No-Knead Raisins Cranberry Walnut Bread : ABC March 2013

This month's bake at Avid Baker's Challenge (ABC) is No-Knead Chocolate Cherry Pecan Bread. Oops... I have omitted the chocolate and added in golden raisins instead, replace the dried cherries with dried cranberries and walnuts for the pecans. So my bread is called "No-Knead Raisins Cranberry Walnut Bread".  Despite all the changes, minor changes actually, this bread is a total winner! This wonderful recipe is taken from King Arthur Flour, and there are two versions to it, here I have used the one from the blog at KAF.

I am late for this month's challenge, only made this over the weekend. Just as the name says, no kneading is required. So easy peasy! But you've got to plan a day ahead. Not to worry, it only takes a few minutes of mixing the dough and leave it to a slow rise overnight. Let's see how this bread is made :

Do the mixing the night before baking.

Bread flour, rye flour and whole-wheat flour are mixed together with a little amount of yeast, water and salt. Mix everything together using a spoon, use your hand to further mix the mixture into a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise overnight. That's it, for the first day!  The second picture above, is taken the next morning, when the dough has risen, it would not rise as fluffy as other breads, as this is a slow and steady rise.

The next morning :

1. Dough is very, very sticky! Just damp your hands with some water and it will be easier to handle. Mix in the additional yeast, and by using your hand, try to distribute the yeast all over. Next mix in the dried fruits and nuts. It will be a sticky mess! Not to worry, just mix the dried fruits and nuts right into the dough and dump the whole dough into a baking pan. Here I have used a greased and lined 7" baking pan since I've made only half a recipe. The original recipe is meant for the dough to be baked in a bread crock pot, but since I do not have that, I baked in a cake pan as shown in the blog over at KAF. As advised, try to push back the visible fruits and nuts into the dough, to avoid them being burnt during baking.
2. The dried fruits and nuts are no longer visible, I've hidden them in the dough. Remember to damp your fingers as you do this, as the dough is very sticky. Cover with a greased plastic wrap and leave to rise for a few hours, according to the blog, it would take about 5 hours or so.
3. The risen dough. Mine rose a little higher than the pan top level in just a matter of 1-1/2 hours.
4. Remove the plastic wrap, cover the top with another baking pan of the same diameter, this is to trap the steam as the bread bakes, giving the loaf its signature shiny, chewy crust. Bake at a preheated oven of 450F for 25 minutes, remove the cover and continue baking for another 20 minutes.

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Freshly baked!

Let the bread cool completely before cutting, as slicing it before it is completely cool, will result in a gummy slice. We don't want that, do we, especially since it takes almost two days to make this bread.

There, all my patience paid off, I was dying to slice and eat this bread! It has such a lovely texture. Just as described in the blog at KAF, this is a dense-artisan-style bread with incredible flavour from the slow rise. Especially if you love chewy crust.

It is dense and chewy, but yet kinda soft and moist. And very tasty! This bread can be eaten with soft cheese or butter, or your favourite jam and preserves. Or just eat it as it is, it is very good! The only thing is, the crust is not dark and shiny enough, the next time when I bake this, I'll just move the bread to a rack above, when  it is almost done, to get that nice dark crust. 

Dense yet soft, chewy, moist and tasty.  A healthy slice of goodness! There's no oil or added sugar!
Hubby ate two slices and I've finished the rest of the loaf myself! I find this bread quite addictive, as soon as I've finished a slice, I would reach for another slice! Best described as "chewy and addictive" ! 

     

To view the other members bake on this bread, please stop by Avid Baker's Challenge (ABC). We are currently baking from King Arthur Flour website, if you are interested to join in, please contact Hanaa.

For the full recipe and instructions, please refer to King Arthur Flour.

Here, I am listing down my own measurements for my own record.
(for one 7" bread using a 7" round cake pan)
For the first rising:
1-1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup rye flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 cups cool water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
For the second rising :
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast