Matt Preston’s no knead bread

Matt Preston’s no knead bread

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Who bakes bread these days? Not me. I buy the best bread on Saturdays at the market and I actually do not have the time for the kneading and proofing. The other day I was watching Masterchef and saw Matt Preston making his no-knead bread. This is definitely my kind of recipe. Simple ingredients, simple techniques (if any, that is) and when Matt Preston says it will work who am I to argue? He took flour, yeast, salt and warm water – mixed it all together, put the whole lot in the fridge overnight and baked it the next morning. ..and hey Presto!

I did the same and it turned out to be the first perfect bread I have ever baked. For people like me and for whom baking bread is a big challenge, I want to encourage you to try this recipe. It is simple, delicious and just impossible for it to flop.

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matt preston’s no knead bread
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 kg bread flour, plus extra to dust
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
  • 950ml lukewarm water
Instructions
  1. Combine flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in water until the ingredients are all well combined. Cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight.
  2. Remove bowl from fridge 1 hour prior to baking, and allow the mixture to come to room temperature.
  3. Preheat oven to 220°C. Line baking sheet with baking paper, and generously dust sheet with flour. Divide the dough in two and place the two pieces on the tray. Bake for 1 hour or until golden, and the inside sounds hollow when knocked on the base.

11 Responses »

  1. Dankie JP. Laat weet my wat jy dink nadat jydit gemaak het. Groete A

  2. Dankie vir die terugvoer Louis. Ja , ek het ook al die 2ml gis op op 450g meel gebak, maar dit was minder suksesvol in my kombuis. 🙂 Ek is nie veel van n bakker nie, so Matt Preston se brood doen dit vir my (op die oomblik). Maar ek stem saam dat dit moet vars geeet word. Dit kan nie staan nie. Laat weet asb vir my hoe jou volgende brood proe en uitkom. anelpot@telkomsa.net.

  3. Ek het met belangstelling jou artikel in Rapport oor die geen-knie, geen-rys brood gelees. Ek is nou vir sowat ses jaar met hierdie brode doenig wat gekenmerk word deur ’n hoë waterinhoud (sowat 80%) en ’n baie klein hoeveelheid kitsgis (¼ teelepel) per 450 gram meel. Die proses het darem sover gevorder dat ek deesdae ’n brood kry wat hoog rys, ’n krakerige kors het met ’n elastiese krummel vol medium tot groot gate. Boonop is dit smaaklik en vergelyk goed met Fourno’s (’n Johannesburgse bakkerygroep) se Italiaanse brood – die maatstaf waarteen ek alle gekoopte brode meet. Wat my egter getref het van die Matt Preston brood was dat alhoewel dit ook die lang fermentasieproses gebruik word die waterinhoud tot 95% vermeerder en daar word proporsioneel ses keer soveel gis gebruik. Die voorbereiding is grootliks dieselfde maar korter en dit bak teen ’n laer temperatuur. Ek het dus besluit om die Matt Preston brood te probeer. Weens die hoë waterinhoud was die deeg, soos verwag, nog taaier as myne. Die eindproduk was egter baie dieselfde as die brode van ses jaar gelede – ’n brood wat onvoldoende rys en gevolglik taamlik dig is. Dit is myns insiens ook gewis ‘n minder smaaklike brood veral as dit eers koud is. Ek glo nie ek gaan dit weer probeer nie. Intussen het ek op ’n resep afgekom uit ’n baie betroubare bron wat glo besonder smaaklik is – basies dieselfde proses as my huidige een behalwe dat dit ’n paar ekstra bestanddele bevat en ’n klein bietjie kniewerk vereis. Ek sal dit probeer en laat weet.

    Louis Wolhuter

  4. Hi Sarah 🙂 – yes no kneading at all for this recipe. The most amazing textured bread. You will never ever have to knead again. x

  5. I made this the weekend ofter the show, (The man recorded it for me and helped me write down the recipe lol)… It was awesome, polished both loaves in 1 day … Evil, dinner was bread with a little curry… Have you tried the butter he made?? I wrote that down too, but have not tried it yet..

  6. Astonishing – does this mean that kneading isn’t necessary after all? Or does it give the bread a different texture?

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