Full Sourdough Bread

Honestly, I think 2020 was the year of sourdough bread.  Many folks with extra time on their hands turned to baking bread and sourdough was the choice likely because finding yeast was difficult to find.  Within a couple of weeks, stores were sold out of the packets of yeast.  The larger 1 lb and 2 lb packages of yeast I buy were suddenly unavailable at the warehouse stores and online.  Folks who couldn't find yeast turned to sourdough.

Sourdough bread is almost an art form right from the starter with its own lingo like percent hydration, stretch and fold, lame, tang and etc.  Many lump any bread made with a sourdough starter as sourdough even if they added yeast, sugar or other ingredients.  A true sourdough contains only: starter, flour, water, and salt.  There are some very fundamental differences between a yeast bread and a true sourdough bread.

1. Yeast bread are kneaded to form a smooth dough.  Sourdough is sticky, so it is stretched then folded onto itself every 30 minutes until it holds it shape (about 2-4 hours).
2. Yeast bread is allowed to rise, punched down, shaped then proofed before baking for a total time of about 4 hours if that.  Sourdough is allowed autolyse (about 30 min) after mixing, then the stretched and folded, before being placed in a banneton and allowed to ferment for at least 12 hours but no more than 24 hours.  The final proof is after the slow bulk ferment that can take a few hours before the dough is ready to bake.
3. Yeast breads do not require extra moisture when baking so any baking pan or sheet can be used depending on your desired outcome.  Sourdough bread is either baked in a covered Dutch oven or on a baking sheet with a pan of water on the rack below.
4. Yeast breads start to finish take 3-4 hours.  Sourdough bread takes 24 - 30 hours.
   

 

 

Sourdough Daily Bread

We are incredibly blessed to live in Southwestern Ontario, right in the midst of some of the richest and most productive farmland in Canada.  We are also within a stone's throw of the Great Lakes and several connecting tributaries making locally caught fresh fish available year round.  The area is home to orchards, mushroom farms, cheese factories, flour mills, salt mines, maple syrup bushes, apiarys, and multitude of food producers.  We don't buy meat at a grocery store; we buy a cow from a farmer who takes it to an abattoir for processing.  The vast majority of our food is bought directly from several local farmers or producers.  Essentially, we can acquire most of our food locally grown or produced within a 100 mile radius of our home.  So we have been locavores before it ever became a movement.

Unless you live close to a bakery, the best bread you can get is homemade.  I don't even know the cost of bread in the grocery stores!  However, the most basic homemade bread is made with flour, salt, yeast (or starter) and water so very, very inexpensive even using higher end flours.  Moving up, you might use an egg, milk or milk powder, sugar, honey and any number of seasonings or additives like onion, cheese, raisins and etc. that increase the cost but only by pennies.  Aside of the cost savings, you are getting a more nutritious, higher fiber loaf of bread without preservatives or high fructose corn syrup.  If you make sourdough or sprouted grain breads, you are getting an easier to digest bread.

Our Daily Bread is stone ground organic flour from 1847 Stone Milling, a family run mill outside of Fergus, Ontario.   The McKeown's began by grinding small amounts of flour for their own personal use.  They brought a stone burr flour mill from Austria in 2013 and now produce a variety of high quality flours for their customers.  Their customer service is stellar with fast and friendly shipping! 

Daily Bread is made without fortification, bleaching agents or levelers.  This is their all-purpose flour ground from a blend of hard red wheat and soft red wheat to create a perfectly balanced protein level for everyday baking.  The buttery smooth texture has sweet notes of nougat and subtle notes of Brazil nut.   It can be used in place of unbleached white flour in most recipes.  In fact, I would say all recipes to be honest.  Pie crusts would be a bit darker but also more nutritious if made with Daily Bread flour.

I used Daily Bread flour to make a loaf of sourdough bread.  This flour did not disappoint - such a beautiful flour to work with!  The flour itself is silky smooth.  The dough came together nicely and developed into a smooth dough quickly.  The bread had a nice rise with a bit smaller aeroles than sourdough made with unbleached flour.  Unlike breads made with  regular whole wheat, the texture was quite smooth and lovely!  As you can see, it is a bit darker.  Of note, hubby normally doesn't like a full whole wheat bread but he loved this bread. 

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

I think 2020 easily wins the title Year of the Sourdough!  Everyone was baking sourdough breads and for good reason.  If you run out of yeast and can't get to the store but have plenty of flour on hand, within a week you can have a nice sourdough starter ready to make a wide variety of sourdough delights!  However, there is another reason to use sourdough.  It is easily digested so for those like myself not tolerating commercial breads, sourdough is very well tolerated.  If you have this problem, another bread line to try if you don't like the tang of sourdough is bread made with sprouted flours.   Of note, sprouted flours should not be used for sourdough but both are very good options.

Most folks think of sourdough artisan breads as rustic boules, often with fancy cut lines and for the most part they are.  The aeroles are large, the crust chewy and there's that unmistakable tang.  Sourdough bread does make a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich!

Keeping a sourdough starter means daily feeding that result in sourdough discard.  It's called discard because it is not active enough for bread baking but that doesn't mean you can't use it.  Some folks toss this discard while others bake other goodies with it.  I have two starters which means I have a lot of sourdough discard!  One of the ways I like to use this discard is sourdough sandwich bread.

This particular recipe uses a sourdough levain.  A levain is made using sourdough discard and other ingredients, then left to ripen for 12 hours prior to making the bread.  Unlike the sourdough artisan breads, this bread has no characteristic tang.  It's soft with small aeroles.  The only difference between the two loaves is one was brushed with butter while still hot and the other not.  I wanted to see which one we liked better.  Definitely brushed with butter was the winner!

I tested the bread by making grilled cheese sandwiches.  Mine was filled with two cheeses, swiss chard, red onions and roast beef.  Hubby's was a Monte Cristo (French toast) filled with two cheeses and roast beef slices.  Both sandwiches were amazing!  Of note, this sandwich bread has a higher longevity of close to a week in comparison to artisan sourdough bread that usually lasts three days maximum.  Any leftover sandwich bread can easily be made into croutons or bread crumbs.
 

