No-Knead Bread (steam oven).
FULL DISCLOSURE: You can make this bread in a regular oven (see notes below), but if you have a convection steam oven, take advantage of it’s bread making powers. The use of steam when baking bread gives your loaves an oven spring, better crumb, and a beautiful golden brown crust. You can also use your steam oven to proof. The low temperature and humidity level makes it the perfect environment when final proofing your doughs.
This bread recipe is for those who are intimated to bake bread, or feel like they fail every time they attempt. But if you have ever wanted to make bread just like your mom and grandma did, this is the recipe for you. It is extremely resilient and not fussy—just how baking should be. Even for those experienced bread bakers who might think a no-kneaded bread is gimmicky, trust me on this one. It might surprise you how delicious simple bread can be. It is not overly sweet making it the perfect bread for sandwiches, toast, or even just plain with salted butter.
This recipe is adapted from Bread Toast Crumbs by Alexandra Stafford. Her mother created this method to make home-style bread super simple for everyday. I highly suggest buying her book if you want to venture into the world of simple bread baking.
The instructions in this recipe are for the Wolf Convection Steam Oven. Most steam ovens function the same, but their modes are labeled differently.
A couple things. First, you’ll notice all the measurements are in grams. Trust me, measuring with a scale is SO much easier and cleaner than using cups and teaspoons. It is also more accurate and ensures you measure everything correctly. Also, there is no math involved. Every digital scale has a ‘tare’ or ‘zero’ button you can press after each ingredient you measure. Second, the brand of flour you use makes a huge difference in taste. Start buying some quality flour and I promise you will see and taste a difference. Third, if you only have active-dry yeast and not instant, you can use that (use the same amount). Just make sure your active-dry yeast is alive before you try baking bread. You can test it by combining the water, sugar, and yeast first, let it sit for 10 minutes, then once it’s bubbly/foamy, add your flour and salt.
Flour brands we like:
Central Milling Company Bread Flour - Fantastic for this bread because of its protein %
Makes: 2 loaves
Ingredients:
768 g all-purpose flour or bread flour
12 g kosher salt
12 g sugar
10 g instant yeast
681 g warm water (about 105°)
Butter for greasing pans (about 2 tablespoons)
Equipment:
2 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pans
Digital thermometer (optional)
Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the water and mix until the flour is completely wet and a shaggy, sticky dough forms.
2. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside in a warm spot for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. If your kitchen is cold, it might take a little longer for the dough to rise.
3. Grease the two loaf pans with butter and set aside. Using a fork, pull all the sides of the dough away from the bowl toward the center. Do this twice around the bowl. The dough should be deflated and formed into a rough, tight ball. Using two forks, divide the dough in half creating two equal portions (it does not have to be perfect). Scoop up each half and place into the prepared loaf pans (the dough will be very wet and sticky, just own it).
* Alternatively, you can dump the halves onto a floured work surface and lightly shape the loaves. Doing this will give you a better end result. But if this scares you, don’t worry about it.
4. Turn your steam oven to Proof mode and set the temperature to 80°. Place your loaf pans on rack position 1 and let proof for 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen just above the pans.
More > Auto Steam Bake > Proof > Change the temperature to 80°
5. Once the loaves have risen, turn the steam oven to Auto Steam Bake mode and set the temperature to 375° (no need to preheat or remove the loaves from the oven). Bake for 30-40 minutes. The bread is done when the tops are golden brown and when the center of the bread registers 200°-210° on a digital thermometer. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then remove the loaves from the pans and let finish cooling on a wire rack.
More > Auto Steam Bake > Bread > Change the temperature to 375°
Regular Ovens:
Unless your oven has a VERY low proof setting (we’re talking 80°) you will have to final proof (step 4) on the counter. Try to find a warm, draft-free spot in your kitchen or home. Keep in mind, it might take longer than 30 minutes for the loaves to crown the top of the bread pans.
You will need to preheat your oven to 375° Bake. The bread will take about 35-45 minutes.