kitchen table math, the sequel: no-knead bread

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

no-knead bread



I made this today.

It tastes as good as it looks.

Costs approximately 20 cents per loaf.

There is nothing to it.

everything you need to know

As far as I can tell there is only one way to sc*** up this bread: forget to put the lid on the pan.

It's possible you can sc*** it up by adding 5x as much yeast as the recipe calls for. I don't know. I added 5x as much yeast as the recipe calls for to the same loaf I baked without a lid. (Must have the lid. Lid is key.)

You can not sc*** this up by mixing up a batch of dough, setting it out to rise, and then forgetting the whole thing until you happen to glance at your bake stand and think, Holy cow, how long has that been sitting there?

This may not sound like the definition of freedom, but it is. The fact that you can't sc*** this bread up by letting it rise too long means you don't have to get bogged down doing & re-doing mental math to figure out things like Where will I be in 18 hours when the dough finishes its first rise and Will I be asleep when the dough finishes its second rise?

None of that matters.

If you're some place else, it's not a problem.

If you're asleep, it's not a problem.

The dough can wait.

It's probably better if it does wait.

5 comments:

Tex said...

I made this bread too! After learning about it from KTM.

Came out PERFECT! With lots of voids & a chewy crust just like the ciabatta bread we buy at Stop-n-Shop.

The only problem was the resultant scenario with the whole family devouring just-baked slices slathered with butter. Can’t do that everyday.

Catherine Johnson said...

yeah, except WAY better than the ciabatta bread at Stop n Shop!

Catherine Johnson said...

The secret to not wolfing down the whole loaf the instant it comes out of the oven is to substitute 1 to 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour for white.

It's still a fantastic bread, but not as addictive.

Catherine Johnson said...

Well, I'm about to find out what happens when you forget the first rise for 24 hours (that's 24 hours on top of the first 24 hours) AND you then extend the second rise overnight.

Catherine Johnson said...

Correction: if you let the dough sit for too long the bread isn't as good.

It's still ok, but not great.