Whole Wheat and White Quick Rise Breads

In March of 2020, everyone had seen the warnings and were starting to experience the onset of never ending lockdowns.  While toilet paper became a huge premium, sold out in many areas, others were turning to baking.  By the end of March, social media was inundated with pictures of home baked breads.  By mid-April the new found bakers realized that flour and yeast had also become a premium commodity.

I have baked most of our breads for so ever long, mainly due to some serious gastrointestinal issues that are related to preservatives in commercial breads, not the gluten.  Pictured are two quick rise breads - white, whole wheat.  This was a bit newer but not entirely new technique to me.  Essentially, the liquid added is quite warm which gives a kick start to the yeast.  I like to proof my breads in the microwave oven.  It's a great proofing box.  The bread is then baked in a dutch oven giving the crust a unique texture.  While these do look like sourdough they aren't because there is no sourdough starter used and the rise is solely dependent on added yeast.  However, for those having issues with commercial breads, the white only has: wheat, yeast, salt and water while the whole wheat has : wheat, yeast, salt, local honey and water.

The rise in both breads was lovely with well formed aveoli.  The crumb was quite lovely as well.  The flavour was delightful.  I always pair local honey with whole wheat to give  bit better rise.  The flavours just meld together so nicely.  Both breads make for amazing grilled cheese sandwiches the next day.

40% Whole Wheat Cheese Bread (No Knead)

Part of the beauty of artisan breads is their rustic charm.  It is immediately apparent that artisan breads are not mass produced.  The loaves are never perfectly shaped adding to the eye appeal.  The tops usually have some type of coating whether is be simply plain flour or rolled oats.  Unfortunately if buying an artisan bread in a bakery, you may not get to see the crumb (interior pore formation) prior to bringing it home to cut, but that crumb certainly will not disappoint.  Unlike mass produced breads, the ingredients for artisan breads are simple and unpretentious.  All that is needed for a good loaf of artisan bread is flour, salt, yeast and water.  That's it!

Continuing with my experiments with no knead fermented doughs, I made a loaf of 40% whole wheat cheese bread using the cold ferment 40% whole wheat dough.  I simply cut a strip about 3-inches wide and 10-inches long from the refrigerated dough that was about an inch and a half thick.  I worked in about 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese using the press and fold method then shaped the dough into a boule.  I placed the boule on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper, covered with plastic wrap and let rest 3 hours.  During the last half hour of the dough resting, I preheated the Dutch oven at 425°F.  When the Dutch oven was ready, I transferred the parchment paper and dough to the Dutch oven, covered and baked for 40 minutes.  Then I removed the lid and baked for an additional 5 minutes.

The 40% whole wheat cheese bread had a tantalizing, mouthwatering aroma!  This was a lovely looking loaf of bread with a good rise and nice pore formation even though I forgot to slash the top.  The crust and interior texture were perfect.  Like the cheesy bread made with cold fermented dough using unbleached flour, the whole wheat version is a keeper! 

No Knead 40% Whole Wheat Bread

I love whole wheat and multi-grain bread!  It is a must have for my power sandwiches packed full of fresh vegetables, sprouts, thinly sliced meat and cheese with just a little homemade mayonnaise and a smidgen of mustard.   Whole wheat and multi-grain breads tend to be dense breads with a low rise and small pores.  There are a few ways to improve the rise and pore size in homemade whole wheat and multi-grain breads (eg. add gluten or lecithin, use part all purpose flour).  I decided to make a batch of 40% whole wheat dough for cold fermentation. 

40% Whole Wheat Artisan Dough
(cold fermentation)

2 c whole wheat flour
4½ c unbleached flour
1½ tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp instant yeast
3 c warm water

Mix the dry ingredients.  Pour in the water and mix well.  Let sit lightly covered until bubbly.  Place in refrigerator with lid on container but not snapped tight.  Cut the desired amount off to make a loaf of bread.  Shape into boule on floured board then transfer to lightly floured parchment paper.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Let rest for at least 2 hours.   During the last half hour of the dough resting, heat oven to 425° - 450°F.  Pour about 2 c of water into enamel coated cast iron Dutch oven.  Preheat the Dutch oven in the oven for 30 minutes.  When the Dutch oven is preheated pour out any remaining water.  Slash the top of the dough.  Carefully pull the corners of the parchment together to form a sling.  Transfer paper and dough into the Dutch oven.  Cover and bake 40 to 50 minutes depending on size of loaf.  Remove the lid and continue baking until crust is golden brown.
 

The 40% whole wheat dough was sticky but not as sticky as that made using only unbleached flour.   I cut a generous portion of dough from the refrigerated cold fermented dough.  I formed it into a boule on a lightly floured board then gently rocked the top of the dough back and forth in a mixture of unbleached flour and oats for the topping.  I covered the prepared boule with plastic wrap then let rest for 3 hours.

During the last half hour of the dough resting, I preheated the Dutch oven at 425°F.  I find I am getting nicer results baking at 425°F rather than 450°F that some are using.  Quite often the temperature has to be adjusted slightly to get the desired results with your oven as ovens do vary slightly.  Ovens can also have hot spots that will require shifting baking vessels and pans to prevent burning.  This is less of a problem with newer ranges especially those with convection ovens.  It may take a bit of trial an error to get the temperature just right.  Start with the recommended 450°F and adjust as needed from there, starting by reducing the uncovered bake time from 15 minutes. 

I was impressed with the results!  The loaf of no knead 40% whole wheat bread had a tantalizing aroma.  Even though it was a smaller loaf of bread, the crust was nicely baked to a golden brown with no scorch marks.  I was rather pleased with the way the slash came out.  It had a nice homemade rustic look with the rolled oats topping.  Doesn't it look delicious?

