Weekday bread without kneading
Sourdough is lovely at the weekend. On a Tuesday it is too much planning. For weekdays I make the old no-knead loaf: very little yeast, a wet dough and a lot of time doing the work for me.
The routine
- Evening: stir flour, water, salt and a pinch of dried yeast in a bowl until there is no dry flour left. Cover and go to bed.
- Next afternoon: the dough is bubbly and has roughly doubled. Tip it onto a floured counter, fold it over itself a few times into a rough ball.
- Half an hour later: bake it in a lidded pot that has been heating in the oven. Lid on for the first part, lid off to brown the crust.
Things I learned
- A cast iron pot is not required. An old enamel casserole works just as well.
- Baking paper under the dough makes lowering it into a very hot pot much less scary.
- In summer the dough rises much faster. I use cold water and a smaller pinch of yeast from May to September.
It will not win any prizes, but it is real bread with a crackly crust on an ordinary weekday.