Challenge 1 - January - No-knead bread cooked in a dutch oven
To
get us rolling and kick of the new year, we thought we'd try something
simple with high probability of success. Plus, who can resist homemade
bread!! Always wanted to try making bread in a dutch oven, so it's on
the list and challenge #1.
Inspired by Mark Bittman, Jim Lahey and their article in the New York Times, this method is supposed to produce a deliciously crusty loaf of bread with minimal effort. Though the recipe does take time (approx 20 hours from start to finish!), there is very minimal hands on time. There is actually a follow up video where Mark and Jim teamed up in an attempt to shorten the time of the original method but with a similar result. The second method only takes a few hours and adds red wine vinegar to the ingredients.
Inspired by Mark Bittman, Jim Lahey and their article in the New York Times, this method is supposed to produce a deliciously crusty loaf of bread with minimal effort. Though the recipe does take time (approx 20 hours from start to finish!), there is very minimal hands on time. There is actually a follow up video where Mark and Jim teamed up in an attempt to shorten the time of the original method but with a similar result. The second method only takes a few hours and adds red wine vinegar to the ingredients.
Here's a link to the NYT article with recipe and videos (one link to the original method and one with the revisited/shortened recipe). Many blog entries
commenting on the article highly recommended watching the videos for
helpful hints:
Some professional comments on the NYT article on some potential enhancements to their method:
http://www.realbakingwithrose.
http://www.realbakingwithrose.
Of important note is that you the correct type of yeast - instant yeast.
Share your results in the comments section, send Deb your photos to add to the post. Be sure to let us know which method you used (short or long) and any adaptations you did. Bonus points for anyone who tries both!
Liz
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Kiki
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Suzie
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Deb & Rob
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Lainey & Deuce
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Hello everyone! This was my first attempt at home-made bread. I made the dough on Saturday night, let it rise until Sunday afternoon, and baked it for dinner that night. I found the dough to be very sticky, although I'm not sure if this is normal or not, having never made bread before.
ReplyDeleteWhile the result was not the most attractive loaf of bread I've ever seen, Anthony and I both enjoyed eating it! It was deliciously crusty and went very well with Ina Garten's chicken chili recipe, which Aunt Elaine introduced me to at a family reunion and has since become a standby meal. Further reading of blog posts makes me think I should try a small dutch oven next time.
A final note: my grocery store had rapid-rise yeast only, and I'm not sure if this was same thing as the instant yeast specified in the recipe. Any insight, fellow bakers?
Hi Liz! I think you had the right yeast - rapid-rise. I used the same thing, and I believe my mom did, too. One chef I talked to mentioned that she prefers to use fresh yeast, aka cake yeast. I asked Kiki about this, and she said it is what they often used at CIA and has superior flavor, but you'd be hard pressed to find it in a grocery store because it has such a short shelf life - 9 days. If anyone can find it, it'd be fun to try. Probably in the refrigerator section? I googled it, and Red Star is a common brand. As for the stickiness of the dough, that second link talked about using only 1.5 cups water, not the 1 5/8 that the original recipe mentioned. I think the recipe link we were given was for 1.5 cups, though.
ReplyDeleteI made a batch last weekend, and I was excited to also use my new grain mill to make fresh flour for it. I milled hard red winter wheat berries, and it made for a really dense, dark loaf. I had problems rising the dough, though, as it's about 60 degrees in my house this time of year. I looked into that, and people do all sorts of things - rise the dough above their fridge or in the car or just wait much longer (which apparently develops better flavor anyhow). I'll have to try it again, maybe in the greenhouse, and see if I can get better results. Check out my photos - it was a pretty flat loaf. Tasty on the first day or two before it staled. Jay thought it tasted like an English muffin. I think I'll try again, using half AP flour and half of my milled flour, and trying for a better rise.
Are you all gobbling it up before it goes stale, or how are you keeping it?
Love this project!!
Suzie
You have a Grain Mill!!! I have a fun side game... try to come up with some completely obscure kitchen appliance or tool that the Yates women do not own.
DeleteHi Suzie! Thanks for the confirmation on what yeast was the right yeast, and also where to look for fresh yeast in the grocery store (assuming they would even have it). I used 1.5 cups of water after reading the second link, but am curious as to how much stickier the dough might be if I increased it to 1 5/8 as called for in the original recipe. I'll have to try it again.
ReplyDeleteI love that you used a grain mill! Where can I see the photos of your loaf? Maybe warm Bear could cuddle up to the dough to help it rise next time -- if you can fur-proof it, that is!
Our loaf went stale pretty quickly, and we had to dispose of about half of it, sadly. I'd wrapped it in tin foil and put it in the bread box but will look up other methods to extend its shelf-life before baking it again.
