No-Knead Fruit and Walnut Bread

I've been wanting to remake this No-Knead Chocolate-Cherry Pecan Bread with a few changes, and I'm finally getting to it.  Mostly it is a matter of the mix-ins--- I didn't care for the chocolate at all, and wanted to try some different fruit instead. 

Then there's the question of how much yeast to use--- I went for more than before (because I did have some issue with the rise) but not as much as they recommend.  (See asterisk.)  King Arthur reduced the water content--- wise move, as the dough was extremely wet previously.  I accidentally reduced the amount of salt because I wasn't paying attention.  I changed up the directions a little and am using a Romertopf clay baker rather than a pie pan.  The changes shown now are deviations from the original King Arthur recipe, but some are also deviations from my previous attempt.  Here's what I used:

 3 2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 1¹/₂ cups whole wheat flour
2¹/₂ 1¹/₂ teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast*
1¹/₂ cups cool water
3/4 cup chopped dried tart cherries
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons finely diced, candied lemon peel
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1¹/₂ cups chopped pecans walnuts, toasted

Sometime the day before (and before it gets too late), mix together the flours, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Around 7:00 or 8:00 pm, add the water and stir well to make a very soft dough.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature overnight, or for at least 12 hours.  In the morning, the dough should be bubbly and puffy.

Before and after its overnight rise

If possible, simply add the fruit and nuts to the bowl and mix to combine.  (A heavy-duty electric mixer with the kneading arm might be useful here.)  Otherwise, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.   Roll out slightly and sprinkle on the fruit and nuts.  Roll up tightly, then knead gently a few times to disperse evenly.  Let it rest 15 minutes, then form it into a ball. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, smooth side down.** Cover and let rise at room temperature about 2 hours, until a slight indentation remains when poked with a finger.

During the last 30 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 450°F and place a bread crock (or a heavy, 4- to 4¹/₂-quart oven-safe pot) in the oven while it heats. When the dough has risen, remove the crock from the oven and turn the dough out of the bowl and into the crock; the smooth side will be facing up**. Shake the crock gently to settle the dough, then cover with the lid and return to the oven. Bake the bread for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake another 30 to 40 minutes, until the bread is deep brown in color and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers about 205°F. Remove the crock from the oven, turn the bread onto a rack, and cool before slicing.

*There was some confusion about the yeast quantity in the original recipe.  It called for only 1/4 teaspoon (and that's all I originally used, total), but the King Arthur blog post made reference to an additional 1/2 teaspoon to be added to the main dough mixture before the second rise.  They now mention that the yeast quantity has been increased from the original, and it's now all added to the soaker.

**Alternatively, you can line the bowl with parchment, and then transfer the dough, parchment and all, into the crock.  Leaving the smooth side down will produce some interesting crenelations on top that become nicely crusty.

 

When I mixed the soaker together, it was the consistency of a normal dough.  (Not surprising, since whole wheat flour is more absorbent than AP.)  I should really stop referring to this as a "soaker", as there's no additional flour added later.  (The idea that it should be a shaggy mixture is what messed me up.)  Thinking it was too dry, I added more water until I got something more porridge-like.  Mistake.  It was impossible to handle.  I added more flour as I tried to knead it, but mostly I ended up handling it as little as possible, and then only with silicone mat and spatula.

There was no way I was going to be able to handle the "loaf" after it had risen, which was necessary, since I was using a Romertopf clay baker that had to be pre-heated.  I greased a piece of parchment paper and fitted it into a 10 x 7 x 2.5" casserole, then sprinkled the bottom with corn meal.  I scraped and rolled the dough off the silicone sheet where I'd mixed in the add-ins, plopped it onto the parchment (it filled the casserole completely after rising), covered it loosely, and let it rise for about 2.5 hours.  (I don't know what I was looking for other than a slight indent when poked.)  

I let the clay baker soak for about 15 minutes, then placed it in the cold oven, lid on, to heat along with the oven for about 30 minutes.  I bought the Romertopf used and it probably could have done with a deep cleansing--- it smoked terribly when I removed it from the hot oven and the bottom was black.  (I suppose at some point they become too saturated with grease?) Here's a video of someone showing how he uses a Romertopf baker for a no-knead recipe, just dumping the soft batter in straight from the bowl.

I remember an issue with fruit on the dough surface getting burned, and recommendations to try to cover it.  Last time I tried poking them deeper, but it didn't work very well.  This time I pulled bits of dough over top of the fruit as best I could before transferring the dough to the clay baker.  (Since the dough was so wet, I didn't have a skin on the surface.)

On its way into the oven

I baked the bread as directed.  It didn't get too dark on top, which is fine with me.  Surprisingly, the bottom was very light.  It burned black for some people, and since I have a bottom burner I usually end up with baked goods darker on the bottom.

Conclusion:  It all worked as well as before.  Nice crunchy crust and chewy interior. I think I like it better without the citrus to maintain a sort of "dark" flavor.  The lack of salt was noticeable -- too bad about that error.  Next time, I think I would be able to fit the dough into my smaller clay roaster, which would give the loaf a better shape, not so flat.

Recipe:  No-Knead Chocolate-Cherry Pecan Bread via King Arthur Baking