The topic of no-knead bread
reappeared in the Dining and Wine section of the New York Times last week in an
article by Harold McGee, the author of On Food and Cooking. McGee baked loaves of
differing wetness (hydration) with and without kneading and provided an
explanation for why kneading is unnecessary to produce rustic style breads
with irregular hole patterns.
What he didn't mention
was the success possible with sourdough starters. McGee used commercial yeast,
but I’ve been consistently making no-knead bread with my own wild yeast starter
since I posted a recipe on this blog at the end of 2008. Commercial yeast can
yield a great loaf of bread, but wild yeast makes sublime bread with unmatched
depth of flavor and nuance.
The photo above is from a
recent loaf of bread I made a few days ago from my original recipe. I’ve
experimented with kneading the dough in the past, but it never turns out as
well. Instead, I mix my dough and let it sit overnight for about nine to twelve
hours (nine for the recent loaf). I shape it and put it in my baking pan, letting
it rise until it is ready (less than hour this time). I bake the loaf until the
crust turns dark and crisp. The interior, well you can see the yeast’s work. I
eat it plain; no need for butter.
My loaves do not taste
like San Francisco sourdough. They are not sour. My starter is mild, more like
a French levain. The sour flavor, isolated by USDA researchers in the 70’s,
comes from a specific type of lactic bacteria. By controlling the temperature
and feeding of a starter you can control the acidity. Maintaining starter
temperatures in the upper 70’s promotes less acetic starters. If you are
interested in more details, post a comment and I will reply.
Starters are not
mystical, delicate creatures, although I almost killed my favorite starter last
Autumn. I had been keeping it in the refrigerator when I wasn’t making bread
regularly, but I neglected it for a few weeks, maybe a month or so. When I
finally looked at it, the starter had a quarter inch of ill-colored vinegar
smelling liquid on top. I’m not sentimental, but I felt a tinge of guilt and
couldn’t throw it out. I refreshed it and refreshed it, nursing it back to
health. Even if you don't plan to make bread, try making a starter. Seeing it
bubble and froth and shouting, “It’s alive!” is worth the time. Show your kids;
get them extra credit in science. You don’t even need the squirt of honey I
mentioned in my recipe. Just flour and water.
Recently, I’ve created a
new starter from a recipe in an article by James MacGuire in The Art of Eating
(Winter 2009). He writes a fascinating story about the history and current
state of pain au levain in France and his bread recipe involves minimal
kneading by folding the dough at hourly intervals. The folding benefits his
dough, which is dryer than mine, and his rising times are shorter. The dough
has great oven spring and the finished bread is another example of the
beautiful harmony of wild yeast and lactic bacteria.