I could not wait to cut into this gorgeous loaf of bread but had to wait until dinner time.  Once the bread had cooled, I carefully wrapped it in a t-towel.  This kept the crust  crispy and interior tender until ready to cut.

As expected the pores in the no knead 40% whole wheat bread were small, indicating a dense loaf.  However, the interior was soft and tender contrasting nicely with the crispy, chewy crust.  The bread was nicely flavoured as well.  The flavour differed from other homemade whole wheat breads that typically have honey or molasses as an ingredient which adds to the flavour.  This bread had more of the wheat flavour.  It was a very lovely loaf of bread that was declared a keeper in terms of flavour, texture and appearance.  The only thing I would tweak with this bread is perhaps adjusting slightly to get a bit larger pore formation. 

The more that I have worked with the cold fermented doughs, both unbleached all purpose and whole wheat based, the more I like them.  Most bread recipes make a specific sized loaf of bread, not that you can't divide it down to make two smaller loaves, but once the dough is made it needs to be all baked at the same time.  During the week it is usually just the two of us with a routine of eating dinner out Tuesdays and Fridays most weeks when home, and averaging 4 dinners out a week when at our vacation home.  The majority of our breakfasts and lunches are not eaten out at either home so we still go through a fair amount of bread.  Homemade bread is best used the same day or the next but it does not keep well.  It can be froze but I prefer not to use my valuable freezer real estate for freezing breads.  The beauty of the larger batch cold fermented doughs is you cut off the amount you need which works well for us.  I can make a smaller loaf of bread that will get used up within a day but if need be make a larger loaf using the same dough simply by cutting off a bigger piece of dough.  In that respect, the cold fermented doughs are very well suited to cooking for one or two people. 

No Knead Raisin Bread

Bread making is very much trial and error when moving outside of your comfort zone.  I have made kneaded bread ever since being a newlywed.  When the kids were home, I made a lot more bread but now average 2 loaves a week, more if entertaining.  Back in the early 1990's, I modified some of our favourite bread recipes to use in a bread machine while still making bread by hand.   In early 2007, I was once again modifying bread recipes to use with my new Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  Up to the past couple of weeks, most of the bread I made was with the aid of the stand mixer which does indeed simplify bread making.  While making a wide variety of very good homemade breads, baking a good crusty bread eluded me until now.

When I made the first batch of no knead crusty bread (room fermentation) the five minutes a day artisan bread dough (cold fermented) I fully intended to do a bit of experimenting.  The artisan boule made with the plain dough was an amazing loaf of bread!  Encouraged by that and knowing that the dough would make an outstanding loaf of bread, I started experimenting with additions.  Next, I made a cheesy garlic onion bread that had excellent flavour but clearly showed the addition of cheese would require a few modifications.   Then I made a cheesy bread that my husband declared the best ever. 

Finally, I made a loaf of raisin bread and two crusty rolls to use up the remainder of the cold fermented dough.  The dough will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.  I expected the sourdough tang would increase the longer the dough was in the refrigerator.  It did increase but the tang peaked then leveled off by the third loaf of bread.  That was a bit disappointing but my goal of experimenting with the cold fermented dough was to create a good crusty bread with crisp, chewy crust and soft interior.  At the same time, because the sourdough tang levels off, the dough is a bit more versatile with respect to adding extra flavours.

Raisin bread has been a traditional family favourite since those early newlywed days.  I have made it so many times, the recipe is firmly engrained in my head.  One of the sites I visited while looking for ideas using both fermented doughs mentioned using the dough for raisin bread.  I cut off a piece of the cold fermented dough then flattened it on a floured board with my fingers, sprinkled with sugar cinnamon and raisins then rolled the dough jelly roll style the way I would when making my normal kneaded raisin bread.  Then I tucked the ends and continued forming the boule.  In theory, this should have resulted in the sugar and cinnamon forming a swirl effect in the cut slices.  I didn't slash the bread but in hind sight should have as it may have prevented the formation of the large empty cavity at the top of the loaf.  I baked the loaf in a covered enamel Dutch oven for 40 minutes at 425°F then removed the lid and baked for 5 minutes.

The raisin bread had a nice flavour and the inside texture was soft.  The crust was more crisp than crisp and chewy.  I will try making another loaf using the cold fermented dough to see if I can improve the results.  I will modify the method of incorporating the sugar, cinnamon and raisins into the dough but first I would like to make one loaf using the same jelly roll method but slash the top to see if that helps.  I'll report back on the results.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Artisan Breads

Breads are a fundamental food in every culture and never has there been such a variety under one basic heading.  Breads fall into two main categories, leavened and unleavened.  Leavened beads can be further divided into quick breads and yeast breads.   Yeast breads can be further divided into mass produced, artisan, bread machine, fermented, kneaded and no knead.  There may be overlaps.  For example, a bread machine bread can be also a fermented bread if it uses sourdough starter however, a bread machine bread while home made is not considered an artisan bread because machinery is used to do the mixing and kneading.  Some using stand mixers consider their breads artisan and while they may be outstanding loaves of bread, they really are homemade breads rather than artisan breads.  

The artisan category is simple, hand crafted breads made without the aid of machinery. At their purest, artisan breads are hand mixed, hand kneaded and shaped.  Any yeast bread recipe can be used to make artisan breads.  Artisan breads can be kneaded breads or no knead breads.  No knead artisan breads use either a room temperature fermentation (12 to 18 hours) or a cold fermentation (24 hours to several days).  It is common for artisan bread recipes to use premium ingredients (eg. organic flours, whole grain flours, raw honey, steel cut oats, sea salt) and great attention is paid to the shaping of the loaf as well as slashing the top properly before baking.  Consumers consider artisan breads as gourmet breads and as such these breads bring premium prices.  I have seen artisan loaves of bread as high as $7 a loaf!

