success!

success! by sarah kavage

December 12, 2009, 4:57 pm
Filed under: baking | Tags: bread, Chicago, InCUBATE, jim lahey, no-knead bread, organic flour, recipe, sullivan st. bakery, whole wheat

A huge shout out to Bryce, InCUBATE co-founder, who suggested this revolutionary recipe for bread.  You make a really wet dough, let it rise for 12-18 hours and cook it in a covered pot.  Every single person I talked to who had tried this method affirmed that it’s amazing – what, a recipe with no letdown?? 

This method was developed by Jim Lahey at Sullivan St. Bakery in NYC.  The science geek in me was drawn to his ability to work with the science behind bread baking to put the home baker on equal (well, better) footing with the pros.  The home baker is at a real disadvantage in terms of equipment when it comes to producing a bakery-quality loaf, and Lahey’s approach requires no baking stones or steam injected ovens, just your standard ingredients and a pot with a lid. 

I made an organic whole wheat dough with organic flour – 2/3 whole grain and 1/3 sifted so that it was more of an all purpose flour.  The dough did not seem as wet as it should have been at first – probably b/c of the whole wheat flour – so I added a little extra water.  I also ended up putting it in the fridge overnight after the first rise and then taking it out again in the morning; it’s probably better to start this one at night rather than first thing in the AM.  The dough made charming little fizzy musical notes as it rose, was perfectly cooperative and the final result was good looking AND delicious.  I’m eating it now! 

Bryce was also kind enough to lend me his camera so that I can take a few better-then-cell-phone quality pictures; appropriately enough the first pictures are of this picturesque loaf of bread. 

in the pot

the finished loaf

crisp crust, chewy interior

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