I love making bread. I wrote about it over a year ago in a post called “How to Make Bread.” I follow the Jim Lahey no knead method. Because there is no need to knead!
I’ve been making 2 loaves every weekend, but it turns out my son does not like the crusty crust that you get when using the Dutch oven. But this past Christmas, my sister-in-law gave me this awesome silicone bread maker from Lekue and voila! I can now make sandwich style bread or “square(ish) bread” as my son likes to call it.
I follow the same method but it is even easier now! I don’t have to use the bannetons for the second rise, I just do that in the Lekue! So I am reposting the method so you can see how much easier it is. Also, I do think it is worth it to invest in a kitchen scale. I like this one. It comes in a few different colors! Mine is red. But, I have added the measurements as per the original Mark Bittman article about Jim Lahey’s method in case you decide not to.
Note: The maximum temperature for the Lekue is 400.
Recipe (for one loaf)
400 – 415 grams organic bread flour (3 cups)
8 grams instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons, which is 1 packet even though the original recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon but I don’t think it is enough)
8 grams salt (1 1/4 teaspoon)
300 – 315 grams of cold filtered water (1 5/8 cups)
Weigh the flour. It doesn’t have to be exact, exact. Anything in the range is fine.
Add the yeast and then zero out the scale. Add the salt.
Mix the flour, yeast and salt with a fork to combine. Place the bowl back on the scale and zero it out. Slowly pour the water straight in the bowl. It doesn’t have to be exact, but better less than more. You can always add a tablespoon at a time if it is too dry.
If measuring, measure the flour, yeast and salt into a bowl. Mix with a fork to combine. Then add the water.
Mix with a spoonula or wooden spoon until everything is combined. It is going to look scraggly but that is ok. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise overnight.
Flour your hands and pull the dough out of the bowl. Form it into a ball and rop it into the Lekue. Latch the top and cover with a kitchen towel. Let it rise for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 400. Place the Lekue into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
When it is done, drop it out onto a cooling rack. Wait a few hours, it is best to wait at least 8 hours, and slice the bread using a serrated knife.
Store in BPA free plastic storage bags in the refrigerator or freezer. Enjoy!