The average home cook can easily produce artisan breads at home for about 30¢ per loaf and well under $1 even if using premium ingredients or adding additional ingredients like herbs, cheeses, dried fruits, nuts and seeds.  No knead artisan breads are particularity easy for any home cook to make as all that is involved is the mixing, fermentation period, shaping and baking.  The ingredients can be as simple as flour, salt, yeast and water.  Equipment can be as simple as a bread pan or baking sheet.  If you want a crispy, chewy crust as in store bought crispy rolls, you will need a cast iron Dutch oven or a shallow, oven proof pan to put water in and put on the rack below the baking loaf.  Some have reported good crispy crust results using a regular covered roasting pan.   

I have been experimenting with no knead artisan breads both room temperature fermented and cold fermented over the past couple of weeks.  I want to perfect my method so we can not only to enjoy wonderful artisan breads at home but also at our vacation home where I do not want to buy specialized equipment to do the kneading for me.  I can no longer knead bread to the degree it takes to get a good loaf of bread so use a stand mixer at home.  Here's a few things I have learned making the no knead artisan breads:

• fermentation - Fermentation is due to the yeast (living organism) consuming the sugar and starch in the flour producing carbon dioxide as a byproduct which is responsible for the pore formation in the baked loaf of bread.  It is a natural process that occurs over time.  In kneaded breads, this is often referred to as letting the dough proof (rise until double) or simply letting the dough rise.  The proof time is generally for a short period of time usually an hour for each rise and the proofing time really doesn't add much to the flavour of the baked bread.  Fermentation takes place over a longer period of time, generally 12 to 18 hours for room temperature fermentation and 24 hours to several days for cold fermentation.  Fermented dough shaped into a loaf still requires a rising (resting) period of 40 minutes to 3 hours before baking. 
• slashing - Typically the dough is slashed before to aid in the rise of the baking bread.  The slash will determine the direction of the spread as the loaf bakes.  If done properly, the baked loaf of bread will have raised portions along the slash referred to as ears.  The dough should be slashed with a very sharp knife or razor blade at a 30° angle about ¼ - inch deep.  If making more than one slash, wet the knife bread after each slash to prevent sticking especially with sticky doughs.
• the crust - The texture of the crust is determined by baking conditions.  A regular, soft crust is created when the bread is baked without steam.  If you want a softer crust, brush the bread with butter as soon as it is removed from the oven.  A crispy, chewy crust is created when the bread is baked with steam.  This can be achieved by baking the bread on a baking sheet with a shallow pan of water on the rack below the baking bread or by baking the bread in a covered cast iron Dutch oven, browning lightly after the steam baking process. 
• the crumb - The crumb of the bread is basically the pore formation that is determined by the fermentation process and/or proofing.  Small, evenly distributed pores as seen in whole wheat breads are caused by a lower rise due to decreased gluten development resulting in a denser loaf of bread.  Doughs with a high gluten development will have a higher rise, larger pores and a lighter, fluffier, softer texture.  
• experimentation - The baking and proofing times are not written in stone.  A dough with a recommended 40 minute proof time may actually take 2 hours to proof depending on the ambient room temperature.  Baking times may need to be adjusted to achieve the desired results because ovens can vary.  A wide variety of ingredients (eg. herbs, seasonings, dried fruits, cheese) can be added to no knead doughs.   Finding the best way to work them into fermented doughs is by trial and error.  Baking times may need to be adjusted depending on any extra ingredients added.

Cheesy Bread

Continuing with my bread experimenting, I made the third loaf of bread using the cold fermented dough (five minutes a day artisan bread).  I am finding I really like this dough even though fermenting in the refrigerator does not save any time over using a regular knead dough and the container of dough takes up a fair amount of space in the refrigerator.  It is no easier than the rough temperature fermented dough (no knead crusty dough).  The only difference between using a fermented dough (eg. cold, room temperature, sourdough starter) is flavour. 

I made a loaf of cheesy bread using the cold fermented dough but made a few adjustments after the results of the cheesy garlic onion bread.  That bread was quite tasty but I was not happy with the crust especially the bottom that was a bit over done.  Clearly the addition of cheese to the dough affected the crust.  So I decided to experiment with timing, temperature and positioning for the cheesy bread.  In most cases, I would just make one adjustment at a time to see the effect but decided to make all three at the same time because they made sense to me.

First, I moved the oven rack up one notch to the middle position in my stove.  This just gets the baking bread a bit further from the heat source, which in my case is at the bottom of the oven.  Second, I reduced the preheat and baking temperature from 450°F to 425°F.  All ovens are different so temperature adjustments are common.  Regardless what temperature the recipe says to bake at, the temperature should be adjust to that which gives you the desired results in your oven.  I have found that I have had to lower the baking temperature on many foods using the natural gas oven which seems to give the same results as my former electric oven but at a lower temperature.  Finally, I reduced the baking temperature to 45 minutes (covered) and 5 minutes (uncovered) for a total bake time of 50 minutes rather than 65 minutes.  This was a smaller loaf of bread that would bake quicker anyway requiring a reduction in baking time but the initial decision to reduce the temperature was based on improving the outcome of the crust. 

A lot of sites and videos showing the results of the Dutch oven baked crusty breads show a very dark crust.  I don't know if this is intentional, lighting or not realizing that the temperature can be adjusted.  The problems with too dark of a crust is it can give a burnt flavour to the bread.  We prefer a golden crust and in this case the goal is a golden crust that is crispy and chewy.  I used a cup of shredded cheddar cheese and pressed it into the crust the same way I did for the cheesy garlic onion bread but this time worked it into the dough using lesser amounts of cheese at a time.  I let the boule rest for 2½, slashed the top, then baked according to my adjustments.  The crust came out exactly as I wanted without the bottom crust being over cooked.  The crust crackled as it cooled, the tell tale sign of a good crispy crust.  The colour was a perfect golden brown.  My husband declared this loaf a keeper!  It definitely was an outstanding loaf of bread with excellent texture and flavour.  It was gone by lunchtime the following day with a request for another loaf. 

