No Knead Bread and Pesto Butter “Grubs”
September is where summer and fall collide here in North Carolina. The summer garden is dwindling. The cooler air and shorter days beckon for baking projects in a warm kitchen. Pumpkins find their way to the table. This recipe captures that convergence with an entry level bread recipe made in my pumpkin-shaped Dutch oven and a shaped compound butter that uses the abundance of basil before it's gone for the year.
For the bread
Ingredients:
3 cups + 2 Tablespoons bread flour
1 packet instant yeast (1/4 ounce)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
To make the bread, stir together 3 cups flour with other dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add water and stir until combined into a sticky dough. Cover bowl with a plate and let rise in a warm place approximately 2 hours (or until doubled in size). During the last 30 minutes of rising, place a lidded Dutch oven in the oven while the oven pre-heats to 450 degrees F. Once dough has completed its rise, sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface. Turn dough out onto prepared surface and sprinkle with another tablespoon flour. Fold edges of dough toward center until a ball is formed. Flip the dough over onto a sheet of parchment paper so smooth side of ball faces up. Remove the prepared Dutch oven from the oven and lower the parchment down into the vessel. Slice an “x” shape into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue baking for 20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool before slicing.
For the pesto butter
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup fresh basil
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup walnuts
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
While the bread is rising, make the compound butter. Allow butter to come to room temperature. Add basil, parmesan, walnuts, garlic, and salt to a food processor*. Pulse until a loose paste is formed. Add the butter and mix until fully incorporated. Press butter into molds. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Tap down the molds to ensure all crevices are filled with softened butter. Cover and transfer to the freezer for 1 hour until hardened enough to remove from molds. Allow to come back to room temperature before serving.
*If no food processor is available, ingredients can also be chopped by hand or smashed in a mortar and pestle.
Note: I used a food safe silicone gummy worm mold to make the shapes. If no mold is available, roll the butter into a log and wrap in parchment paper. Slice into rounds and serve. Optionally, use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes if desired.
