Nicole Elsasser
Last summer I lived in Victoria, British Columbia and frequently got my bread from a little spot called Wild Fire Bakery in the heart of the downtown. From the first still-warm loaf of bread I brought home, I could tell that there was something different about this bread somehow. It was denser, nuttier, had a fantastic fermented smell and a gorgeous reddish-brown crust. I later realized that a lot of what I loved in this bread was because of the flour that it’s made from. This particular bakery uses Red Fife flour from Saskatchewan and it makes all the difference.
Red Fife wheat, called such because of its reddish colour, is considered Canada’s oldest wheat variety but was lost, for the most part, from the agricultural horizon. It’s made a recent comeback to a cult following in the artisan baking community and is coveted for the qualities that I, myself, valued in it.
Now living in Ontario and having been deprived of my Red Fife-fix for months, I recently stumbled upon a bin of the cherished flour while shopping for bulk food. I was thrilled and quickly brought a bag home with the hopes of recreating the bread I had so loved on the West coast.
Having never made bread with a flour like Red Fife before, I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be but I chose to attempt using it in place of all-purpose flour in a No-Knead bread recipe based on a version released by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City. The result was fantastic because the rising time is close to a full day which really gives the bread a chance to develop the strong yeast flavour and it generally yields a more rustic loaf of bread.
No-Knead bread using Red Fife flour
Based on Jim Lahey’s recipe
3 cups Red Fife flour, plus more for dusting
1⁄4 tsp instant yeast
1 1⁄4 tsp salt
Cornmeal as needed
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups of water, stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature. The dough is ready when its surface is spotted with bubbles.
Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for two hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double its size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least a half an hour before the dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees F. Put a six-quart heavy covered pot in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. It may look like a mess but that’s okay. Shake the pan once or twice if the dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten as it bakes. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 or 30 minutes or until the loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack.
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