Cheesy Garlic Onion Bread

The dough for the five minutes a day artisan bread (cold fermentation) is enough to make five to six good sized loaves of bread.  Fermentation makes this bread delightfully yummy!  Steam is essential for the development of the crispy yet chewy crust and soft interior.   While this bread can be baked on a baking sheet with a pan of water on the rack below, it is considerably easier to bake this bread and the no knead crusty bread (room temperature fermentation) in a covered Dutch oven.  It creates a controlled environment for baking the bread, keeping the interior of the vessel at a consistent temperature and keeping that steam inside to produce that perfect crust.  An enamel coated, cast iron Dutch oven is rather inexpensive at under $70 for a 4.7 L (5 qt ) depending on the brand. 

Continuing with my experiments using the five minutes a day artisan bread dough, I gathered the ingredients to make a loaf of cheesy garlic onion bread.  This was the second loaf of bread from the batch of dough which did level itself after removing dough for the artisan boule (plain) a couple of days before.  Boule is the French term for ball, a common shape for artisan breads.  The dough had a bit stronger sourdough aroma.

Ingredients for the cheesy garlic onion bread were the prepared cold fermented dough, cornmeal, garlic pepper (2 tsp), shredded cheddar cheese (1 c), and chopped onions (2 tbsp).  I used unbleached flour for the prep of the cheesy garlic onion bread.

The normal method of adding extra ingredients to a kneaded bead is directly during the mixing period with the exception of some ingredients like fruits or if making a swirled effect (eg. raisin bread).  According to the sources I found for the no knead crusty bread, additional ingredients can be added during the mixing as well.  Since the dough is already mixed for the long cold fermentation period with the five minutes a day artisan bread, so the ingredients had to be worked into the piece of dough before shaping it.  I cut a piece of dough from the batch and patted it out on a floured cutting board.  Then I sprinkled cheese, onion and garlic pepper over the dough and pressed it in well, turned the dough over and repeated.  I continued working in the additional ingredients by kneading.

Finally, I shaped the dough into a boule then sprinkled lightly with garlic pepper, onions and cheese.  I placed the boule on a sheet of parchment paper sprinkled lightly with cornmeal on top of a cutting board.  The cutting board added stability so I could move the loaf to a bit warmer location if desired.  I often do this when proofing bread since the dining/livingroom gets quite warm when the sun hits the large southern exposure window, just perfect for proofing bread.  I covered the prepared boule with plastic wrap then let rest for 2½ hours.

I poured 2 cups of water into the Dutch oven and pre-heated it at 450°F during the last half hour that the dough was rising.  Adding water during the pre-heat stage prevents any damage to the Dutch oven.  Any water remaining at the end of the pre-heat period is simply poured out before placing the dough in the Dutch oven.  I cut a slash in the top of the dough before putting it into the Dutch oven.

I baked the bread covered at 450°F for 50 minutes then removed the lid and intended to bake for another 15 minutes but cut that down to 7 minutes as the crust was getting too dark.  I removed the delicious smelling loaf from the oven to cool on a cooling rack. 

The loaf looked good, quite similar to the cheese and onion bread sold in the grocery store.  The onions were a bit darker than I would have liked and the cheese topping was not as pronounced but still for the first attempt making a cheesy garlic onion bread with the cold fermentation dough, it was a successful loaf.  There was a nice rise and ears on the slash both good signs.  The crust did crackle a bit as it cooled but not as much as the plain loaf did.  The bottom crust was definitely over cooked so I was not happy with that.  Clearly the addition of cheese affected the outcome of the crust causing it to brown in less time than the plain loaf. 

While the cheesy garlic onion bread had a nice rise, clearly my method of adding the shredded cheese affected the pore formation.  There were larger pores filled with cheese which isn't necessarily a bad thing but I will be modifying my method to get a bit more even distribution.  I was disappointed that the bottom crust was so dark so the next loaf which will be a plain cheese bread, I have a couple of modifications to try.

In terms of texture and flavour the cheesy garlic onion bread certainly did not disappoint.  The crust was delightfully crispy and chewy.  The interior was soft.  This bread was nicely flavoured with the garlic pepper giving a nice spicy element that paired nicely with the cheddar and onion flavours.  The cheesy garlic onion bread would be a lovely bread to serve with beef stew or cottage pie.  It will definitely be a flavour combination in bread that I will be making again, just tweaking the baking time and method a bit to prevent the bottom of the bread from getting too dark..

First Loaf of Five Minutes a Day Artisan Bread - Artisan Boule

It is busy times in the kitchen between testing the 4ever Recap canning lids and experimenting with crusty artisan breads, currently no knead crusty bread (room temperature fermentation) and five minutes a day artisan bread (cold fermentation).  Fermentation is what gives sourdough bread its characteristic tang.  Both of these breads have a bit of a tang.  It is very mild in the no knead crusty bread and more pronounced in the five minutes a day artisan bread the longer the dough is allowed to ferment in the refrigerator.  That is the first loaf of bread made from the five minutes a day dough will not have as much of a tang as the last loaf that will be made several days later if the dough is used as intended.  Neither of these no knead breads actually save any time in comparison to kneaded breads but they do eliminate the process of kneading.  The second thing both these breads have in common is the crispy, chewy crust with soft interior.  This is due to the high moisture content in the dough and baking the bread in a cast iron Dutch oven so the steam cannot escape until the lid is removed for the final browning stage.

I removed the five minutes a day artisan bread dough from the refrigerator.  It had fallen a bit from when the dough was first refrigerated but according to Jeff and Zoe (developers of the cold fermentation process for this recipe), this is common with the dough.  I found it easiest to cut the dough with a serrated knife.  The dough was sticky but easier to handle because it was cold.  I shaped the piece of dough into a boule (round bread loaf shape) on a piece of floured parchment paper then covered with plastic wrap.  The remainder of the dough was returned to the refrigerator.  The covered boule was left to rise for about 2½ hours.  The longer the shaped dough is allowed to sit, the larger the bread pores will be. 

