Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread

The last time I wrote about this no knead bread was in 2011. I decided the video and photos in that post needed a bit of an update. The recipe remains almost exactly the same though. This is a recipe that has stood the test of time. Mark Bittman wrote about Jim Layhey’s revolutionary no-knead bread in 2006!

It’s possible to make bread dough without kneading. There are 2 major factors at play here that help create this wonderful bread. The first is mixing up a very wet dough and letting it sit, at room temperature for 18 hours. Food scientist, Harold McGee, explained it like this, to Bittman,

“It makes sense. The long, slow rise does over hours what intensive kneading does in minutes: it brings the gluten molecules into side-by-side alignment to maximize their opportunity to bind to each other and produce a strong, elastic network. The wetness of the dough is an important piece of this because the gluten molecules are more mobile in a high proportion of water, and so can move into alignment easier and faster than if the dough were stiff.”

The second major factor involved in making this bread is where Jim Lahey’s real genius comes into play. He discovered that by baking the bread in a covered preheated cast iron or enamel pot (like a Le Creuset), you mimic the steam ovens that professional bakers use to develop that crisp crackling crust so desirable on artisan breads.

During my 18 month journey through the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, I tried all sorts of methods to produce steam in my home oven. I put a pan of hot water at the bottom of the oven, I sprayed the sides of my oven wall with a plant mister during baking, I added ice cubes to the oven during the baking process and I even tried adding lava rocks to the pan of hot water, to mimic a sauna. I never did achieve that holy grail of crackling crust.

Here are a few tips for success:

  • This is a very wet dough. It’s important to mix it well and make sure there are no dry bits of flour anywhere in the bowl before you cover it up for the 18 hour rest period.
  • When you are ready to form the loaf, liberally flour the work surface and wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking. A flexible dough scraper will be a helpful tool to use.
  • In the original recipe, Jim says to just form the dough into a ball and place it on a cotton towel, cover it and let rise. I found that placing it in a special bread rising basket (a banneton) helped this very wet dough hold it’s shape much better. A banneton is woven bread mold, usually made of made of cane and is used to form and shape artisan loaves during the proofing/raising stage. The basket imprints its shape and ribbed design on the finished loaf. You can also just line a colander with a clean cotton towel, although you won’t get the cool design on your bread.
  • You need to heavily flour the banneton or towel you line your bowl with so it does not stick. I used rice flour. Rice flour is like teflon for sourdough, ensuring that it doesn’t stick to the banneton during proofing.
  • Use a lame or sharp knife to cut a shallow slit into the top of the bread before baking. This will allow the steam to escape from the bread in a controlled fashion when baking
  • A few words about the pot to cook the dough in. Just about any covered 6-8 quart covered pot will work here. Cast iron or enameled cast iron (like Le Creuset) work very well for this job. The pot and lid need to be preheated in a 450°F oven for at least 30 minutes before transferring bread into the pot. I have revised the original recipe to allow you to use parchment paper to help you get the dough into the hot pot more safely. (watch the video at the beginning of this post to see)
  • The bread is done when an instant read thermometer, inserted into the center, registers 200°F-205°F. For optimum texture, be patient and allow bread cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Click here to print recipe for Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread.

Cauliflower, Leek and White Bean Soup

While I don’t practice “Dry January”, I am a big proponent of “Gentle January”. I do not rush boldly into the new year, filled with resolutions and plans. I prefer to ease in 2024 slowly. I struggle with transitions and I like to take my time adjusting to a new year.

This soup is the perfect way to ease into 2024. It’s a lighter twist on a classic Leek and Potato Soup (vichyssoise). I have replaced the potato with cauliflower.

But you won’t miss the richness of the original soup because I have added white beans for body and protein. I like to roast the cauliflower to get that caramelized flavour. Cauliflower is a blank, bland canvas, so it can really take some bold seasoning. I went with Aleppo pepper (a fruitier, more gentle heat than red pepper flakes), and some earthy cumin. Since this is a pureed soup, save a few of the prettier roasted florets to garnish the top of the soup after roasting.

Leeks add a mild, delicate flavour to the soup, much less intense than regular onions. I love the flavour.

Cleaning leeks can be a bit tricky if you have never done it before. They are usually quite sandy, as they grow below ground. I find it’s easier to slice the leeks into thin slices and then submerge the slices in cold water to remove the sand. Check out how I do it in the video.

I garnished the soup with some roasted cauliflower, toasted pumpkin seeds and some chive oil. I have included the recipe for making your own. It’s such a pretty colour and really finishes off the soup. If you don’t feel like making it, a drizzle of some good quality extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh chives would also be delicious. Not optional is the final mix in of a tablespoon of sherry or red wine vinegar. It really wakes up the soup.