I had accidently bought instant yeast before, and was too terrified to use it since it required no proofing. (Something I imagined like drinking instant coffee. Why bother- I’d rather be tired than drink it.) My experience with yeast was having used yeast cake professionally and dry active yeast at home. But forcing my hand to use these packets of instant yeast and then forcing my hands to NOT knead the dough went against all of my training and intuition. What a shocker the results yielded. I was so taken with the end product that I made four loaves of bread in two days.
ReplyDeleteInitially, I made two loaves side by side with a total resting time of 14 hours. The first one made of bread flour (15% gluten) and the second of all purpose (AP) flour (12% gluten). I was curious to see if the difference in gluten percentages made a difference in the crumb and crust considering that gluten is developed during kneading and then rested during the rise. No kneading- so did the gluten percentages matter at all? They rose the same. They looked the same. Once out of the oven, the loaves were still practically identical. We decided we liked the bread flour one the better because it had a more flavorful crust. So yes, gluten percentages did make a difference but only slightly.
The very next morning I mixed up two more doughs. One was made of equal parts bread flour and AP flour. The second made of equal parts bread flour and whole wheat flour. There was a total rest time of 16.5 hours. This white loaf ended up being our favorite of all four. The crust was lovely, the crumb was chewy and the flavor was spot on. The wheat bread, which was our second favorite, did not rise as much and was missing a touch of sweetness. No surprise on the rising considering that the flour is milled with the germ so it is heavier than a white flour. Next time I will scale back to 1 C whole wheat flour and add some honey.
As for the water content, I used 1 5/8 cup for all of the recipes. The doughs were wet. The key to shaping wet dough, is to not be shy with the flour on your counter/rising cloth/hands. Additionally, I plan on getting out Jim Lahey’s books from the library to see what other excellent bread recipes I can scare up and add to my repertoire. This minimal effort bread is something I can see adding to a weekly routine. Great start to the year of cooking projects. I love this community of cooking and conversation.
PS: The best part of having high quality stale bread is also having an excuse to make bread pudding for dessert.
Christy, I love your point about having bread on hand for bread pudding! Could there be a better reason? I don't think so.
DeleteOk, I have no Dutch oven so I will wait for the next challenge and just be the peanut gallery for now ;)
ReplyDeleteGirlfriend, run out and get yourself one now!! Or better yet, just grab one online. Be sure to pick a super fun color, too - they make you smile when you cook and can go right from oven/stove to table!! For first one I recommend a 6 qt round dutch oven. Do it, do it now!!! :)
DeleteWe've loved making this bread and have made a loaf (or two) every week since we first tried it!! We've been using only 1.5 cups of water but found we had to add a touch more when using bread flour as opposed to regular AP. We've found the 6 qt dutch oven to yield the prettiest loaf so far (the 8 qt allowed it to spread out and yielded a shorter, wider loaf). Regardless, we've been loving it! It's been used along side chili and soups, under some cheesy artichoke dip at the Super Bowl and gobbled up by the kids. So fun!!
ReplyDeleteI have tried to write this review at least six times. Because of my ineptitude of working with blogs and having problems with our computer network, I was unable to post my review before now. Sorry!
ReplyDeleteBread making has always been a favorite of mine. So, when this recipe was posted, I couldn't wait to try it. The first time I made it, I followed the original recipe as written. I used unbleached all-purpose flour and 1 5/8 cups of water. Unfortunately, I sprayed my Le Creuset pot with Pam, thinking that would keep the bread from sticking. The bread turned out really well, but the crust was a little chewy and the bottom had started to burn I had baked it the initial 30 minutes and then baked it only 15 minutes more uncovered because it was starting to burn. I think the Pam initiated this. It didn't rise very high, but high enough.
The whole aspect of using "instant" yeast intrigued me. I have always used active yeast and decided to investigate. Instant yeast is another version of rapid rise yeast. It is added directly to the dry ingredients and then your liquid is added. With active yeast, you have to "proof" the yeast first. This simply means you add the liquid ( no warmer than 105*) to the yeast before you add it to the other dry ingredients. Apparently, instant or rapid rise yeast is now the preferred yeast by bakers, because it eliminates that extra step of proofing,
To satisfy my curiosity, I made the bread again using active yeast. I proofed the yeast with warm water (this time I only used 1 1/2 cups), adding a 1/4 teaspoon of sugar for the yeast to eat. Then, I added it to the flour and salt. I still only baked it 30 minutes covered and 15 min. uncovered, but the difference was notable. The bread was so delicious......with lots of texture and a nice crunchy crust!
This is definitely a recipe I will use over and over again!
Elaine