I am not a baker. At all. I very rarely make cookies, and I seldom even buy bread. But a friend of ours recently told us about this Lékué silicone bread maker (it's really just a floppy bowl with a slot and a tab) and I thought it might be cool for the boat and/or the Airstream when we did want some bread.
I first tried the easiest recipe in the book that comes with the Lékué: Quick No-Knead Bread. It's basically flour, yeast, salt, water…mix together right in the bowl, let proof for an hour at room temperature (or 10 hours in the fridge overnight) and then microwave for 3 minutes (totally not baking). It was good, but definitely could have used some oven heat for making the crust nicer.
Last night I went for the second easiest recipe: Easy-to-Make No-Knead Bread. Flour, water, salt, yeast, olive oil. Mix all ingredients together in the bowl, cover the bowl with a towel and let proof overnight. I stuck it in the warming drawer (off) to rise overnight and it was nice and bubbly this morning. I sprinkled some chia seeds on top and then closed up the bowl around the dough.
Into the oven it went! The instructions said to bake for 40 minutes at 392 degrees F then turn the dough over and put back in the oven for 10 more minutes. And then…we had bread! I'm a baker! (Not really.) But look!
It turned out great…fluffy inside with a light and crunchy crust on the outside.
This Lékué silicone bread maker is going to be super handy. Mixing the dough right in the same vessel you cook the bread in saves a lot of work and cleanup. This no-knead recipe is easy, and can be modified for a whole wheat version as well. The Lékué is even dishwasher safe!
