Hi friends,
Did you know I love bread? If you follow me on Instagram, you probably do. I spent all of last year making sourdough, and if it wasn’t for the fact that my starter never recovered from an extended holiday in the fridge I would still be making it now. As much as I love it, I frankly cannot be bothered to cultivate another starter from scratch, so I am currently on a mission to replicate loaves I love with commercial yeast.
This is not a traditional yeasted bread recipe, as it has a low amount of yeast, does not require kneading, and has a high hydration. It works because: a) gluten strands develop naturally when you mix water and flour, even without kneading, b) yeast is all around us, so a tiny bit of commercial yeast will prompt the dough to harness wild yeasts in the air/flour/water/etc, and c) a high water content promotes bacterial activity, ie the fermentation using said wild yeasts. It also makes for a really delicious, moist crumb. Basically, if you give a dough time, it will do all the work for you.
Honestly this takes so little active time that it seems pointless to suggest music, but maybe you can listen to this podcast while the bread bakes and you wash the bowl? My friend Katie recommended it to me at work on Monday, and I have since listened to all of it:
No Knead Seeded Loaf
150g mixed seeds (I used a mixture of pumpkin, sesame, sunflower and linseeds)
400g wholegrain flour (spelt or kamut/khorasan work well)
level 3/4 tsp dry active yeast (about 1g)
pinch of sugar
340g water
8g salt (I use Maldon)
Put the seeds in a bowl and add boiling water until they are just covered. Leave to cool completely. (This is so they don’t absorb the water which is there to hydrate your flour and ensure a moist crumb.)
Combine the yeast, sugar and 100g water in a large mixing bowl, stir and leave to reactivate. You will see bubbles appear at the top, this will take approx. 10min.
Add the flour, seeds, salt and remaining water and mix well. Make sure there are no dry bits left at the bottom and the seeds are evenly distributed.
Cover with a piece of clingfilm (I use a shower cap so I can reuse it!) and leave on the counter at room temperature.
Approximately 5hrs later, it should have grown by about half its original size. Give it a quick mix and recover.
Another 5hrs later, grease a 2lb loaf tin - I like to use butter, it will give the crust a really delicious flavour. Preheat your oven to 220c/200c fan/GM 6.
Wet your hand and scoop out the mix and into the loaf tin. With your hand still wet, smooth over the top, gently pressing it down into the tin - the mix should come up roughly 3cm under the edge of the tin. Use your finger at an angle to smooth down the edges, so that the mix is domed towards the centre.
Cover again and pop in the fridge until the dough has risen to the top of the tin on the sides, and is above the edge of the tin in the centre.
Dust the top with flour, then bake in the preheated oven for 20min.
Turn down the oven to 200c/180c fan/GM 4 and bake for another 20min, until the bread is deep golden on top, the loaf comes away from the tin at the sides and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Leave to cool completely before cutting - it is still cooking while hot!
Do try this bread, it’s so easy! And you can change the seeds to suit your taste, or maybe even switch them out for dried fruit. I’m keen to try this again with cooked lentils/grains, so will report back.
Mia
PS: If you’re not sure how big your loaf tin is, set it on scales and fill it with water - that will give you a rough volume measurement in grams.