This week is the week of me making things I have never made before. I have been wanting to make a bread for a while and of course I have seen the recipe for No Knead Bread, but I didn't have two days (well, 18 hours) to prepare for it. I got home from Disneyland the other day knowing I wanted to make this, but didn't really feel like starting bread at 11:00 at night. Then Mark Bittman posted this recipe that changed my life. That may be a slight exaggeration (I am known to exaggerate once in a while), but it was the perfect solution. As much as I enjoy kneading (releases the tension developed from dealing with annoying actors), this was a recipe with a minimum effort for maximum result. All it really involved was stirring the dough and folding it over after it sat out for 4 hours. It's a really sticky dough, so the folding over was actually a bit more involved than I thought I would be, but overall this is a really easy recipe for bread which is something I often find myself wanting, but not something that regularly appears on my grocery list. It was so good with a nice crusty outside and a soft, chewy inside. I can't go through an entire loaf of bread myself within a week so I froze the rest to use for a later time.
Faster No Knead Bread
3 cups bread flour (I used all-purpose with excellent results)
1 packet (1/4 ounce) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Oil as needed
Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under dough and put it into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
16 comments:
That looks really good! Was it like bread you tear in chunks or could you slice it?
Mmm, I love all kinds of breads and one that doesn't require kneading is all the more desirable!
I still haven't tried that bread, because I don't have the right pot to bake it in... Your loaf looks great!
Cheers,
Rosa
Blonde Duck - Honestly, this is really good for slicing. Think I will try it in a sandwich soon.
Sharon - you won't believe how easy it is to make this bread!
Rosa - I used a stainless steel pot that was oven safe. I was a little worried about it not working, but it came out well.
Oh that bread looks good! I'm not much of a bread maker...I will have to try this though!
This sounds - and looks - like exactly the kind of bread I needed for my stew! I ended up buying a loaf of Tuscan at the grocery store because I didn't have a good quick bread on hand. Now I do!
yum! looks good :) i kinda like the kneading, so i think i would miss it in this recipe, but i'd like to try it anyway for the texture and taste!
I love this recipe. I made it loads this last spring and now that it's cooling down again, I'm almost ready to make it again. The kids have been begging for it.
Do you know I do not make bread because I hate the whole yeast thing and the whole knead thing? But you know I may just try this because it really sounds like mix, fold and leave, then bake. Hmmmm
my my, that looks fantastic! i've been meaning to try to make more bread... i just don't want to end up with a whole loaf myself! don't think i have the self control for that :)
Gorgeous...I've been meaning to try this recipe. Was it tastier than store-bought? Because once you add ingredients + gas oven, I'm not sure it's much cheaper...
Aggie, Aleta, and Heather - thanks!
Prudy - I got lucky this weekend and it cooled down just enough for me to make it...it's now 94 again.
Dawn - this was seriously so easy, I couldn't believe it.
Maggie - I think this is just as good as anything you get in a store and definitely more cost effective since all the ingredients were things I usually have on hand.
For some reason, no kneading turned out pretty disastrously for me. Especially embarassing because they claimed this recipe was so easy a five year old could do it. Am I pathetic or what?
Wow, that seems so easy to make. I've gotten try this one out. Thanks!
FYI -- there's a typo in the recipe. It should read 1 1/2 tsp salt instead of flour. :-)
I've made the original recipe with great success. Have not made the quick version yet. Thanks for posting your results!
Dee - not pathetic at all, but try this one. It's so good and really all you do is stir.
Natalie - thanks and thanks for coming by.
Anonymous - thanks, I fixed the recipe.
Post a Comment