Why This Recipe Caught My Eye
I recently made the No-Knead Mediterranean-Flavored Brunch Bread from Turkuaz Kitchen by Betül Tunc. If you don’t already follow Turkuaz Kitchen on Instagram, you should. Betül’s feed is filled with gorgeous, moody videos of her baking process that are art in and of themselves, never mind the stunning breads and cakes that she produces.
As my first adventure from this cookbook, the No-Knead Mediterranean-Flavored Brunch Bread immediately caught my eye—its intriguing combination of flavors promised to be well worth the time investment.
My Experience Making It
While the process itself was long (the dough must rise overnight in the refrigerator), the recipe was simple to follow. This unique bread gets its flavor from a combination of sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, olives, garlic, and walnuts.
All of the chopping takes place while the bread is wrapped and resting for a bit after the initial mixing of ingredients, and then once added to the dough it rests again before moving to the refrigerator to rise overnight.
What Makes This Recipe Special
The baking process is similar to that of other no-knead recipes I’ve made (I’ve used this one, too), and the end result is a crusty and crunchy exterior loaf. I was not sure what to expect for the consistency inside, but cutting into the cooled loaf revealed a soft, not-too-dense interior that was really lovely.
The olives deliver a briny punch that harmonizes beautifully with the sun-dried tomatoes’ balance of acidity and subtle sweetness. With each bite, fragrant herbs and toasted walnuts add depth of flavor, but the walnuts also provide an irresistible crunch that transforms the texture of the entire loaf. While the garlic’s aroma carried a bold intensity during both the rising and baking process, it mellows gracefully when mingling with the other ingredients, providing just a hint of flavor rather than overwhelming the palate.
I probably would have added a tad more of the flavored ingredients and maybe even a touch of salt to make this bread pack even more punch. But as it was, the flavor was subtle and really delicious for sandwiches, served alone, or with a slab of butter.
A tip for new bakers: you might be able see here (the parchment sort of covers it), I’ve already scalded my dutch oven making no-knead bread in the past. But if you are starting out for the first time, I do not recommend using an enameled dutch oven for this process. The high temperature at which you have to warm the dutch oven before putting the bread inside can irreparably damage your pot — and they are not cheap! A caste iron dutch oven won’t get damaged and is definitely the way to go for a recipe like this.
The Cookbook Behind the Recipe
Overall, I’m really looking forward to making this bread again, as well as many of the recipes in the book. More recipe reviews to come!
And if you’ve tested any other recipes from this book out — or this one — I’d love to hear your experience. Leave a comment below!
