i've been on a bread shtick lately and i've been pinning bread like a mad woman for all the interesting breads that i could find and wanted to try. a really big interest, it seems, is the no-knead bread variety. i really like how easy it is and the results are fairly tasty. I'm a huge fan of artisan bread but buying it can get a little pricey. It's nice to be able to just whip up a batch and bake it the next day.
so, with that being said, the boyfriend and i are moving out of our apartment in a couple of months and i'm finding that i have to get rid of some miscellaneous pantry items i've hoarded for a "rainy day". dried fruit, random flours, oatmeal, nuts, and spices galore...it's almost kind of random except they've been collected for specific recipes on my to-do list. but now that i won't have the luxury of taking my time to make them, i'm finding that using the stuff in my pantry to make bread is actually a more attractive idea than tossing/giving away my ingredients. and no-knead bread is a perfect base for tossing things together and crossing my fingers that they'll be a good combination! for this experiment, i went on a whim and used buttermilk powder, flaxseed meal, and oats for a "grainy" kind of bread. here's the recipe:
No-Knead Buttermilk Flax Oat Bread
2 cups warm water plus more if needed
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 cup flaxseed meal flour
2 tbls powdered buttermilk
1/3 to 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tsp salt
1 (1/4 oz.) packet or 2 1/2 tsp granulated yeast
cornmeal for dusting
mix all dry ingredients together then add the warm water to make a wet dough. if dry, add water until you get a shaggy dough. let rise for about 2-5 hours minimum or leave on a warm area, covered, overnight. to bake, take the dough and make a ball. on a parchment paper, scatter the cornmeal and place the rounded dough on it then let rest. preheat the oven to 450 degrees with your dutch oven and lid inside for about 20 minutes. once hot, take your dough with the parchment paper and carefully place it in the dutch oven and bake, covered, for thirty minutes. remove lid and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown. let cool 15 minutes before serving.
makes one loaf.
the verdict? it's definitely softer than my previous no-knead breads that i've made. it's still got that tangy-ness that's typical with this type of bread and it doesn't really taste all that different...well, maybe not so sour. there isn't a lot of openness to the crumb and after baking it didn't really expand like i though it was going to. maybe i just didn't let it rise enough (i baked it at the minimum rise time) or maybe it's the flaxseed meal? whatever it is, it is awesome re-toasted with some butter. i'd consider this a success! :)
