Sunday 20 March 2011

There`s no Need to Knead!

Forgive me, I`m a little late to the party on this one but it was a shock revelation to me that there is no need to knead bread.  I didn`t know this.  Why did no-one tell me?

Okay, someone did tell me. It all started a few weeks ago when a friend sent me this link.  It`s a short video by the excellent Minimalist of The New York Times who shows how you can leave bread overnight in the fridge to prove and you just have to chuck it in a super hot oven the next morning and the result is utterly gorgeous bread! You see those people who know about these things have found that it`s not the kneading that`s important but the length of time involved in the whole process.

Even though I was shocked by this news, I then kind of forgot it until a doctor here in Marrakech told me this week to improve my diet.  I`d always thought I had a good diet.  Everything we eat is freshly cooked from fresh produce but when I thought about it there probably had been too many lamb tagines with fennel and peas (red meat is a now a no no) , too many cups of espresso coffee, too many oranges and not enough pain complet - wholemeal bread to me and you.  The Moroccans love their bread and it is the main carb in their diet.  How else would you mop up all those lovely juices?

A packet of dried yeast


I haven`t made bread since I was a teenager when I used to bake every Sunday but today I made this little dusty beauty using this incredibly easy recipe  from The Guardian for a wholemeal loaf.  It`s not something you can really make if you`re in a rush.  You need to be in the house pottering around and then this is super easy to make.

Not only is it easy to make but it`s good.  No, it`s much better than good - it`s delicious.  The addition of a small amount of butter and a little Vitamin C (I used a bright orange flavoured one and the results were fine) means the result is light and not at all dense.  Trust me, you have to try this bread.

Bon appetite!

3 comments:

dutchcomfort said...

I can smell the fresh baked bread. It looks delicious!

Helen in Switzerland said...

You know, I think I will. I love making bread, but haven't for a wee while....

Annabella said...

@Nicolette - it smells wonderful!@Helen - let me know if you do and how it turns out...