Crusty Bread
Believe it or not, baked in a pressure cooker!
The original recipe is from Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC via NYT's Mark Bittman. This is the link to the recipe that turned my bread making and eating world around. http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread.
RECIPE MODIFICATIONS :
1) While I'm in very humid Panama (85% to 99% humidity, yes, I am developing gills), I'm using about 2/3 the water called for; about a cup of water for 3 cups of flour (or ~ 2 cups water to the 6 cups of flour in the double recipe)
2) Maybe it is the quality of the local flour in Panama, I found the crumb to be hard after day one, so I added 1-3 Tbsp of sugar to the double recipe, crust still crunchy, but crumb is much softer.
3) I found that for a peanut butter sandwich, it was too salty, so reduced the salt to 1.5 tsp.
Resulting in
6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1.5 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
2 2/3 cups water, adding about the last 1/4 cup tbsp at a time.
Not having an oven let alone a dutch oven left me to improvise. Solution? I riffed off of this pressure cooker method http://www.alberg37.org/Project%20DB/Galley/Carol_Anne%27s_Ship_Bread/CAROL%20ANNE%20Ship%20Bread.htm
TECHNIQUE MODS : An oiled and cornmeal coated pan inside an 8 quart pressure cooker. Line the bottom with oiled, cornmealed aluminum foil or wax paper to make it easy to pop the loaf out. The pan is actually a pot with handles removed.
MODS FOR PRESSURE COOKER : The pan fits in the pressure cooker with about an inch around to spare and sits on a rack to raise it about an inch off the bottom of the pressure cooker. The pan inside the pressure cooker gives me a nicer sized loaf, allows for easier flipping and the rack avoids scorching as I have not been able to find a flame tamer since Mexico.
Well, since the pot is so big and the bread so delicious, the recipe got doubled! No preheat is needed or possible as the cornmeal will burn (yes, I've tried it). When ready to bake, plop the ball of dough into the cooker on med heat and cook for 30 minutes. No pressure, the cooker acts like a nicely sealed hot box. After the 30 minutes, remove the bread, turn over and return to pan and pressure cooker for another 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan, and cool (a must!) on rack before slicing. Enjoy!
MODS FOR OVEN BAKING : The original recipe calls for a dutch oven. Not having one, and none in side in any of the Bocas Del Toro shops, I used a ss pot with the plastic handles removed and an oven safe lid. Slash an X across the top of the loaf about 1/2 inch deep before baking. Timing is 25 minutes with lid on and 15 with lid off. Remove from the pan, let cool on a rack before slicing.
Thanks Jim, Mark and Carol Anne!
Read MoreThe original recipe is from Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC via NYT's Mark Bittman. This is the link to the recipe that turned my bread making and eating world around. http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread.
RECIPE MODIFICATIONS :
1) While I'm in very humid Panama (85% to 99% humidity, yes, I am developing gills), I'm using about 2/3 the water called for; about a cup of water for 3 cups of flour (or ~ 2 cups water to the 6 cups of flour in the double recipe)
2) Maybe it is the quality of the local flour in Panama, I found the crumb to be hard after day one, so I added 1-3 Tbsp of sugar to the double recipe, crust still crunchy, but crumb is much softer.
3) I found that for a peanut butter sandwich, it was too salty, so reduced the salt to 1.5 tsp.
Resulting in
6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1.5 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
2 2/3 cups water, adding about the last 1/4 cup tbsp at a time.
Not having an oven let alone a dutch oven left me to improvise. Solution? I riffed off of this pressure cooker method http://www.alberg37.org/Project%20DB/Galley/Carol_Anne%27s_Ship_Bread/CAROL%20ANNE%20Ship%20Bread.htm
TECHNIQUE MODS : An oiled and cornmeal coated pan inside an 8 quart pressure cooker. Line the bottom with oiled, cornmealed aluminum foil or wax paper to make it easy to pop the loaf out. The pan is actually a pot with handles removed.
MODS FOR PRESSURE COOKER : The pan fits in the pressure cooker with about an inch around to spare and sits on a rack to raise it about an inch off the bottom of the pressure cooker. The pan inside the pressure cooker gives me a nicer sized loaf, allows for easier flipping and the rack avoids scorching as I have not been able to find a flame tamer since Mexico.
Well, since the pot is so big and the bread so delicious, the recipe got doubled! No preheat is needed or possible as the cornmeal will burn (yes, I've tried it). When ready to bake, plop the ball of dough into the cooker on med heat and cook for 30 minutes. No pressure, the cooker acts like a nicely sealed hot box. After the 30 minutes, remove the bread, turn over and return to pan and pressure cooker for another 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan, and cool (a must!) on rack before slicing. Enjoy!
MODS FOR OVEN BAKING : The original recipe calls for a dutch oven. Not having one, and none in side in any of the Bocas Del Toro shops, I used a ss pot with the plastic handles removed and an oven safe lid. Slash an X across the top of the loaf about 1/2 inch deep before baking. Timing is 25 minutes with lid on and 15 with lid off. Remove from the pan, let cool on a rack before slicing.
Thanks Jim, Mark and Carol Anne!
