No Knead Raisin Walnut Artisan Bread - Monica

Okay guys, get ready for this recipe, because it is my *favorite* bread recipe of all time. One, it is my favorite kind of bread for its nuttiness and slightly fruity flavor, second, it has an awesome crust, and third, because it isn't physically tiring to prepare compared to other yeast breads.

If you haven't heard of no knead breads before, it is basically bread made in a way which doesn't require much kneading and instead uses  a long rising time to form the gluten in the bread. It needs only a small amount of yeast and is usually a wet dough that makes bread which has a lot of irregular holes in it (like the artisan breads you see in the supermarket). The crispy crust (techniques explained below) will make you want to eat this bread all day long with some jam or butter or cheese, or if you're nice, share it with your friends.

No-Knead Raisin Walnut Artisan Bread  - Monica

Makes One Loaf

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 12-18 hours waiting time, ~2 hours prepping and baking time

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bread flour (or all purpose)
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 tsp instant or active dry yeast (I use instant yeast)
• Pinch of fresh ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cup water
• Wheat bran or additional flour for dusting.

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts, yeast, and pepper.
2. Add water and mix until you have a wet sticky dough.

3. Cover the bowl with a wet towel or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until surface is dotted with bubbles, about 12-18 hours.

• I personally think a longer time produces more irregular holes in the bread, so I tend to let the dough sit at around 5pm and then resume making the bread the morning of the next day.

4. Scrape dough out of bowl in one peace, lifting edges of dough towards the center.
• Use a "fold" technique in which you fold the dough towards the center like an envelope and repeat a couple times.

5. Gently place dough on floured surface seam side down.
6. Dust the top with flour, cover, and let rise for 1 to 2 hours until doubled. When poked with a finger, it should hold in the impression.
7. Preheat oven at 475 F with two racks. One in the middle, and one on the lower half. On the lower rack, put a baking pan on it.
• Why so hot? It's so that we can mimic the heat in those legit firewood ovens you might see in bakeries. It also helps make a good crust.

8. Before putting the dough in the oven, put a cup of water on the hot baking pan to make steam inside the oven for a good crust.
• This step is crucial because the steam in the oven makes a huge difference to the crust. Make sure to add enough water so that it does not all evaporate and burn. (Another technique to make a good crust is to use a covered dutch oven or cast iron pot to hold the dough, but I have never tried this)

9. Put the dough in the oven and bake bread for 30-40 min.
10. Take the bread out. The bread should sound hollow when you tap it.
11. Cool thoroughly to ensure that moisture stays within the bread before slicing it.
• This bread only keeps for a few days without going dry/stale. If you are not going to eat it within two days, I recommend slicing it and freezing it rather than putting the bread in the refrigerator because the texture and moisture in the bread will keep better. Simply take a slice out from your freezer and toast it when you are ready to eat.