January 12, 2012

Caprese No-Knead Bread {Naptime Webisode}

Today’s webisode showcases how easy and fun it can be to make a batch of Caprese no-knead bread, or any kind of no-knead bread for that matter. I swear, once you get this technique down you are golden. Anyone can do it, even the busiest parent on the planet! As you’ll see, I make mine with a lot of love…and neglect. I pull the dough together after my daughter is asleep for the night, let it rise overnight and bake it in the morning. There are nearly infinite variations of no-knead bread and this recipe is a tried and true favorite. It contains sun-dried tomatoes, sweet basil and is topped with melted mozzarella. We can’t get enough of it and I’ve even taking to make it for friends when they come over for soup and sandwiches.

No Knead Bread

Recipe

Caprese No-Knead Bread

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 5/8 cups lukewarm water
1 ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup roughly chopped sundried tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
¼ cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, tomatoes and basil. Add water and stir until all ingredients are blended. The dough will be very sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours, or until the size has almost doubled and the surface it dotted with bubbles.
2. Remove dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured cutting board. Sprinkle dough with flour and fold it over itself once or twice. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap, allow to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Flour your hands and quickly shape the dough into a bowl. Coat the cutting board very generously with flour and place it seam side down on the board. Dust the top with flour and cover it with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with a finger. This takes about 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 450 and place EMPTY 2 ¾ qt. cast-iron (I use a Le Creuset) pot in the oven. Allow to warm in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, remove the pot and brush the inside with olive oil. Transfer the bread dough from the cutting board and place it in the greased pot. Place it in the oven with the cover on it and allow it tbake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the cover and allow it to bake for 15-20 more minutes, or until the loaf is browned. Then sprinkles on the shredded mozzarella on top of the loaf and bake until melted. About 2 minutes. Remove pot from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then, remove the loaf and allow to cool completely.

Naptime Notes

Naptime Recipe Serving ideas

This tasty recipe is a fun riff on the ingredients in a Caprese salad. Make it sandwich by topping a slice with fresh mozzarella and chopped tomatoes!

 

Naptime Stopwatch

15 minutes working time, lots of rising time. 1 hour baking time (including the pot warming time)

Naptime Reviews

This tasty treat is a huge hit and we all adore it. Experiment with your own flavors to find your favorite!

 

4 Responses to “Caprese No-Knead Bread {Naptime Webisode}”

  1. Jennifer Marlock says:

    This looks awesome!

  2. Liz the Chef says:

    This one belongs in your next cookbook – will try for certain.

  3. Jessica says:

    This is on my to-do list! it looks amazing. I just mixed up a no-knead dough and then I spotted a container of stewed tomatoes in my fridge and wondered about incorporating that into a bread. Substituting for much of the water… Tricky. Any thoughts?

    • KelseyTheNaptimeChef says:

      Hi! Hmm, this is tough. It might work, but the tomato is more acidic so I wonder if that would affect the rising?? It is worth a try though. Maybe just substitute it for half the water and so you still have a little water in the recipe. Then you can assess and add more/less tomato the next time. That is what I would do. Let me know what happens! 🙂