in the Kitchen
Bread has to be one of the first thing humans ever made for food. Beautifully basic, it is a staple at tables across history all over the world. Whenever I thought to toss leftovers from a loaf into the trash, Mom would stop me. It’s a blessing to have bread and we must not waste it. Baking 
bread is one of the most rewarding things to accomplish and most intimidating, at least for me. The kneading, the rising, the waiting, the yeast, (mostly the waiting) all sounds like too much fuss. Then along comes a man by the name of Jim Lahey. He’s essentially streamlined the bread-making process for the home baker with his No-Knead Bread recipe, so easy that a 4-year-old can do it! Mark Bittman of the New York Times explains: “Here is one of the most popular recipes The Times has ever published, courtesy of Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street Bakery. It requires no kneading. It uses no special ingredients, equipment or techniques. And it takes very little effort — only time. You will need 24 hours to create the bread, but much of this is unattended waiting, a slow fermentation of the dough that results in a perfect loaf.â€
This No-Knead Bread has beautiful plump air pockets on the soft, spongy interior encased in a lovely crunchy shell. Are you drooling? Well, you can make it and you really should. No bread machine needed. Just a big bowl and a clean pair of hands, especially those of eager little ones. Making bread the old fashioned way is almost magical, like re-living culinary history. It does require a bit of planning and patience. After dinner tonight, after clearing the table, get the kids to help you start the dough. Then tuck it away for the night and get some shut-eye. By dinnertime tomorrow night, it will be ready to go into the oven and your family will be amazed at your new-found skills as a bread master.
Jim’s original recipe requires no skill, very little effort and produces a rustic French-style boule, a round loaf that resembles a squashed ball, as its name suggests. It’s perfect to make with the kids. The artisanal quality of this no-knead bread will shock you. The only change I made to is the addition of sugar. I also set the radio onto the classical station to serenade the yeast, but this bread turns out fabulous without either. Just don’t be a Colette and forget the salt – it’s crucial to the composition and flavor.
No-Knead Bread
2016-05-04 13:02:59
Serves 8
A perfect round loaf of bread with big air bubbles on the spongy interior wrapped in an irresistibly crunchy shell. This is so easy to make, especially with the kids.
Prep Time
15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Ingredients
- 2 tsp butter for greasing bowl
- 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
- ¼ tsp instant yeast
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups + 2 Tb tepid water
Instructions
- Set the radio onto the classical station (optional, but recommended).
- Lightly grease a bowl with a bit of butter and set it aside.
- In another large bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add water, a bit at a time, and stir until blended; dough will be sticky.
- Gather dough into a ball and transfer to greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70*F.
- Dough is ready when it has doubled in size and 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. 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 tea towel (nothing fuzzy like terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
- At least 30 minutes before dough is ready, heat oven to 450*F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) into the oven and get it screaming-hot.
- When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
- Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.
- Cool on a rack.
- Slice and serve.
Adapted from NY Times
Adapted from NY Times
Coco in the Kitchen http://www.cocointhekitchen.com/
Mother’s Day is coming and I’m recounting precious memories with my sweet Daisy. We love to cook and bake together. This No-Knead Bread is our most recent proud moment in the kitchen. I could easily be happy with just a glass of wine, balsamic, olive oil with a few slices for dinner any night. You need this bread in your life. The crunchy exterior gives way to the most delightful spongy interior with big, air pockets, beautiful crumb structure, as Jim says. Most importantly, this bread-making process sets the scene for quality time with the little ones who are always eager to lend a helping hand, especially in the kitchen where the fruits of their labor are most rewarding.
The post No-Knead Bread: Baking with Kids appeared first on Coco in the Kitchen.
Read the original on: Coco in the Kitchen
Coco in the Kitchen, Colette Zabo
Life's too short to eat bad food. I'm a mommy blogger who tells tall tales and makes quick, fresh dishes that pack a punch of flavor. So, come for the stories, but stay for the food!
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