The bread maker is a slightly floppy silicone bowl that fastens at the top to form a rugby ball shape (see illustrations below). While it proved fine to mix the ingredients in and to bake the bread in, it did not prove that easy to knead the dough in (it really is too floppy), so I decided to try it out using the low effort (no knead) method so I really could do everything in the bread maker. This also meant I could go for a wetter dough for a more open crumb. This is how it worked out.
Recipe
350g strong white bread flour (or a mixture of white and rye/wholemeal)
1 teaspoon sea salt
100ml sourdough starter
240ml water
Then I dissolved the salt in a small amount of water, added it to the dough, mixed for 15 seconds, closed the Lékué, covered it and left to rest for another 15 minutes.
Once more mixed the dough for 15 seconds and left to rest for another 15 minutes.
Then gave the dough one final 15 second mix, shaped it roughly into a sausage in the Lékué, closed the Lékué, covered it and left it to prove in a warm place (the oven with the light on) for around 2½ hours until nearly doubled in size.
Once risen, I uncovered the Lékué but left it closed, put it in the centre of a cold oven and baked for 30 minutes at 230°C (190°C fan).
Then removed the loaf from the Lékué and baked it for another 20 minutes until golden.
Then turned the oven off and left the loaf in the cooling oven, with the door slightly open for another five minutes, then placed on a rack to cool.
The loaf had a nice crisp crust so the Lékué lived up to its promise in that respect.
Once cooled I sliced the loaf.
The crumb was nice and open and had an excellent sourdough taste and feel. So the low effort method had paid off as well.
Well done Lékué.
While I was about it I wondered how it would work out with my soda bread recipe so that was what I tried next.
Once again I did everything in the Lékué using 200g wholemeal + 150g strong white + 1tsp soda + 1tsp salt and 350ml buttermilk. Mix together adding a little more milk to get a soft, sticky dough, shaped it roughly and baked for 25 minutes + 10 minutes out of the bread maker.
It produced an excellent loaf of soda bread, nice crisp crust and a lovely texture crumb. I decided to name it 'Hedgehog Soda Bread' as that's what it reminds me of. Well done again Lékué.
350g strong white bread flour (or a mixture of white and rye/wholemeal)
1 teaspoon sea salt
100ml sourdough starter
240ml water
The Method
Got the starter out of the fridge and brought it up to room temperature for two hours.
Put half the flour in the Lékué, mixed the sourdough starter and water in a jug, then mixed it in to the flour in the Lékué, as illustrated on the left,
Got the starter out of the fridge and brought it up to room temperature for two hours.
Put half the flour in the Lékué, mixed the sourdough starter and water in a jug, then mixed it in to the flour in the Lékué, as illustrated on the left,
Closed the Lékué, covered it with cling film (see illustration left) and left it to prove overnight.
In the morning the sponge was fermenting nicely (thick and bubbly). I mixed in the other half of the flour (but not the salt), closed the Lékué, covered it and left it to rest for 30 minutes.Then I dissolved the salt in a small amount of water, added it to the dough, mixed for 15 seconds, closed the Lékué, covered it and left to rest for another 15 minutes.
Once more mixed the dough for 15 seconds and left to rest for another 15 minutes.
Then gave the dough one final 15 second mix, shaped it roughly into a sausage in the Lékué, closed the Lékué, covered it and left it to prove in a warm place (the oven with the light on) for around 2½ hours until nearly doubled in size.
Once risen, I uncovered the Lékué but left it closed, put it in the centre of a cold oven and baked for 30 minutes at 230°C (190°C fan).
Then removed the loaf from the Lékué and baked it for another 20 minutes until golden.
Then turned the oven off and left the loaf in the cooling oven, with the door slightly open for another five minutes, then placed on a rack to cool.
The loaf had a nice crisp crust so the Lékué lived up to its promise in that respect.
Once cooled I sliced the loaf.
Well done Lékué.
While I was about it I wondered how it would work out with my soda bread recipe so that was what I tried next.
Once again I did everything in the Lékué using 200g wholemeal + 150g strong white + 1tsp soda + 1tsp salt and 350ml buttermilk. Mix together adding a little more milk to get a soft, sticky dough, shaped it roughly and baked for 25 minutes + 10 minutes out of the bread maker.
It produced an excellent loaf of soda bread, nice crisp crust and a lovely texture crumb. I decided to name it 'Hedgehog Soda Bread' as that's what it reminds me of. Well done again Lékué.