This casserole recipe perfect for eating during the holidays, is embellished with figs and nuts.
The recipe doesn’t fundamentally change, but I tell myself that it’s also the variations that allow us to broaden our range of possibilities!
No-knead casserole bread
I had already taken the time to explain in detail all the elements of this no-knead bread in my article, I therefore encourage you, if you have not yet met him, to read it, if the explanations given here do not seem detailed enough to you.
The principle of this bread is simple: we remove the part that may seem complicated and impressive, that is to say, the kneading.
Child’s play: mix the flour with the yeast, salt and water. Stir with a spoon to obtain a sticky dough.
And then we let time do its work.
Hydration is an important variable in this recipe: depending on the flour, I sometimes need more or less water, at the moment I have to add quite a bit whereas before I tended to have almost too much with the quantity indicated. There are photos in the basic recipe step by step, which will help you get the texture right.
Above all, do not think like a classic bread (homemade breads are generally not very hydrated, unless you are working on a sourdough base, you often allow yourself more experimentation): the more a bread is hydrated, the more it is likely to be very airy. Up to a certain stage obviously, but it is an important variable!
In this version, I added dried figs and walnuts. It is a bread particularly suitable for tasting fake fat, country pâté with hazelnutsor vegetable cheese.
For a more sober version that will please more easily (while being consumable with more products), do not hesitate to use only nuts.
For a very thematic bread, you can also add a touch of spices: cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg…
Form the ball of bread
Once your bread has risen well, it may look a little runny; don’t be afraid, everything will be fine.
Place a good amount of flour on your work surface, on a surface large enough not to feel restricted in your movements. Pour everything in, and fold the edges inwards.
Gradually the dough will gain strength, you will feel resistance building up, and the dough will stick less. However, be sure to always have flour under the loaf of bread thus created, because it is rarely put in the oven at the minute, and it always relaxes a little, therefore spreading out, sticking inexorably to the work surface.
If you have one, a dough cutter can be very handy!
Then, all you have to do is quickly reform the ball when putting it in the oven, place it in the casserole without burning yourself, and possibly nibble (scratch) so that it cracks harmoniously. It’s more or less the same process as scratching puff pastry: he is told how to relieve the tensions that are created during cooking, which avoids unsightly cracks.
Which casserole to use for my cocotte bread?
For these breads, we will, as for any bread baking, mount the oven quite high. Cast iron is particularly indicated, the whole thing being to be careful that there are no plastic buttons on the top: the bread casserole with melted plastic is immediately less good, and I think that we will have everyone has known one day something that will have melted in a kitchen, the smell is unbearable and particularly tenacious.
For the success of this bread, it is important to heat the casserole dish in the oven before placing it there. In this way, there will be a real boost in temperatures during loading despite a lower power compared to bakers’ ovens. Then, cooking the bread in a casserole allows it to rise well at the start of cooking, covered.
Then the lid is removed and the bread is left to take on a beautiful golden color and a pleasantly flavored crust.
Several people without a casserole have made this bread on a pizza stone, it seems that the results are good too!
Also remember to use a casserole dish of the right size: if it is too large, the bread may tend to spread out slightly, which will give it a flatter shape.
Fig and walnut bread
Ingredients
- 500 g wheat flour
- 2 vs. coffee salt end
- 10 g fresh yeast or 1 tbsp. tablespoon dry yeast
- 360 ml water Minimum
- 70 g dried figs
- 70 g nut
Instructions
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In a bowl, put the salt at the bottom, then weigh the flour. Put the total amount of water in a container.
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Depending on the yeast you use, dilute or let rise for about ten minutes in some lukewarm water (some dry yeast works without rehydration, I think it’s voodoo). The fresh is still in good shape (unless it’s been out of date for a while), with the dry, if you don’t see fermentation activity, bubbles, swelling, chances are she is dead! Your bread will be too, so change yeast to avoid a brick of bread.
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Then, very simple: mix the water and the yeast with the flour, with a wooden spoon, to obtain a relatively homogeneous result. The amount of water is indicative: depending on the flour, the latter may change, look at the texture of the first item on the bread Casserole if you are visual. It should stick, look a little too moist for bread dough.
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Then cover with a tea towel and go to bed, the miracle of this recipe takes 12 hours at room temperature.
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After 12 hours, lift your cloth, the dough should have doubled in volume: if this is not the case, prolong the growth.
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Heat the oven to 240°C with a casserole dish inside: the aim is for it to heat up for about twenty minutes and for it to be hot when you place your bread in it.
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Generously flour your work surface, pour the dough over it, place the walnuts, and fold the sides to incorporate them, into a ball. Gradually, the dough will spread less, no need to work it too much, it is a little loose, it’s normal. Try to make sure there are no figs on top otherwise they tend to burn.
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Without burning yourself, put the bread in the bottom of the very hot casserole, then put a blade or knife in the top of the bread. Replace the lid and bake for 25 minutes.
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Then remove the lid and leave to color for about twenty minutes to obtain a golden crumb.
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Let cool before cutting and enjoying!
