Hermione Sweet Sourdough No-Knead Bread

Hermione Sweet Sourdough No-Knead Bread

This Hermione Sweet Sourdough No-Knead Bread delivers what a lot of No-Knead Breads are missing – the tanginess of real sourdough. I played around with adding our Hermione Sweet Sourdough Starter to regular bread recipes – with lots of yeast and kneading – but was never quite happy with the crust or crumb. No matter what I did, the crust was pale, thin and limp and the crumb dense.

I really like the crust and crumb No-Knead Breads achieve so I thought I’d try replacing the usual fluids with our Hermione Sweet Sourdough. The long resting time in the No-Knead technique does the work kneading usually does – breaking up the proteins and allowing them to form a strong gluten network to trap air as the dough bakes. And baking in a Dutch Oven traps steam to create a golden brown shiny crust that stays firm.

Read on for the recipe. Find the Hermione Sweet Sourdough Starter recipe here. Follow along for other recipes for this starter including Cinnamon Rolls, Strudel, Pancakes and Waffles, Banana Bread, Apple Coffee Cake, Cinnamon Orange Date Muffins, Biscuits, Date Loaf and Chocolate Cake.

Hermione Sweet Sourdough No-Knead Bread

Time: 5 minutes mixing, 8 – 18 hours resting, 5 minutes kneading, 2 hours rising, 30 to 50 minutes baking (sounds like a lot but there’s very little hands-on time)

Yield: 1 good size round loaf

Equipment: Bowls, skillet, cast iron enamel Dutch oven, parchment, nonstick cooking spray

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• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole grain flour
• ¼ teaspoon yeast  
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ¾ cup room temperature water (plus up to ¼ cup more if needed)
• 1 cup Hermione starter
• 1-2 teaspoons soft butter

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1. Mixing – Whisk the flour, yeast and salt together in a bowl and fold in the water and sourdough until a loose shaggy ball forms (depending on your climate, you may or may not need the extra water).
2. Resting – Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in the oven with just your oven light or, if you have one, use the proof setting (85-90℉) for 8 to 18 hours.
3. Kneading – Lay a piece of parchment paper inside a 10 inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the dough to a flat surface and knead 10 to 15 times then shape into a ball by pulling the edges into the middle on the bottom side. Place the dough on the parchment in the skillet, seam side down, and rub the exposed exterior with a light coating of soft butter.
4. Rising – Cover the dough ball loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until double in size and not springing back when you poke it with a finger – about 2 hours.
5. Baking – Set a timer for 90 minutes then preheat your oven to 500℉ and place a 6 to 8 quart Dutch oven with lid on the middle rack. When dough is ready, use a sharp knife or razor to score the top with a long slit (or your own design) about a ½-inch deep. Open the oven, remove the lid from the Dutch oven and use the parchment paper as a sling to carefully transfer and lower the bread into the pot. Cover with the lid and return to the oven. Reduce the temperature to 425℉ and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid at this time. Your bread might be done (mine usually is at this point) or continue baking until it is golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool in the Dutch oven a few moments. Then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
7. Enjoy with butter hot from the oven, with soup, for sandwiches or just about anything you like!

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Variations:

Parmesan Rosemary – add 2 cups grated Parmesan and 1 Tablespoon of minced rosemary to the flour in the mixing stage.

Seeds – Add 2 Tablespoons of your favourite seeds in the mixing stage.

Cranberry and Pecan – add ½ cup cranberries and ½ cup pecans in the mixing stage.

Apple and Walnut – Add ½ cup chopped apple and ½ cup walnuts in the mixing stage.

Cinnamon Raisin – Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon and ¾ cup raisons in the mixing stage.

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