Recipe(tried): Breadspeed Basic Bread

Breadspeed Basic Bread

No Knead Yeast Breads in Two Hours using vitamin C.
Breadspeed...Wonderful No-Knead Yeast Breads in Two Hours. Elma Schemenauer

1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. active dry or fast-rise yeast
1/4 cup cool or lukewarm water

2 cups all purpose flour (or equal parts all purpose and whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup gluten flour
1 tsp. salt or sea salt
1/3 tsp. calcium ascorbate powder

1 cup hot tap water

A. GIVE THE YEAST A HEAD START. For this you need only two utensils, a tablespoon and a large wide measuring cup. Measure the sugar into the cup. With the same spoon, measure the yeast into the cup. Then pour in cool or lukewarm water just up to the 1/4 cup measuring mark on the cup (no need to measure water before pouring it in).

More traditional methods recommend starting the yeast in water at about 110 F. Actually, cool water will do just as well, though the yeast action will be slightly slower. I find it much easier to just run cool water out of the tap, rather second-guessing or using a thermometer to arrive at exactly the right lukewarm temperature. The most important thing is not to start the yeast in water that is too hot, since this will kill it.

Once you have the sugar, yeast, and water in the cup, give them a brief stir with the same tablespoon. Lumps don't matter. Set the yeast mixture in a warm, draft-free place till needed (10 to 30 min.) If your kitchen is cool, cover the yeast mixture. Run some hot tap water into a bowl or sink and set the yeast in there to keep cosy.

B. MEASURE AND MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS. With your second measuring cup and a teaspoon, measure the dry ingredients into a plastic mixing bowl, preferably a straight sided one. If you've stored your ingredients in a cool place such as a refrigerator, let them warm up a few minutes at room temperature before proceeding.

C. MIX THE LIQUID AND DRY INGREDIENTS. The water you use at this point should be 120 F. to 130 F. I find that turning my hot water tap on and letting the water run till it's at its hottest works well. You may find the same. If you're doubtful, use a candy or meat thermometer to measure the temperature of your hot tap water the first time or two you bake bread. Water a bit hotter than 130 F. is still OK. However, take note:

Temperatures over 140 F. kill yeast. Mixing and rising must take place at temperatures lower than this.

Pour the hot tap water over the dry ingredients. Then, to take full advantage of the heat, immediately add the yeast mixture and mix everything together.

As I've indicated, I prefer a large wooden or metal spoon for mixing. However, if you wish, you can use a food processor or other suitable machine at this point. Mix thoroughly but don't knead. Dough will be a bit moister than in many traditional bread recipes.

Flours and humidities vary. Therefore you may need just a bit more hot tap water to allow all the dry ingredients to mix in fairly easily.

D. LET THE DOUGH RISE IN THE BOWL. Lay plastic wrap or waxed paper over the dough, touching the surface. This, together with the plastic bowl, helps hold in the warmth. Yeast doughs have a habit of "sulking" and not rising well if they're sitting in even a little draft. To prevent this, cover the bowl loosely with a lid or tea towel and set in a warm place as free of drafts as possible. (Don't cover tightly, as bubbles of carbon dioxide from the rising dough could cause the lid to "pop.")

Ideally bread dough should rise at 80 F. to 85 F. If your kitchen is cooler than this, use a method such as one of the following to keep the dough cosy.

Run hot tap water into the sink. Set the bowl of dough into it. You may need to add a little more hot tap water during the rising period.

If your kitchen is too cool, putting the dough upstairs may be all you need to do. Often an upstairs room is warmer than a main floor kitchen.

NOTE: for the following method, you must use a bowl made of material you know is safe for your microwave oven. Set the loosely covered bowl in a dish of hot water in the microwave. Turn the microwave on a MEDIUM for 1 min or LOW for 4 min. Then turn it off and leave for 5 to 15 min. If the dough hasn't at least doubled in bulk during this time, repeat the process.

No matter which raising method you use, your BREADSPEED dough should approximately double in bulk in 30 min. (In the traditional method, it takes an hour or longer.) One way to gauge if the dough has indeed doubled is to stick a piece of masking tape on the side of the bowl when you set the dough to rise. Stick the tape at the point where the dough should be when doubled. Then you can easily tell by looking, especially if your bowl is made of a somewhat see through material.