Click here to print recipe for Cauliflower, Leek and White Bean Soup.

Raspberry Glazed Brown Sugar Snowflake Cookies

There are some very skilled cookie decorators out there creating stunning piped holiday sugar cookies. I’m looking at you @arloscookies, @nm_meiyee, and @constellationinstallation. No matter how hard I practice, I will never reach those heights and I’m ok with that. I am in awe of their talent and love to look at their gorgeous creations.

While I love the look of intricately piped sugar cookies, I find the taste of royal icing too cloying. These raspberry glazed snowflake sugar cookies are the perfect solution for beautiful and delicious sugar cookies. Watch how they come together.

The dough is made with brown sugar, which creates a chewy cookie. All the decorations are done with a wooden cookie stamp from @fancyfoodtools. This is the one I bought.

Not all wooden cookie stamps are created equal. Make sure you buy one that has deep enough grooves, so that when you bake the cookies, and they rise, the design will still be as sharp after baking. Roll the cookies in granulated sugar before stamping. The sugar ensures that the cookies will not stick to the stamp.

The glaze for these cookies is made with icing sugar, lemon juice and freeze dried raspberries. There is no artificial food colouring in them. The freeze dried raspberries must be ground up in a food processor or spice grinder. I like to put the ground berries through a fine mesh sieve, to strain out the seeds.

You want the glaze to be quite thin for dipping.

Once dipped, the glaze will take about an hour to set.

Click here to print recipe for Raspberry Glazed Brown Sugar Snowflake Cookies.

Holiday Cookies 2023

This year’s holiday roundup is probably my prettiest and most delicious ever. I made all my favourites for gifting. Cookies are my love language and I love to share them. I enjoy the entire process of gifting, from baking to sourcing packaging, and designing and choosing the fonts for the labels.

Here are the links to all the recipes:

These adorable gingerbread cookie boxes are from karentology I preordered them in August as soon as I saw them.

I like to package each kind of cookie in a separate bag. These flat bottom cello bags are perfect for keeping cookies fresh.

I invested in a bag sealer many years ago. It just makes your cookies look so professional.

I label each kind of cookie. I really like these Avery kraft brown labels. They let the cookie be the star. Avery labels have a great free online design program that is simple to use.

Caramel Stuffed Ginger Crinkle Cookies

I first learned about Ginger Crinkle Cookies from my friend Lanie. She baked me a big batch and brought them to my cottage many years ago. I was instantly smitten. Crispy at the edges and chewy in the center, intensely flavoured with ginger and cinnamon. Typically, I have always though of ginger cookies as a winter Christmas type of cookie, but surprisingly, she found the recipe in the “Kosher Palette” cookbook. They make an excellent summer cookie too, especially when you sandwich some salted caramel ice cream between two of them!

Over the years I have tinkered with the recipe and had the idea to stuff the center of them with some chewy caramel. It took a while to get the right caramel for the stuffing. I first tried Kraft caramels but they hardened after baking and cooking and didn’t give me the chewy center. I made my own caramel, which was outstanding, but way too much work. Then I tried Werther’s Original Chewy Caramels. They stay chewy even after the cookies cool. I also put them through the freezer test and once thawed, the caramel stays chewy.

Check out this video to see how they come together.

Here are a few tips to ensure success:

  • Use a cookie scoop to ensure consistent size and even baking. I use this one. It has a one ounce (2 Tablespoon) capacity.
  • Spray your measuring cup with a bit of non-stick cooking spray before measuring and pouring the molasses. It will glide right out. You can do this for measuring anything sticky, like peanut butter or honey.
  • Roll the scoped cookies in coarse sanding sugar. The texture of the coarse sugar is what gives the cookies their characteristic crinkle top. If you’re in Canada, Bulk Barn carries it.
  • The Werther’s caramels are rectangular shaped. Before stuffing the cookies, twist them so they are more circular in shape. This will prevent oozing.
  • I like to top each cookie with additional caramel to give a visual cue as to what type of cookie you will be eating. After a bit of experimenting, I found that about 1/3 of a caramel, placed on top, halfway through the baking time, yielded the best results. A sharp scissors was best for cutting the caramels.
  • As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a round cookie cutter, larger than the cookies, to give a little “scoot” to even out the shape and have picture perfect round cookies. I learned this trick from Erin over at cloudykitchen.

Click here to print recipe for Caramel Stuffed Ginger Crinkle Cookies.