Lisa's No Knead White Chocolate Pecan Artisan Bread

 There is nothing quite as satisfying and delicious as a loaf of crusty artisan  bread with a chewy crunchy crust to accent its deep well rounded flavor. Add to that crunch and chew the delightful  kiss of sweet pieces of sun dried cherries, toasted pecans and a nibble of  white chocolate and what you have is nothing short of divine. This is a loaf that literally took my breath away! It is so easy to make (yes it really is no knead) and so simple to produce, that I have to share it! This recipe came to me from my friend Lisa Barker in Salt Lake City, Utah and is now a part of my life. We made it 3 times, 3 days in a row. Then we made it four times again. It's evil good. I'm sharing Lisa's original recipe here, but I have to tell you that I found it perfect for switching out the nuts and fruit to fit my addiction needs. The pecans can easily be switched for hazelnuts (pictured) and the cherries can be switched out with golden raisins (pictured). I have a friend (Yes that's Evil Tara )who would rather die than add a "humiliated grape" (raisin) to her bread. To each their own. I loved it with golden raisins. The yeast amount is correct in the recipe, a mere 1/4 tsp. Don't adjust it. Let that bread sit overnight and do it's long slow ferment. That is when the flavors will really go deep and the texture will perfect itself. Mix it, just as directed. Bake it in a deep crock or, as I did, in a 12 inch covered Dutch oven. When you do this, the crust gets crisp and chewy just like it does in a steam oven used in a bakery. You'll love it! I know I did.

  Lisa Barker's

No Knead White Chocolate Pecan Artisan Bread

3 c.  All Purpose Flour

1/2 medium rye flour

1/2 cup Mountain Mills Whole Wheat Flour

2 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1  3/4 cup water, preferably purified

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup diced toasted pecans

1/4-1/2 cup dried cherries

 

Directions: Mix flours, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl. Add cherries, chocolate chips, and pecans. Stir well to make a very soft dough, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

  .

 Let rest at room temperature overnight, or for at least 12 hours; the dough will be bubbly and puffy.

 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and fold it onto itself a few times. 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 4 1/2-quart oven­safe pot *chef Tess note: I use a 12 inch porcelain dutch oven with a lid) in the oven while it heats. When the dough is 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.

Thank you Lisa for this outstanding recipe! I love it!

Chef Tess End notes.

If you want to use all whole wheat, you may do so, but you will need to increase the water to 2 1/4 cups.

It is also pefect for freeze dried or dehydrated stawberries instead of the cherries. I loved it with a 2 tsp of fresh fine minced orange and lemon zest in the dough.

Have fun with this recipe. I know I did!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Double Chocolate Baguettes for Evil Tara

The winner of the EatSmart Scale is...Shae Check! Congratulations!! Please send me your mailing address and I will get that out to you as soon as possible. Anyone who didn't win, don't worry, we'll be having another great giveaway next week!

Now...on to today's Saturday challenge. Coming up on Valentines Day. I am without speech for the first time in several years. Really. The Evil Think Tank is under seige and only we can save it. The ETT being the place where Evil Tara and Evil Tess come together with our mega brains and create. Only this time, I was alone in the bat cave. Yesterday Evil Tara posted a challenge to me. How do you make chocolate bread baguettes studded with chocolate chips? My first thought was, " well, I don't want any burning chocolate chips". I'm officially weird. I don't think those little chips should stick out enough to ever be a black nub on the chocolate baguette of love. Am I right? Anyone with me? If I have chocolate in my bread, I want it protected. It should be enveloped in an ion shield. So, that's what I did. I strapped on my super-cape, protective wrist bands and electronic super-spy belt buckle. Gold and shiny as they are, I was still able to bake. Mission complete. The only little chocolate chips to escape at all are the ones that peeked through the slashes on the top. So...how do we get this bread. Come to my bakery of course! Wait...I don't have one right now, so that won't work. I guess you'll just have to make your own.

Chef Tess Bakeresse's Double Chocolate Baguettes yield 2
12 oz luke warm water (no hotter than 110 degrees) 1 1/2 cups
1 T. active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lb 12 oz bread flour ( 5 1/2- 6 cups)
4 (1 oz each) unsweetened bakers chocolate squares
1 T espresso powder (or Pero for the Mormon ladies)
2 tsp salt
4 oz unsalted butter, (1/2 cup)
2 large eggs (1/2 cup)
1 T double strength vanilla
8 oz, high quality chocolate chips


Combine the butter and bakers unsweetened chocolate and melt slowly over a double boiler or in the microwave 15 seconds at a time. Stir often as to not burn the chocolate.

Stir and stir. Try not to imagine yourself as a one inch version of yourself floating away in a chocolate jacuzzi with Edward Cullin...he is fictional character. He will never love you.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, brown sugar and about 1 cup of the flour. When the chocolate mixture is completely melted, allow to cool so that it doesn't feel warm to the touch. Mix into the water flour and yeast mixture. Add the salt, vanilla, eggs and remaining flour, reserving about 1/2 cup of flour. Knead by hand 5-7 minutes until a soft supple dough is formed. It should look like this.
Very little if any flour is needed to keep this dough from sticking to the work surface if you have followed the recipe correctly. Place in a 2 gallon covered bowl and allow to raise about 2 hours, until doubled in size.

Punch down dough. Divide the dough in half.

Roll out into a 14 inch by 10 inch rectangle and spread half the chocolate chips onto the dough, leaving an inch around the outside edge. It helps to lightly roll a rolling pin over the chocolate chips to ease them into the dough. Be careful not to push them through, just nestle them in the dough...

Tightly roll the dough into a long log, encasing the chocolate chips. Don't make them longer than your sheet pans. I don't have a huge oven like I did in the bakery...so I had to make them short baguettes...like 16 inches or so.

I had a dream about an alien planet that was all cratered with chocolate chips like this. I think it was after I had eaten too many brownies.

When it is all rolled, be sure not to let any of those little cuties escape. Hey...an escaped nibblet. Ooop. I had to do a mercy eating...just so it wouldn't get burned in the oven. See how benevolent I am.

Place loaves seam side down on a lightly oiled sheet pan or pan lined with parchment paper. You can cover each loaf lightly with plastic wrap or place in an Unheated oven, lightly spraying it with a mist of water. Raise 1 1/2-2 hours, until very fluffy. Remove wrapping or take out of cool oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take one egg white and 2T water and whisk together in a bowl. Lightly coat the top of the bread with the egg mixture using a pastry brush.

Slash with a sharp knife lightly three times across the top of the bread.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until over 170 degrees with a meat thermometer.

When baked, the outside will be smooth and shiny. The inside will be studded with chocolate chips. Well, unless a few peek out through the slash marks.

There you go.