Cast iron cookware has been around a LONG time. So has bread. It's only natural that the two should be combined. So that's what I did.I baked up a batch of No-Knead bread from Sullivan Street Bakery. And it was by far one of the easiest breads I've ever made... that and it was also one of the most impressive.
It took about a minute to mix together (literally), and it only a little bit of "hands-on" time putting the dough in its proper place; however, it again did not need kneading. What it did require was patience. Patience in the neighborhood of 21-22 hrs. It's the kind of thing you mix one day and bake the next.
But in my baking practices this comes par for the course. As a general rule of thumb: less yeast + more time = better flavor. Also, more water & less kneading makes for a more rustic dough with more irregular holes in the crumb.
Just look at it's structure!
This is the first dough that I've ever produced that was geologic in nature. What I mean by this is that you could actually hear the dough as it came out of the oven. There was snapping and crackling, giant fissures, steam, and on the inside? Absolutely wonderful caverns.The sound was similar to when ice cubes begin breaking and shattering as they crack apart in a fresh glass of water. But to experience this sound from the crust that I had created was simply music to my ears.
All this and yet another reason why I LOVE my cast iron cookware!
G.