If for some reason you can't take care of your dough after 30 min. have passed, don't worry.

Except for the microwave method, you can leave the dough rising in the bowl for up to 2 hours without attenion. After 2 hours, you can simply punch it down and let it rise again without doing any damage.

E. FORM THE LOAF. Peel off the plastic wrap or waxed paper. turn the dough out onto a generously floured cookie sheet or board. With generously floured hands, pat the dough into a rectangular shape. (You can use a rolling pin, but I prefer fingers because they're easier to find and simpler to wash.)

Make the shorter sides of your dough rectangle about the same length as the longer sides of your loaf pan. Starting from one of the shorter sides, roll the dough up tightly like a jellyroll. When you get to the end, pinch the seam together with your fingers and then smooth it out as much as you can.

At each end of your loaf, push the side of your hand down to form a thin strip. Turn these strips under neatly, pinching their edges to seal them to the bottom of the loaf.

Brush the extra flour off the bottom and sides of the loaf. Using a plant mister or other method, spray the bottom and sides generously with water.

F. PUT THE LOAF INTO THE PAN. Oil or grease the bottom and sides of the pan, and sprinkle them with a little yellow or white cornmeal. The cornmeal is not essential, but it gives a professional finish to your loaf and helps it slide out of the pan easily.

Turn your loaf topside up, lift it with both hands, and plop it into the pan. The loaf, as mentioned before, should take up about 2/3 of the space in the pan.

G. LET THE LOAF RISE IN THE PAN. If you're using quarry tiles, arrange them on an oven rack about halfway up in your oven. Make sure to leave at least 2-space around the edge of the tiled area.

Set the pan onto the tiles (or bare rack if you're not using tiles). Turn the oven on to its lowest setting. In most ovens, this is about 85 F. which is just about right. If in doubt, use a thermometer to check how hot your oven is at its lowest setting. It can be a bit hotter than 85 F but should definitely not be close to 140 F.

Leave the loaf in the oven at the lowest setting for 10 to 20 min, or until it has risen 1 to 2 inches above the top of the pan.

H. BAKE THE LOAF. With the loaf still in the oven, turn the temperature up to 400 F. As the oven heats up, the loaf will continue to rise for awhile. Then it will start baking. From the time of turning up the heat, your loaf should take 30 to 45 min. to get done.

I. DETERMINE WHEN THE LOAF IS DONE. When the specified time is up, take the loaf out of the oven and use a metal spatula to tip it out of the pan. If the bottom and sides of the crust are an even, golden brown, the loaf is done. If not, simply plop it back into its pan and return it to the oven for a further 10 to 20 min.

If you like a really brown, chewy crust, keep on baking the loaf, checking the bottom crust from time to time until it suits you. If during this process, you notice the top crust becoming too brown, turn down the heat or protect the top with an aluminum foil tent.

If you don't like your crust very brown and chewy, it's best not to use the quarry tiles. As soon as the minumum baking time is up, do your crust checking as described above. Don't bake the loaf any longer than it takes to get the bottom and sides a pleasant golden brown. You can also keep the crust from being very chewy by brushing the loaf all over with butter or margarine as soon as it comes out of the oven.

J. COOLING, SLICING, AND KEEPING THE LOAF. You can slice the bread hot out of the oven. Though your slices may look a bit messy, this is of course the most delicious way to eat it.

If you prefer a more genteel approach, cool the loaf on a rack if you have one. After it has cooled, it will slice more neatly, either with a regular serrated knife or with an electric one.

Though BREADSPEED loaves don't include preservatives as many commercial loaves do, they are beautifully moist and don't dry out easily. They will keep well at room temperature,wrapped in plastic or waxed paper, for 4 to 5 days. Make sure breads are thoroughly cooled before wrapping them. In a refrigerator, BREADSPEED breads will easily keep for a week to 10 days. However, refrigeration does tend to harden any bread.

BREADSPEED breads freeze beautifully, either whole or sliced. Just put them in plastic bags or wrap them well with plastic wrap.