Wickwood Inn



Polar Bears
Let's all take care of one another in every season of the year.
The very best to you for 2008!        ----- All of us at Wickwood

 

OUR GIFT

Gifts

TO YOU

THE SIMPLEST, MOST SENSATIONAL HOMEMADE BREAD
Jim Lahey’s Sullivan Street Bakery No-Knead Bread**

If you can measure, stir and plan 21½ hours in advance, you can enjoy fabulous bread for an everyday dinner. There’s little timing, no-kneading, no special pans needed, and absolutely, no hassle. This is miracle bread --- and we just had to tell you about it for Holiday time is a wonderful time to show your family you care with warm just-from-the-oven-bread. You’ll thank Jim Lahey (and hopefully us) for letting you in on the secret. We encourage you with every bone in our bodies to try this recipe. It changed our lives!

Timing: 2 seconds mixing, 1-2 minutes folding, 20¼ hours rising, and 1 hour baking. That’s it!!!

l  3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
l  ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
l  1¼ teaspoons salt
l  Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Place your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is all right. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack.

Yield: one 1½ pound loaf.

We love slices toasted under the broiler --- and then drizzled with olive oil or spread lightly with unsalted butter.

OUR NOTE:  We have tried this recipe successfully with half whole wheat flour and half bread flour. We also love it with two cups of best quality grated Parmigiano Reggiano added to the dry ingredients before you add the water.

** As it originally appeared in Mark Bittman’s column in The New York Times

Sullivan Street Bread

Wickwood Inn   |    510 Butler Street P.O. Box 1019   |   Saugatuck, MI 49453
Tel (800) 385-1174   |   
www.wickwoodinn.com  |    Bill and Julee Rosso Miller, Proprietors