"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." Julia Child

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

no-knead almond bread

Having gone on a nut purchasing spree to feed my new homemade nut butter habit, I found myself with a surplus of almonds. This is an adaptation of Jim Lahey's walnut bread, which is really easy because it is a no-knead recipe. This bread has chewy exterior, open crumb, and soft nutty flavor.



Yield: 2 loaves
1,030 calories per loaf
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: Overnight proof required, about 15 hours

ingredients
3 cups high gluten flour
1 cup almonds, lightly crushed
2 teaspoons salt (I'm still all about my rosemary gray mix.)
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1½ cup cool water

preparation
1. In a large bowl, combine the almonds, flour, salt, and pepper, stirring with a spoon to mix.
Instead of pulling out my food processor, I used a Ziplock bag and rolling pin to smash the almonds. I recommend using two Ziplocks, as the specks you see in photo 2 are in fact almond bits that blew through the two bags. :(






2.  Pour in the water and use the spoon to mix until a shaggy dough forms.


3. Using your hands, knead the dough inside of the bowl to form a cohesive mass forms, about 30 seconds. It will be sticky.

4. Form a ball, place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, and set aside until it more than doubles in bulk, roughly 12 hours.

 


5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter top, roll it lightly in the flour, evenly divide the dough into two, and shape each piece into a loaf.





6. Place the loaves in a parchment or silpat lined loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to double in bulk, about 2 hours.


 


7. With about 30 minutes left in the final proof, preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

8. Brush the loaves with an egg wash, score, and bake until deep chestnut, about 45 minutes.


 


Original recipe found here.

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