Hellraiser

I first read about no-knead bread in Jeffrey Steingarten's almost-impossible to believe article in Vogue (which I only buy for the editorial content, of course) but I was distracted by the shoes and soon forgot all about the miracle bread. Then it seemed like everyone was talking about Mark Bittman's no-knead recipe in the NY Times, and being the lemming that I am, how could I not jump off this culinary cliff as well?

My first attempt at No-Knead Bread
Courtesy of Jim Lahey at the Sullivan Street Bakery via Mark Bittman at New York Times

3 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal to (try and) stop the dough from sticking to your towel

In a large bowl whisk to combine the flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 and 5/8 cups of water and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky (mine was wet!). Cover your bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in a warm place for at least 12 hours, and up to 18, but no longer. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.

Now this is the messy bit. Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour and fold it over on itself a couple of times. Now cover it loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface and your fingers, quickly (good luck!) shape the dough into a ball. (Note: mine wouldn't form much more than a blob.) The key to this recipe is in the water content of the dough, so you don't want to be heavy-handed with the extra flour.

Generously coat a tea towel with cornmeal and transfer your dough onto the towel. Dust it with a little more cornmeal and cover with the other half of the tea towel. Let it rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, your dough will almost double in size and will not spring back when gently prodded.

30 minutes before your dough is ready, heat your oven to 450 F. Put a heavy covered pot (I used cast iron) in the oven to heat. When your dough is ready, slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot. It will look a fright. I had to shake the pan a bit to even the dough out.

Cover the pot with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes, until your loaf is browned. Cool on a rack.

Beautiful, no?

Actually, not really.
We served the bread when we had friends over for dinner on Sunday. As I took the bread knife to it, the crust wouldn't yield. Where was the thin, crackly crust I was promised? Mine wasn't just chewy, we needed a chainsaw. The bread itself was somewhat gummy, and slightly blah. Throughout dinner everyone politely had a slice, and the silence that ensued was less appreciative than it was embarassed.

This is what I reckon:
1) 1 and 5/8 cups of water was waaay too much liquid - I forgot to take into account the humidity and the type of flour I use.
2) I got distracted (what is it with me, bread and distractions?) and left the bread in the oven for too long.
3) Also, I wonder if I should have left the dough to rise for longer than 12 hours.

I cannot believe that Mr Steingarten and all the clever foodbloggers I stalk could be wrong, so watch this space for the sequel.