Like so many people, I have been ensnared by the promise of great bread with little effort extended by the infamous Bittman/Lahey recipe, in particular the version presented on Good Food. The pot boule is a brilliant innovation. You mix up a wet dough, let it ferment overnight, and pour it (gently) into a hot dutch oven. This is my first attempt, baked a whole month ago.
The steam created inside the dutch oven makes for an incredible, crunchy crust. The slow fermentation and minimal handling makes for a decent crumb, much better than it has any right to be. Take a look at this four grain boule I baked a couple weeks ago.
The recipe for that came from Kneadlessly Simple, by Nancy Baggett. This is a very thorough manual for the home baker who wants to make high quality bread without kneading. Her method begins with the startling idea of mixing the dough with ice cold water and instant yeast. Then you stash it in the fridge to allow the natural enzymes in the flour to release more flavors. She also explains that the wet dough allows the gases released by the yeast to develop the gluten, in effect, micro-kneading the bread for you.
The breads are delicious, but I’ve been having trouble with texture. Happily, Baggett makes it clear that some of the techniques come from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. And one of the resources is The Fresh Loaf, where I’ve learned way too many tricks to try. (Warning: may cause intense desires to bake bread.)
So kind of them to feed my current obsession.
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