And lo, there was bread

[layla]

I just can't thank Jane enough for pointing me to this recipe for No-Knead Bread. Now, I'm thoroughly cooking-impaired, and I generally make bread that'll break your toes if you are unlucky enough to drop a loaf on your foot. But this came out perfect -- light, crispy, tasty, and incredibly easy. You need to start the night before in order to have bread the next day, but as long as you're not in a "must have bread NOW!" situation, it's fantastic.

It's been snowing intermittently since Thursday, so I'll console myself with bread. Sigh.

Comments

[pamola.livejournal.com]

Have you ever done the refrigerator dough type breads? There is a basic recipe for the yeasted dough, which can become any variety of baked goods. The beauty is that you create enough for two-three uses and it stays good for 4-5 days in the fridge. We tend to use freezer dough more in the summer, making pita like grill breads (no added heat for the house, since we grill main course and breads). It can also become dinner rolls, pizza crust, etc. Its a Better Homes recipe from the 50s that my wife found over in the frugalistas(Tight Wad Gazette) news groups.

[vogelein.livejournal.com]

\o/ W00t! Another convert! It's really staggeringly easy, isn't it? It renewed my faith in baking, and I'm so glad it worked for you -- especially after your long and storied history with bread.

I've got about three loaves' worth of sourdough burbling away in the fridge now, and I will be baking them all in this manner. Soooooo goooood.

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

Making this batch of bread has actually given me an idea of where my problems with bread come from. I think I put in too much flour; somewhere along the way I got the idea that you're supposed to add flour until it's not sticky anymore, but from looking at this batch and then having Orion tell me how *he* makes bread (and his is usually better than mine) I think maybe I've just been making my dough too dense. Next time that I make bread the old way, I think I'll try a wetter dough and see if that's any better.

I also made a browner bread than the recipe called for (I used 2 cups all-purpose flour and one cup of wheat flour) and was very happy with the results. I was a little worried that it would make the bread come out flatter and denser than it was supposed to, but it didn't seem to have a negative effect.

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't done that! I'm not really sure if it would work with the way I cook, unless the dough would keep for a week or two, because I generally have one or two days a week that are big cooking days for me, and then the rest of the week I go with easy things and leftovers. So it would actually work better for me to make all the bread I'll need for the next week at once, and then use it up slowly rather than just making the dough, if that makes any sense.

Still, it's an idea to add to my repertoire.

[vogelein.livejournal.com]

I had the same problem! I made doorstop bread for years until I finally figured out that it was okay to have sticky dough.

I've made this with 100% spelt and 100% whole wheat, and while very tasty, the bread never seems to rise more than about three inches high. It's a big tasty pancake. So I'd stick with the 2:1 ratio; it seems to be the accepted best formula.

Also, with the cost of wheat flour doubling, home baking is really the only way to cut bread costs.

[vogelein.livejournal.com]

Or I could send you some sourdough starter. It'll live for about two weeks between feedings, and if you get sick of keeping it as a pet, you can just stick it in the freezer.

[naye]

Oh, success! That bread looks delicious - and I say this as someone who has mom-made bread every day. Still - I'm tempted to try this, because - crusty crust! Fluffy middle! Mmmm~. If I can only figure out if the yeast I'm used to is "instant yeast", I'd be all set to give it a go.

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

Ooh! I wouldn't say no to sourdough starter, if it can survive a trip through the mail!

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

I don't think it matters. I just have regular "active dry yeast", which seemed to work just fine. My bread actually came out looking almost exactly like the picture, except for having a smooth top rather than what she calls the "rustic" top *g* ... and of course it's browner, since I used more wheat flour.

Aha! Google to the rescue! Instant yeast is just like regular yeast except it rises faster and doesn't need warm water to activate it. (How does that work? I always thought that yeast needed to be warm in order to grow!) Anyway, ordinary yeast worked just fine for me.

[pamola.livejournal.com]

When I baked, I was firmly in the Tassajara(http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/1-57062-089-X.cfm) camp as opposed to my wife who would do dryer doughs(her current bible is the King Arthur Flour Cookbook). I would create far heavier breads, but I suspect it was my reliance on whole wheat flour.