I placed the enamel Dutch oven in the oven at 450°F and let heat during the last 30 minutes the dough was rising.  Some using this method put their Dutch oven in to heat dry but at least one manufacturer advises against this so I added 2 cups of water to the Dutch oven before heating.  Once the Dutch oven was heated, I removed it from the oven, emptied the remaining water then brought the four corners of the parchment paper together sling style to transfer paper and dough into the Dutch oven.  I put the lid on the Dutch oven then returned it to the oven to bake the bread for 50 minutes at 450°F.  Then I removed the lid and baked for uncovered for 12 minutes.  The recommended timing is 15 minutes but timing needs to be adjusted to your oven.

I did not slash the dough as Jeff and Zoe do but will likely experiment with doing so.  Slashing the dough gives a better rise during baking. It is done with a very sharp knife or blade just before putting the dough in the oven.  Slashing at a 45 degree angle gives the characteristic ears during baking giving the loaf of bread a professional look.  Instead, my loaf was a lovely boule without the slashes.

The bread smelled heavenly!  There was a good rise and that characteristic crackling sound as the loaf cooled.  I was quite pleased with the results even without the slashes.  I could not wait to taste test this bread!

I cut the bread with a serrated bread knife.  The pours were nicely defined.  The texture was perfect!  The bread did not have a real sharp tang, more of a mellow, subtle tang similar to sourdough bread made using fresh starter before it has a chance to develop a good tang.

All in all, I am having fairly good success baking bread in the Dutch oven.  The plain breads are working out considerably better than expected.  While the dough fermented at room temperature results in an excellent loaf of bread, the dough fermented at cold temperature gives outstanding results in terms of both texture and flavour.

I am experiencing a bit of a timing problem though.  I shaped the dough at 2:30 PM, set aside until 4:30 PM figuring it would be perfect timing for eating just before 6 PM.  However, the dough did not cooperate likely because the kitchen was a bit cooler.  I hadn't been cooking that day so there was no residual excess heat in the kitchen.  This meant it took longer for the dough to get to the point of being ready for baking.  Trying to get dinner ready while still fiddling with bread was not ideal but it is nothing new.  Typically, this happens within the few days after turning the furnace off for the season or the few days before turning the furnace on for the season when the entire house is cooler than normal.  I usually try to compensate by cooking or canning in the morning to heat the kitchen a bit.

The experimentation continues.  I made a garlic, onion and cheese boule and a cheese boule so I will be discussing the results of both those loaves.  That leaves me enough for one very large loaf or two smaller loaves of bread using the five minutes a day artisan dough.  The dough has developed a lovely sourdough smell!  I'm not sure what I will make with the remainder yet but am thinking a plain to gauge the degree of tang I can get using this dough and perhaps a loaf of raisin bread.  I will discuss those loaves as well so be sure to continue reading!  At this point, I will be naming the bread according to the additional ingredients used (eg. Artisan boule) as I did with this loaf with a link as to which base recipe I used, room temperature fermentation or cold fermentation.

Five Minutes a Day Artisan Bread

After one of my kids told me I could bake bread in my new enamel Dutch oven, I was on a quest.  A bit of research quick found Jim Lahey's No Knead Crusty Bread recipe that originally appeared in The New York Time's Minimalist column.  Others have used that recipe as a starting point, modifying the amounts of yeast, salt and water as well as adding a wide range of other ingredients but the basics of making this bread are the same.  Jim himself has modified the original method to shorten the fermentation time.  Jim's method relies on a lot of water to make a sticky dough, little yeast and a fermentation period of 12 to 18 hours then after forming the loaf, it is left to rise for 40 minutes and finally baked in a pre-heated Dutch oven.  My first loaf of no knead crusty bread was a huge success!  Searching for more ideas using Jim's method, I stumbled upon a YouTube video of how to make artisan bread in five minutes a day.  The no knead method was created by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe François who have written three cookbooks using their method.  Their method involves making a larger batch of dough, let it ferment 2 to three hours until bubbly then refrigerate the dough, cutting of a piece when you want to make a loaf of bread.  Well, that certainly had my interest!

One thing I have noticed is regardless of who created the original method, the amount of yeast invariably is modified by whoever is making the dough.  Basically, if they don't get a good rise the first time, they increase the yeast.  A low rise can be due to insufficient fermentation period.  Even though a recipe says to let the dough rise 40 minutes, there is no problem with letting it rise longer.  In fact, the recipe I used for the no knead crusty bread was 40 minutes but I found several who were letting it rise as long as 2 hours.  The gluten content in the flour can also affect the rise.  I use Canadian flour made from Western hard wheat which is superior to flour made from soft wheat for bread making.  Getting a good rise with any yeast dough has never been a problem for me.  If you have a problem getting a good rise from the dough, adding gluten flour or lethicin granules to the dry ingredients will remedy the problem or you can use bread flour. 

I modified a recipe that had been modified from the master dough recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe François.  That recipe had been modified to use a bit more yeast and the method modified to use a Dutch oven.  Jeff and Zoe use a tray of water in the oven under the baking loaf of bread.  I modified that recipe to use unbleached flour, instant yeast and sea salt and like the video, I just cut off the amount of dough I wanted to use rather than weigh it out.

Basic Five Minute a Day Artisan Dough

6½ c unbleached flour
3 c warm water
2 tbsp instant yeast
1½ tbsp sea salt

[method as follows in the commentary]

I had to buy a larger covered container for this dough as it does double in size at the stage before being refrigerated.  I bought a 5.74 L (24.26 c) BPA free, food grade plastic container to use for this purpose.  I liked the lower design of this label but in hindsight one of the smaller plastic pails from the doughnut shop would have worked as well except I didn't have an empty one.

After dumping the dry ingredients in a , I mixed them together with a fork.  Once the dry ingredients were mixed, I poured in the warm water and started mixing with a fork.  It quickly became apparent that the best way to mix this dough was with my hands.  It was a bit slow going.

Once the dough was fully mixed, it was definitely sticky with a shaggy appearance.  It was just slightly stiffer than the no knead crusty bread dough but not by much.  At this point, I covered the container with the lid but did not snap it down tightly.  This allowed the gases to escape during the fermentation period at room temperature.

