Monday, March 11, 2013

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.


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" ! 





ABC source in 2013     Avid Baker's Challenge


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



22 comments:

  1. An amazinng artisan bread! Chewy crust and open crumb...perfect!

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  2. Wholesome and delicious bread.
    Deepa

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  3. Looks great! I love the two cake pan method. My crust on the bottom was too dark from the baking stone.

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  4. Me encanta luce muy bonito y artesanal una delicia,abrazos y abrazos.

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  5. Hi Joyce,

    The bread looks great! Mmmmmm...I could eat a few slices right now. :D I love all the King Arthur Flour recipes I've tried - they always turn out delicious! I'm so tempted to join the Avid Baker's Challenge but I'm not sure how I'll be able to find the time to fit it in my schedule...so many recipes to make, so little time...I'm sure you know the feeling. :D Have a great week!

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  6. LOL! I loved reading about you being addicted to this bread :) Yours turned out really good. Nice open crumb and chewy texture. I sliced mine and froze the leftovers. I had a slice yesterday and it was really good. It's almost like a dessert bread :)

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  7. I love no knead breads because I can be lazy! Love this bread with dried fruits, still looks so fluffy even with no kneading.

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  8. That looks like another recipe to try :D I love bread which basically is less fatty than cakes so better bake more them huh!

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  9. Joyce, chewy and addictive = danger hah! hah!

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  10. No-knead bread sounds really interesting. So many types of flour for this recipe, but I like you used cranberry, walnut and raisin.

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  11. No-knead bread, very interesting, Joyce. In fact, your 2nd last bread picture looks like biscotti to me, nice!

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  12. Joyce , that bread looks beautiful ! Love the soft crumbs and the chewy crust :)

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  13. Looks great! Your bread is so level.

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  14. What an earthy and delicious bread. I love no knead recipes and the ingredients in this recipe sound wonderful!

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  15. hi joyce, the crust looks good to me la and i like chewy crust too! seeing this bread, i feel like making some bread now..no not now..tomorrow!

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  16. Oh! You just reminded me that I have not bake the no-knead bread for a while, I love the addition of the dry fruits and nuts...looks delicious Joyce.
    Enjoy your week my dear :)

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  17. Hi Joyce,

    I must admit everytime I see a no-knead recipe, I keep asking myself... is this real?... Look like I have to give this recipe a try. My to-bake list is such a big pile now *sign*

    Zoe

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  18. i love a good bread recipe and especially one that is no knead! This looks perfect for breakfast or mid day snack

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  19. Wow! This bread looks perfect & no knead too! I like no kneading breads! Now I wanted totry this recipe as I've all the ingredients in my pantry,eehhh I think! LOL BTW I've made your tomato bread with sausage & we LOVE it! Thanks for sharing the recipe, it was mega delicious. My sons requesting for it again this weekend! hehehe

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  20. i love this, too Joyce! yum!

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