Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads
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Serving and Storing
Tear or cut the loaves into portions; the bread tastes good warm but the texture will be better when it cools. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or store wrapped in foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for a few minutes. The baguettes keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 1 month.
Fougasse (or Black Olive Fougasse)
KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Fuss-free ingredients, added all at once. Hand-shaping required.
Fougasse, which means "ladder," was originally a hearth bread and is related to focaccia. A tradition in Provence, fougasses are often flavored with black olives, anchovy paste, pork cracklings, or Gruyère cheese. Slightly sweet versions are also readied for holidays.
Like focaccia, fougasses are fairly thin, flat, and crisp, but, as their name suggests, their appearance is entirely different: The most prominent feature is usually deep slashes, or "ladders," that cut through and open up decorative slits in the dough; the effect is somewhat like that of the cutwork patterns in some fine table and bed linens. Besides adding visual drama, the ladders yield especially crusty loaves by increasing the surface area directly exposed to the heat.
One of the most artful and popular fougasse loaf shapes, which I love and call for here, is the "tree of life" form: One elongated slot is slashed down the center of a gently rounded pine tree shape (think rounded triangle or teardrop) and four or so perpendicular side openings fan out from the center slit on each side to suggest its branches. Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds; even an inexpert rendering looks enticing.
Traditional Provençal bakers also create much more elaborate shapes of intertwined double or even triple trees, as well as assorted round and other (usually symmetrical) fantasy forms. Sometimes fougasses include several dozen "ladders," and are almost too pretty to eat.
To make fougasses, prepare the Pain Ordinaire (Everyday French Baguettes or Bâtards) dough and complete the first rise as directed. Then use the following recipe to prepare a "plain" or black olive version. The olives are a nice addition but hardly necessary: The "plain" fougasses have a remarkable chewiness that complements the already enticing French bread flavor.
Yield: four 9- to 10-inch-long fougasses
½ cup well-drained, chopped (pitted) Niçoise olives, optional
1 batch Pain Ordinaire (Everyday French Baguettes or Bâtards) dough, ready for its second rise
Unbleached all-purpose white flour or bread flour for dusting
White or yellow cornmeal for dusting
Second Rise If adding olives, pat them dry on paper towels, then evenly fold into the dough. If it is sticky, working in the bowl, lift and turn it while dusting with and smoothing in more flour until stiffened and easy to handle. Spray four 10-inch-long sheets of baking parchment with nonstick spray. Generously dust them with flour.
Divide the dough in quarters (oiled kitchen shears work best), placing each portion on a sheet. Let rest for 10 minutes. Dusting the dough with flour as needed, pat and press one portion out into an 8- to 9-inch-long tree of life (rounded triangle) shape. Using well-oiled kitchen shears or a pizza wheel, cut a 5- to 6-inch-long center slash that goes completely through the dough and opens up a gash down its length, but stops about an inch short of the point and bottom edge. Cut three or four 1- to 1½-inch-long slashes that fan out and form slots on each side of the center one; be sure that the slashes don't cut into one another or through the edge of the dough. With flour-dusted fingertips, stretch and pull the dough out from the top, bottom, and sides so the cuts open up as much as possible; otherwise they may close up as the dough rises. Tent the fougasses with nonstick spray—coated foil.
Let Rise Using Either of These Methods For a 30- to 60-minute regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then let stand, covered, until warmed up. For loaves that have a well-defined shape, large holes, and more chew, let rise for the minimum time; for loaves with a softer, plumper look and lighter crumb, let rise longer.
Baking Preliminaries 20 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lowest position in the oven; preheat to 500°F. Place a broiler pan on the oven bottom. Place a very large rimmed baking sheet upside down on the lowest rack. Generously spritz or brush the loaves with water, then generously dust them with cornmeal.
Baking Reduce the temperature to 475°F. Immediately add a cup of ice water to the broiler pan, being careful of splattering and steam. Remove the heated upside-down baking sheet and arrange two fougasses (with parchment) on it. Return the baking sheet to the lowest rack and bake for 12 to 16 minutes, or until the loaves are well browned and their crusts very crisp. Test with a skewer inserted in the thickest part until it comes out with just slightly moist particles clinging to the bottom portion (or until the center registers 205° to 207°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for about 3 minutes more, just to be sure the centers are done. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Repeat the baking with the remaining two fougasses.
Serving and Storing
Tear or cut the fougasses into portions; eat warm or cool. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or store wrapped in foil: The crusts will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes. The fougasses keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 1 month.
Brioche
KS Quotient
Fairly Easy: Two-stage mixing. No hand-shaping.
Brioche is one of the richest and most finely textured yeast doughs; individual slices almost look as soft and golden as pound cake, though they are almost never more than faintly sweet. Brioche is lovely eaten both as is and in fancy French toast, and is sometimes called for in very elegant bread puddings. (I personally can't bear to use brioche for this purpose; it seems too contrary to the traditional notion of bread puddings as economizers designed to salvage pieces of unwanted everyday bread.)
The most elaborate brioche is brioche á tête, or "brioche with a head," which is baked in a special fluted pan and has a perky topknot rising in the center. Because the Kneadlessly Simple dough tends to be soft, and since I recall my fellow pastry school students and I producing many lopsided and sunken topknots while learning to work with brioche dough, I have opted for an easier, but equally delicious, "headless" version here. Bake it in a large loaf pan, or for a beautiful, foolproof decorative look, in a kugelhopf, Bundt, or similar fluted tube pan. (For a very sophisticated coffee cake, fold in chocolate shards and top the brioche with chocolate ganache glaze as directed in the variation at the end of the recipe.)
This recipe calls for beating in a lot of butter and eggs before the second rise, so, while this can be done by hand, it's easiest to use a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a paddle.
Yield: 1 brioche, 14 to 16 slices
2½ cups (12.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus ¾ cup (3.75 ounces), plus more as needed
5½ tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1¼ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft but not melted, cut into ½-inch pieces, plus more for brushing dough top and brioche pan
1/3 cup good-quality instant nonfat dry milk powder (don't use a generic brand)
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature, plus 1 egg for egg wash (if using loaf pan)
First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 2½ cups of the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, the salt, and yeast. Vigorously stir in the ice water, scraping down the bowl and mixing until the dough is thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to blend together, stir in just enough m
ore ice water to facilitate mixing and yield a slightly firm dough. If the mixture is soft, stir in enough more flour to make it barely firm. Evenly brush the top lightly with butter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
Second Rise In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2½ tablespoons sugar and the milk powder, then thoroughly whisk in the 2 eggs plus egg yolk until well blended. Gradually add the egg mixture, then ¾ cup of the flour into the dough and mix vigorously to incorporate; use a paddle and heavy-duty mixer on low if available. Add the butter a tablespoon or two at a time, mixing after each addition until smoothly incorporated. If dough still seems very moist and soft, mix in a few tablespoons more flour until slightly thicker than thick pancake batter. Turn out into a well-greased 8- to 10-cup Bundt or kugelhopf pan, or a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Cover with nonstick spray—coated plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up the butter.
Let Rise Using Either of These Methods For a 2½- to 3½-hour regular rise, let stand at cool room temperature; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 48 hours, then set out at room temperature. Let rise until the dough reaches the pan rim if using an 8-cup tube pan or loaf pan or to 1 inch below the rim if using a 10-cup pan. Remove the plastic wrap as the dough nears it.
Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350°F.
Baking If baking in the loaf pan, mix the remaining egg for the egg wash with 2 teaspoons water. Evenly brush over the dough top. Omit the glaze if the brioche will be baked in a fluted pan and served inverted. Bake on the lower rack for 35 to 45 minutes, covering the surface with foil partway through to prevent over-browning if necessary. Continue baking for 15 to 25 minutes more, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles clinging to the bottom (or until the center registers 201° to 203°F on an instant-read thermometer); the baking time will be longer in the loaf pan. When the brioche seems done, bake for 5 minutes longer to ensure the center is baked through. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the brioche to loosen it from the pan and transfer to the rack; let cool completely.
Tip
The accelerated rise is not offered for this bread, as the extra warmth might cause the butter in the dough to soften too much.