The two characteristics of this bread dough that set it apart from kneaded bread doughs is the shaggy appearance and high moisture content.  The moisture content is what will create the crispy, chewy crusty and moist interior of the bread.  Like the no knead crusty bread, the best way to achieve these results is baking in a Dutch oven although Zoe uses the water in a tray under the baking loaf of bread method. 

I let the dough sit for about 2½ hours at room temperature until it was nice and bubbly.  The key thing to look for is this bubbly appearance before refrigerating.  It may take more or less time depending on how warm your kitchen is.  Don't rush it!  Once the dough was nice and bubbly as pictured, I put the lid on the container but did not snap it down and put the container in the refrigerator.

In all honesty, the Five Minutes a Day is a bit misleading, actually quite misleading.  To use this dough, you cut off a piece the desired size then shape it into the desired shape.  So that part does take about five minutes.  However, the shaped dough must then sit for at least two hours to rise, then it bakes for a total of 65 - 75 minutes.  In terms of time, a kneaded bread (and I do make a lot of kneaded) can be made in that same time frame.  In short, there is no time savings at all.  The only thing eliminated is the kneading.  The second observation with this method is the container is large, and it has to be large to accommodate the bubbly dough.  A container this large takes up a lot of refrigerator space that can be a problem for some.  However, there are two benefits to using the Five Minute a Day Artisan Bread method. 

The long, cool fermentation results in an outstanding bread with a nice flavour and rise.  As the dough continues to ferment in the refrigerator it develops the tang of sourdough, becoming stronger the longer it fermentss.  So, this is a very easy way to make faux sourdough bread.  True sourdough bread uses a starter without any additional yeast added.  Ideally the Five Minute a Day Artisan Bread method is meant to make five loaves of bread over five days.  In reality, this is not feasible for some folks, including ourselves as we use three to four loaves of bread per week.  I actually made my first loaf of bread from the fermented dough two days after it first went into the refrigerator.  Now, the no knead crusty bread (12 - 18 hr room temperature fermentation) was excellent but the loaf made with the cold fermentation (Five Minute a Day method) was outstanding!

Both the no knead crusty bread and five minute a artisan day bread dough methods have their pros and cons.  Both give above average results.  I am now on to experimenting with both recipes, tweaking bake times and temperature just slightly to get the bottom crust just right.  I am also experimenting with additions.  I will share the results of the experiments as they become available.

No Knead Crusty Bread

I bake a lot of bread, averaging now about three loaves a week but when the kids were still at home I averaged more.  Over the years, I have developed some of my own bread recipes and we do have our family favourites.  The one bread that has always eluded me is crusty bread.  A good crusty bread has a crispy, crunchy crust with chewy interior.  It is one of the very few breads that I resorted to buying because I couldn't make it.  Crusty bread is not so much about the recipe, it is about the baking method which involves steam.  I was showing my new Lagostina cookware set to a couple of our kids and our daughter said, you know you can bake bread in the cast iron Dutch oven.  Well, my interest was peaked especially since steam would be created if the lid were in place so I reasoned this may be a way for me to get that elusive crusty bread.

An online search quickly brought up several references to Jim Lahey's  no knead crusty bread recipe and method of baking in a cast iron Dutch oven that originally appeared in The New York Time's Minimalist column.   His method is based on fermentation much the same as a sour dough bread to develop the flavour.  He used little yeast (on 1/4 tsp) and a lot of water to make a sticky, wet dough that was then allowed to ferment 12 to 18 hours before being shaped, proofed and baked in a Dutch oven with the lid on.  Several folk have modified his basic recipe, adding a bit more yeast or decreasing the amount of water and the various additions like sharp cheddar cheese take the basic artisan recipe to the artistic level.  The flour can be entirely unbleached or it can be a combination of whole wheat or rye and unbleached flours.  There is even a gluten free version using brown rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch!  Jim has a video on YouTube (Speedy No-Kneed Bread Revisited)  to modify the fermentation period to only 4 hours but I don't mind the longer fermentation period for flavour development.  So the possibilities for this bread once you learn the basics is endless.  I will warn you now, there are a lot of pictures for this post because I wanted to show you each step I did.

No Knead Crusty Bread
(modified Jim Lahey recipe)

3 c unbleached flour
1¾ tsp sea salt
½ tsp instant yeast
1½ c luke warm water

Mix ingredients together to form a shaggy dough.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Ferment 12 to 18 hours.  Shape into round on floured parchment paper.  Let proof 30 minutes while Dutch oven pre-heats at 450°F.  Place loaf on the parchment paper into Dutch oven.  Cover and bake at 450°F for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and continue baking for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Place on rack to cool.

The dough takes less than 5 minutes to make.  There is no kneading at all.  Simply mix and set aside for fermentation.  The dough will be quite sticky and it certainly does look shaggy in comparison to other bread doughs that are smooth and elastic looking.  I covered the bowl with plastic wrap and set it on the counter to ferment overnight.

I started my dough at 8:30 PM figuring it would be ready for baking at 3:30 PM the following day.  The following morning at about 9 AM the dough was nice and bubbly, ready for baking.  This is exactly what the dough should look like before moving to the next step.  I decided to go ahead and make the bread then even though my fermentation period was only 12 hours.  Once the dough is at the bubbly stage, if left too long it can fall because all of the starch and sugar in the flour has been consumed by the yeast.  This commonly happens when making sour dough sponge if left too long so it is important to move to the next stage once the sponge is ready.   If the sponge falls, the fix is to add a bit more flour to feed the yeast.  Once the sponge returns to bubbly, then use. 

I placed about a cup of water in my Dutch oven, put the lid on then put it into the oven at 450°F for 30 minutes.  Some folks are not adding water to their Dutch ovens for this pre-heating but others are as their brand cannot be heated empty.  I decided to err on the side of caution.  After the pre-heat period, the water was completely evapourated so next time I will add more water then empty just before putting the dough in.

