Knead Not Sourdough
ACTIVE TIME: 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 hours 55 minutes
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
There's no need to knead to achieve an airy sourdough loaf. Time can do the work for us. Wheat breads get their chewy tooth from gluten, that elastic and plastic mesh that forms whenever we mix wheat-flour proteins with water. Typically, we give birth to this structure by kneading and kneading and kneading. However, agitation is not the only way to conjure gluten forth. Time alone can do the trick and has the distinct advantage of creating considerable flavor as well. This recipe first appeared in Season 11 of Good Eats.
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- 17 1/2 ounces bread flour, plus extra for shaping
- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 12 fluid ounces filtered water
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
Specialized Hardware
4- to 5-quart Dutch oven
ACTIVE TIME: 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 hours 55 minutes
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Procedure
- Whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and stir until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 19 hours.
- After 19 hours, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Punch down the dough and turn it over onto itself a couple of times. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, shape the dough into a ball. Coat hands with flour, if needed, to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the tea towel with half of the cornmeal and lay the dough on top of it, with the seam side down. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the other half of the cornmeal and cover with the towel. Allow to rise until the dough has doubled in size, another 2 to 3 hours.
- Oven baking: While the dough is rising the second time, heat the oven to 450°F. Place a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven in the oven while it heats. Once the dough is ready, carefully transfer it to the hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 to 212°F, another 15 minutes. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Outdoor coals: Heat charcoal in a chimney starter until ash covers all of the coals. Place 20 to 24 coals on a Dutch oven table. Place a cooling rack (or other wire rack that is at least 2 inches high) directly over the coals. Set a 5-quart Dutch oven on top of this rack and allow to heat during the last 30 minutes of the second rise. Carefully transfer the dough to the Dutch oven and cover with the lid. Place 20 coals on top. Bake until the bread reaches an internal temperature of 210 to 212°F, about 45 minutes. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
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