I love making bread. I grew up with a grandmother from Austria who was the most incredible baker. She made everything without a recipe - and it was always delicious. I can still smell the aroma of brioche fresh out of the oven. It was intoxicating! I wish I had inherited her baking abilities, but perhaps my love of "dough" in general comes from her. I like to think so!
So when this recipe came across my computer screen, I was intrigued. I have made no knead bread before, but always in a Dutch oven. This had a much shorter rising time and was baked in a skillet. So I just had to try something new. And because I didn't want to heat up the kitchen, I decided to put my outdoor grill to work and see if it could indeed bake. I am happy to say it did not disappoint! I am now quite eager to do more cooking on the grill, especially as the sun becomes more intense. I love the idea of being able to bake all year long.
The thing I love about no knead bread is the ease in which it is made. You just do a little mixing with a wooden spoon. It looks rough and like it needs more attention (aka kneading into a nice smooth ball), but it actually is quite happy to gently rise in the bowl it was mixed. Then you shape it, bake it - and voila - hot homemade herbaceous bread!
If you are at all hesitant to try your hand at bread baking, this is a great place to start. It is simple, VERY forgiving, and well worth the little attention. And the end result make it enormously gratifying.
You just have to try this!
No Knead Rosemary Parmesan Skillet Bread
adapted from Handle the HeatIngredients:
1 pkg. (2 1/4 t.) instant yeast
2 c. lukewarm water
4 1/2 c. regular flour
2 T. chopped fresh rosemary (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1 1/2 t. fine salt
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
olive oil (2-3 T)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and lukewarm water. Add about half the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the rosemary, salt and remaining flour and stir until combined. It won't be pretty - sort of shaggy looking, but that's ok. Cover with plastic wrap (spray the underside of the plastic wrap with cooking spray so the dough won't stick if it rises too high!) and let it rise in a warm place. This should take about an hour.
Brush the bottom of the cast iron skillet (10" or 12") with about 2 T olive oil and set aside.
Dust the dough and your hands with flour before shaping it into a round disc. The dough will be sticky. Don't worry about creating a perfect circle - it still has to rise one more time. Place it in the skillet, cover loosely, and let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. (I set the grill to 375 ).
When ready to bake, drizzle or spray the top of the dough with olive oil. Slash the dough with a sharp knife in an "x". Sprinkle with a little more chopped rosemary. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven (or grill), sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until a golden brown (I did 25 minutes in the grill).
Remove from skillet and enjoy every morsel!
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