While the Dutch oven was pre-heating, I floured a piece of parchment paper then shaped the dough into a ball on the parchment paper and covered with plastic wrap to proof for 30 minutes.  Some folks do not use parchment paper but others find getting the loaf into the hot Dutch oven is a lot easier if using parchment paper.  The paper goes right into the Dutch oven along with the loaf of bread so the loaf itself is not disturbed while being transferred.  With such a sticky dough, the less handling the better for a nicely shaped loaf.  I found the parchment paper method extremely easy and fool-proof.

Some bread doughs can tolerate a heavy hand when shaping but I used a lighter touch to shape this loaf.  I did not notice any remarkable increase in size of the dough during the 30 minute proof although the dough itself did not look quite as shaggy.   Once the dough had proofed for 30 minutes it was time to put the loaf into the heated Dutch oven.

I removed the Dutch oven from the oven and the plastic wrap from the dough.  Then I carefully brought up each corner of the parchment paper to form a sling.  Holding the four corners together, I carefully transferred the dough into the Dutch oven.  I trimmed the corners of the parchment paper so they would not stick out of the Dutch oven or over the dough when baking.  I put the lid on the Dutch oven and put it back into the heated oven.  I let the bread bake at 450°F covered for 30 minutes then removed the lid and baked the bread for an additional 12 minutes rather than the 15 minutes others were using.  The initial bake is what gives the interior of the bread that nice chewy texture.  The final bake turns the crust a golden brown with that wonderful crunchy, crisp texture.  Oh my gosh, did it ever smell heavenly baking!

I had the light on in the oven for the final 15 minutes so I could remove the loaf before it darkened too much.  Ovens vary in temperature so it is always best to monitor the progress carefully during the last few minutes of baking.   I found that the loaf looked quite lovely after a final 12 minutes of baking. 

I carefully lifted the loaf of bread and parchment paper from the hot Dutch oven.  The Dutch oven itself, was still clean as if nothing had ever baked in it!  On the other hand, properly baked yeast breads usually do leave the baking pan quite clean.  Still, the loaf of bread looked good just out of the oven.

With anticipation mounting, I set the loaf of bread on a cooling rack, anxious to cut it for the final taste results.  The loaf of bread was gorgeous with a lovely rise, beautiful golden brown crust and tantalizing aroma.  The piece de resistance was the crust cracking as it cooled.  This is the ultimate sign of a good crusty loaf.  I was so excited that I even took a video to capture that cracking sound.

The loaf had a lovely rustic quality.  I really wanted to cut into that loaf of bread while it was still hot!  However, the bread was destined for dinner last night so I had to resist.   It was only 10 AM and had I cut into the loaf, it would have been gone by dinner time!

Once you have a nice crusty bread, the secret is keeping it crusty.  If you have ever bought crusty bread from a bakery, you will have noticed it is never packaged in plastic.  Plastic traps the moisture causing the crust to soften and lose it's wonderful crunch.  Instead, crusty breads are placed in paper bags usually with the end open to prevent any moisture from becoming trapped.  The easy home solution is to wrap the bread in a t-towel, in this case one of the bar towels I use in place of t-towels.  This prevents moisture from becoming trapped while preventing the bread from drying out too quickly.  The bread sat on the counter, safely wrapped in the t-towel until dinner time. 

Loaves of crusty bread destined for gift given can be place into a t-towel lined basket then covered with a t-towel.  An alternative method is to place the loaf of bread in the middle of a t-towel then bring up the corners and secure with a ribbon.  As such, the t-towel becomes part of the gift so I like keeping a few new t-towels on hand for this purpose.

I used a serrated bread knife to cut the loaf of crusty bread.  The pores formed from gaseous bubbles produced by the yeast were nicely formed, large, open and irregular as opposed to the finer small pores found in store bought white breads.  This structure is a result of a high water content combined with the no-knead method.  The final test before giving this bread two thumbs up was of course the taste test.  It certainly excelled there!  There is less of a yeast more of a wheat flavour.  The crust was delightfully crunchy yet the inside tender and chewy.  Finally, I had made a wonderful homemade loaf of crusty bread!

This no-knead crusty bread is very easy to make and is very versatile.  The dough is simply mixed, covered and set aside until bubbly.  If you want fresh bread the following day, just mix the dough the night before which takes less than 5 minutes.  The following day, it will take 2 minutes to shape the dough, 30 minutes heating of Dutch oven and proofing of the dough,  30 minutes initial bake time and 12 to 15 minutes final bake time for a total of 84 to 87 minutes (1 hr 45 min to 1 hr 17 min).  This really is not bad considering there is practically no prep and the resulting bread is beyond delicious!  While there are a lot of variations from Jim Lahey's original ingredients as far as quantity, the basic recipe consists only of flour, salt, yeast and water combined with a long fermentation period.  The fermentation period allows the dough to develop both rise and flavour so while some are trying to reduce the fermentation period, it will not be something I tinker with.  The reason being, I have made enough sourdough breads to appreciate the extra flavour longer fermentation periods impart to the bread.  Some have added butter or oil and/or sugar taking the bread a step away from the original.  Others have added other ingredients like nuts, herbs, cheese, seasonings, cranberries or raisins.  Some of these combinations get rather creative!   Even the baking method has been altered from using a Dutch oven to using a slow cooker, countertop roaster and make shift covered pots.  Still, a Dutch oven is likely the easiest way to get the crispy crust.  I also saw where some used the no-knead recipe and simply baked as a regular loaf of bread without covering.  This of course would not give the crispy crust and for those of us who use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for kneading bread doughs, it would not save much in the way of time.  It would save time for those who are kneading by hand.

The bottom line is, this bread recipe and method is a real keeper!  The basic recipe is delicious without any further additions but it can also serve as the basis for a wide range of creative breads.   I will be posting more on some of my creations made using the basic recipe.  In the meantime, if you want a few ideas or to see how others have modified the original recipe, search online with the key words "no knead crusty bread" or "no knead bread".