Tart Cherry and Toasted Pecan Bread
This is modified from the Cooks Illustrated "Almost No-Knead Bread" and it is incredibly foolproof.
Equipment
- Enameled cast iron pot
Ingredients
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting work surface 15 ounces
- ¼ tsp powdered yeast
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp room temperature water 7 ounces
- ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp mild-flavored lager beer 3 ounces
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- ½ cup pecan halves toasted
- ½ cup dried Montmorency cherries
Instructions
- Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Toss in cherries and pecan halves. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.
- Lay 7¾" by 18" sheet of parchment paper inside a 3½ quart enameled cast iron pot and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times.
- Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam side down into parchment-lined pot and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.
- Remove cover and put into a cold oven. Set the temperature to 425°F and bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210°F, approximately 50 minutes. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Notes
Cooks illustrated says to bake the bread covered for the first 30 minutes and then remove lid to finish baking. I set the bread in the oven, uncovered, and programed my oven to bake at a specific temperature at a specific time and then turn off at a specific time. It bakes up beautifully this way and doesn't require any babysitting. Just be sure to be at the oven door to take it out when it is done!