Serving and Storing
The loaf tastes and slices best fresh and at room temperature. Cool completely before storing airtight in plastic or foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for up 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
Variation
Brioche with Chocolate Shards
Shave or chop 8 to 10 ounces of fine-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate into shards. Thoroughly fold into the dough right after the butter and extra flour have been incorporated (before the second rise). Proceed as for the original. Top the finished brioche with Chocolate Ganache Glaze while still warm, if desired.
French Walnut Bread (Pain aux Noix)
KS Quotient
Super Easy: Short ingredient list; one-stage mixing. No hand-shaping.
This earthy, nutty-tasting bread is a French favorite, especially in the Dordogne region. It is wonderful topped with a creamy cheese or fine butter. Some pain aux noix recipes are hand-shaped and fairly elaborate; others are fairly simple, like this one. The only remotely fussy step is toasting the walnuts, which I don't skip because it really intensifies and mellows their flavor. I don't skimp on their quality either—they must be very fresh and nutty-sweet.
My 3 ½-quart French enameled cast iron Dutch oven works well for baking this bread, but any similar 3- to 4-quart heavy pot will do. (If you don't have a Dutch oven, see Choosing the Right Pot: for other options.)
Yield: 1 large loaf, 12 to 14 portions or slices
2 cups (10 ounces) whole wheat flour, plus extra as needed
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour or white bread flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons table salt
¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
2 cups ice water, plus more if needed
Walnut oil or flavorless vegetable oil for coating dough top and baking pot
1½ cups fresh, fine-quality walnut halves
First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the whole wheat and white flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Vigorously stir in the water, scraping down the bowl and mixing until the dough is well blended and smooth. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more water to blend the ingredients; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be very stiff. Brush or spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
Meanwhile, reserve 4 perfect walnut halves for garnish. Spread the remainder on a baking sheet and lightly toast, stirring several times, in a preheated 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until fragrant and just lightly browned. Let cool. Chop finely (in a food processor, if desired).
Second Rise Vigorously stir the cooled walnuts into the dough. If it is not stiff, stir in enough more whole wheat flour to make it hard to stir. Using an oiled rubber spatula, lift and fold the dough in towards the center, working all the way around the bowl. Invert it into a well-oiled, then flour-dusted, 3-quart (or larger) heavy metal pot (or use a flat-bottomed round casserole with a lid). Brush or spray the top with oil, then smooth out the surface with an oiled rubber spatula or fingertips. Cut ½-inch-deep slashes to form an x in the center top; well-oiled kitchen shears work best. Put the 4 untoasted walnut halves in the angles of the x for garnish; press down very firmly to imbed them. Cover the pot with its lid.
Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue until the dough doubles from its deflated size.
Baking Preliminaries 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 400°F. Lightly dust the dough top with whole wheat flour.
Baking Bake on the lower rack, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is well browned and a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles clinging to the bottom (or until the center registers 207° to 210°F on an instant-read thermometer). Then bake for 5 minutes more to ensure the center is done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf to the rack, running a knife around the edges to loosen it, if necessary.
Serving and Storing
The loaf tastes and slices best at room temperature. Cool completely before storing airtight in plastic or foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.
Yeasted Pain d'Epice
KS Quotient
Easy: Fairly lengthy ingredient list, but easy one-stage mixing. No hand-shaping.
This aromatic, flavorful, fruit-and-spice loaf is a French favorite, particularly in the farthest eastern region of Alsace. The French name notwithstanding, it is reminiscent of some traditional German honey cakes and gingerbreads called Lebkuchen—no great surprise considering that this territory lies across the Rhine river from Germany and has been under German rule on and off over the centuries.
Like many old-fashioned Lebkuchen, this recipe relies solely (and successfully) on honey for it sweetness and moistness. And, though it's enriched with dried fruits and spices, it contains no butter or eggs. These latter two were probably omitted because early church fasting rules prohibited rich fare during the pre-Christmas
season of Advent, as well as during Lent.
The anise seeds, crystallized ginger, orange zest, and careful blend of ground spices give this admittedly plain-looking loaf a compelling, complex flavor that keeps calling you back. It's a fine change of pace from cinnamon-raisin toast—and quite spectacular spread with cream cheese or almond butter. Although popular during the holidays, it is not overly sweet. It isn't normally iced in France, but the Powdered Sugar—Lemon Drizzle is a nice way to dress it up.