Monday, 3 November 2014
Homemade Torsade Bread
When living abroad, finding "good" bread is often one of the biggest challenges. Now, as good, I, Swiss and European, would define bread that is crunchy, but not necessarily a baguette. Sourdough is yummy. Not so much the toast bread other nations' people seem to prefer. In Kurdistan you can get the toast bread, the baguette, the flatbread and a bread which they call "samoun"- diamond shaped breads. I even found an article on themonline.
I like samoun, but they're not the kind of bread I feel like eating all the time, hence the quest to find an easy recipe for a homemade version. And I might just have come across the easiest recipe on the planet: the no-knead bread as presented by the New York Times.
The first time I made it, my oven (I am in Iraq, remember) gave up on me and the hot temperatures. So I had to shuffle my bread between my own kitchen and the one in the office. And between an electric and not-so-well-functioning-gas oven. Result: the bread was ok, but not great. So since them, I am putting the temperature not at maximum, but just at 220°C (as is suggested in the article). And the result looks pretty neat:
I have slightly changed the measurements, also converting them into the metric system. This conversion business also reminds me to get cracking on my own conversion table. Not just for myself, but also for you people. Maybe you appreciate not having to google everything ;-).
Now, let's get started on the bread.
Ingredients (for two small loafs, roughly 20cm long):
350g all purpose (i.e. white) flour - you can change that according to your preference, or in my case, availability
1 tsp salt
1/3 tsp yeast (dry)
350ml water (room temperature)
Preparation:
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then add the water. Mix well, but stop when the water is absorbed. Do not knead (that's the whole purpose!). Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for at least 12 hours, but preferably more.
Once the dough is ready, pre-heat the oven to 220°C and place a pyrex (with cover) in it. Cut the dough into tow and put the first half on a surface covered with flour (the dough will be very sticky). Roll is, softly, in the flour and then twist it. Place it in the pyrex and put the cover back on. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the crust is brown and crunchy. Et voilà! It really couldn't be easier.
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