I have to admit, I was very skeptical when all of the no-knead bread recipes starting showing up in my social media feeds and email newsletters I subscribe to. It’s bread - you have to knead it to develop the gluten, right? Apparently not.
I never really minded a good kneading session when making bread. I always found it relaxing and therapeutic, in a way. (And don’t forget about that arm workout!) But, you say there’s a way to make homemade bread that’s easier and allows me to work on other things while it just hangs out? I’m listening…
Actually, I didn’t fully get on board until the pandemic, when like everyone else, I turned to bread baking to keep myself busy and productive. I decided to bake my way through a cookbook my husband had gotten me - Flour Water Salt Yeast by James Beard Award winner Ken Forkish - in which the breads are “no-knead”, using folds and a long rise time to develop the gluten. What a revelation! (Also, he mixes everything in food-grade buckets. Buckets are a game changer!) (Another also, it’s a great bread cookbook, highly recommend if you’re interested in diving into artisan breads that are still manageable for a home cook.)
Since then, I’ve been working on some of my own breads and experimenting with making them of the no-knead variety. (The King Arthur Baking website has a nice little article with how-to’s and tips for changing bread recipes to no-knead.) A while back I shared a couple of bread recipes, including this Oatmeal Bread that uses folds instead of kneading.
And this week, drumroll please, is the most amazing no-knead focaccia bread (outside of actually eating focaccia in Italy because nothing tops that experience). My little family of three can tear through this focaccia in an almost obscene fashion. As soon as I take it out of the oven, a little head will poke around the corner - “do I smell focaccia?” - and I’ll have to cut off a sliver with the “careful, it’s hot!” warning that no one cares about.
The dough comes together easily, just requiring an afternoon around the house for folding and resting and folding again before popping the whole thing in the fridge for 48 hours.
Baking it in a 9x13 pan results in a thick, fluffy focaccia, perfect for slicing in half for sandwiches. Or, you can make it larger, thinner, and a little chewier in a 13x18 rimmed baking sheet, a great canvas for trying out different topping combinations. (I like the topping experimentation, but the kiddo perfers thick and fluffy. You can’t go wrong either way.)
A couple of notes -
I know, you’re thinking, 48 hours!, but trust me, it’s worth it. The long rest in the fridge lets the dough ferment just a little and gives it a hint of sourdough flavor. If you absolutely cannot wait, give it 24 hours, and then proceed as directed. Just know that I told you 48 hours would give you better flavor. (And I love a good told-you-so.)
This dough is a 100% hydration dough, which just means that, by weight, the amount of flour and water are equal. The high hydration is part of the reason the no-knead method works; the wetness of the dough makes the gluten molecules more mobile and more readily able to form those long, elastic strands. But the high hydration also means it’s a very loose, sticky dough that can be a little hard to work with when doing those folds. Just do the best you can; it’ll be fine.
Here’s a (amateur) video of how I do the folds with a goopy dough. I use a spatula and just get as much as I can up and over, turn the bowl, and do it again. After each set of folds, you’ll feel the dough start to tighten up.
And, this baby is going to rise - use your biggest bowl! (This is where proofing buckets are handy.)
Also, if you have a kitchen scale, now is the time to use it. If you don’t, but you’re thinking of doing more baking projects, get one, they’re not that expensive and make things much faster and more accurate. If you’re not working with a scale, don’t scoop your measuring cup into the flour container (you’ll end up with too much); use a spoon to lightly put the flour in your measuring cup and then level off the top.
The entire video of me making focaccia is way down below the recipe. It’s running at 2x speed to try and fit it in. No, I don’t actually stir that fast. Check it out! Or not! I’m still working on the best way to try to include more videos.
And off we go! See you back next week!
MONDAY - Chicken Tikka Masala and Crispy Roasted Potatoes
I have a jar of tikka masala sauce that will make an easy skillet dinner with some boneless, skinless chicken thighs with roasted potatoes on the side (because I somehow have like three partial bags of potatoes that need to be used).
TUESDAY - Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin and Veggies with Rice
Pork tenderloin will go into a bag with marinade in the morning and onto a sheet pan with broccoli, carrots, and onions for dinner. Jasmine rice on the side.
WEDNESDAY - Grilled Chicken with Caprese Pasta
Boneless chicken breasts were on sale, so I got a big package. I’ll go ahead and grill them all, and we’ll have some for dinner and some to save. Angel hair pasta tossed with a “no-cook sauce” of marinated grape tomatoes, fresh basil, and mini mozzarella balls is fast and easy.
THURSDAY - Leftovers Night
I have a busy couple of weeks, so throwing in leftovers nights makes things easier right now. If we don’t want straight leftovers, we can use the extra grilled chicken for salads or sandwiches.
FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY - Gone for the weekend!
First mini trip of the summer! We’re off to Gatlinburg/Dollywood for some fun (and some of that Dollywood cinnamon bread). Hopefully home by dinner-time on Sunday, but we’ll play it by ear.
LUNCHES for this week -
I’m going to make a batch of chicken salad at the beginning of the week and do some lettuce cups with that nice Bibb lettuce and fresh fruit to go with. I love a cold plate lunch as the heat and humidity of summer kicks in.
EXTRAS for this week
Heavy duty baking prep this week as I get ready to help with the food for a big conference at church. The question of the week is how many hundreds of cookie dough scoops can I get in the freezer in one week? I might need to sign up some relief scoopers!
48-hour Focaccia
Makes one 9x13 (thick) or one 13x18 (thinner) focaccia.
· 3 cups (675 grams) Warm Water
· 1 tablespoon White Sugar
· 2 ¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (one packet), not instant or rapid-rise
· 5 cups/675 grams Bread Flour
· 1 tablespoon kosher Salt (Morton’s or store brand)
· 4-5 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
· Salt and/or Herbs (or other fun things!) for topping, optional
In large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently until yeast is dissolved. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate yeast. It should get foamy on the top.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add about half of the flour mixture to the water and yeast. Stir until well combined. Add in remaining flour and stir well. Make sure to get all the flour incorporated (check the bottom).
Cover the bowl and let dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Complete the first series of folds (see note below). 12-15 folds should work. This is a very wet, loose dough. Just do the best you can.
Let dough rest at room temp for another 30 minutes.
Complete the second set of folds (another 12-15 folds).
Scrape all your dough to one side and pour in about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Scrape the dough onto the oiled side and pour another tablespoon olive oil on the remaining side. Carefully flip your dough over into the oil and turn to coat. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap (coat underside of plastic with non-stick spray) and move to fridge. Leave it there for 48 hours.
On baking day, remove the dough from fridge and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. For a very thick and fluffy focaccia, coat a 9x13 baking dish with about 2 tablespoons olive oil. For a larger, thinner focaccia, use a 13X18 rimmed sheet pan.
Scrape all of the dough into the prepared pan, gently stretching it towards the corners. Let it rise at room temp for another hour and a half.
Preheat oven to 450 with a rack in the middle position.
Drizzle another 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough. Use your fingers to press into the dough and dimple it all over, stretching it back to the corners if needed. Sprinkle with kosher salt or flaked salt and herbs (or other toppings), if desired.
Bake on middle rack 20-30 minutes until golden all over and well browned in some places.
Cool in pan 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 more minutes.
NOTES: If you have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend to use the weight measurements for the water and flour. It is much more accurate.
For a “fold”, use your hands or a spatula (I like spatula) to get under half of the dough and fold it onto itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and fold again. Repeat several times as directed.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)