Ta-da! Here's my no-knead crusty, rustic peasant food. Just like an Asian father, it is hard on the outside and soft on the inside.
It took 2 minutes to mix the dough. The recipe is so simple and basic - 1.5 cups tepid water, 1/4 tsp yeast, 3 cups plain flour, 1.5 tsp salt - and that's it! It's touted to be so simple any 6-year-old can do it and it will be as good as any bakery in the world. I think this is a bit of an exaggeration lah!
This method uses heat and humidity to bake the bread without having to knead. Can anyone explain the science of it to me? It seems to work despite my ignorance.
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| How it looks just before going into the oven. I forget to give it a shake to even out the mixture. I must say the dough was not too easy to handle. |
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| And wah-la, this is what you get! |
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| Husband woke up and said, Something smells good! |
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| Wait for an hour to cool before cutting. Me, of course, I didn't bother to wait. |
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| 'Hole-y as it should be but I can also see traces of flour not too well mixed. Oopsy. |
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| Love the crust - very "pang" especially the slightly burnt part.. Sunday smells so...oo....goo...oo..d |
Great start to a beautiful Sunday and wonderful week ahead.
Meanwhile, enjoy the instructional video from NY Times below.
The heat and humidity causes oven spring, the last dose of yeast overdrive. Also, the humidity prevents premature crusting which hinders further rising in the oven. To enhance the oven spring, just before baking , mist your dough and make a deep cut on the dough surface. It will give an incredible oven spring.
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