Baby No Knead Bread Encore
May 21, 2007 | From the kitchen of Rose
last weekend the urge to bake a little no knead bread seized me although i didn’t have any flour on hand suitable for bread baking . as it takes far less time to produce this bread than a trip to the local supermarket, i decided to experiment by using FOUR YEAR OLD unbleached all-purpose. interestingly and predictably, the flavor was good and the texture much less lacy than usual. no complaints from my husband who can be quoted as saying: “maybe the holes are important to you but they aren’t to me—in fact i find them undesirable”!
this weekend we had to do our bi-monthly shopping so i picked up a bag of harvest king—turned it around to check that my recipe was still on the back—and as usual had to fight the impulse to hug it. whipped up the bread in under 5 minutes (added a few droplets of water to the moisten the flour at the bottom that hadn't gotten incorporated) and left it to sit undisturbed for 18 hours. then scraped it onto a floured counter and with lightly floured hands gave it the 2 business letter folds, set it on a small silpat sheet and covered it with a big glass bowl. after 1 hour preheated the oven to 450F/230C along with the baking stone and baby cast iron lodge pot and lid.
2 1/2 hours later, when pressing it gently with a wet finger tip and it kept the impression for a brief moment i decided to test something else: without flouring the top i lifted the bread still on the silpat, held it close to the pot, and then inverted it. gradually it detached itself from the silpat and slipped right into the pot—slightly unevenly. i jiggled it a little which didn’t help much, covered it and set it on the baking stone. after 20 minutes i removed the lid and saw that the bread had risen beautifully and had some huge bubbles on the top. i lowered the heat to 400F/200C., turned the oven to convection to vent out any moisture, and baked for another 10 minutes.
the bread unmolded easily. it tested 207F/97C. and the bottom was a tiny bit too brown to my taste—next time i’ll try 425F/218C for the first 20 min. or maybe just bake 7 minutes with the lid off at the end.
the bread resembled an etruscan drinking utensil. it had its usual lacey open texture and extra vibrant flavor due to the fresh flour.
incidentally, people have complained that this technique renders the crumb too moist. i don’t mind this and in fact the next day, i toast it lightly and it’s still moist but much less so. if you prefer it drier the same day you have only to return it to the oven with the door open for another 10 minutes and it will help to vent internal moisture.
IDEA: as summer approaches and the heat rises, the thought of turning the oven to 450F/230C for 2 hours may justifiably leave you cold. if you have a gas grill, simply use that to preheat the pot and bake the bread. it should work perfectly. i intend to try it when my 93 year old father comes to visit. he’ll just love seeing me drop the dough into the burning hot cast iron pot not to mention the simplicity of preparing the dough.
by the way, a charcoal grill would work too if you use enough charcoal to get hot enough but it’s more of a nuisance because more briquettes would need to be added to maintain the heat for so long a period of time.
NOTE: the recipe has already been posted in the larger size and baby size on this blog.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Margot
04/21/2011 05:07 PM
margot, you need to make sure that there are no dry flour particles after first mixing the dough.
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Margot
04/20/2011 09:06 AM
I have been making no knead bread since the recipe was printed in the Times. The only problem I have is that during the first rising, hard crusty bits form on the top of the dough. I don't have this with any other bread. Any thoughts on why or how to avoid it?
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from mandy
12/30/2010 03:33 PM
Mandy, preheat a baking sheet if you have one. It will help oven spring. Start with oven 25 degrees higher, don't keep oven door open any longer than you need to and after the first 10 min. When the temp. Has been regained turn the temp back down.
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mandy
12/30/2010 02:13 PM
I am trying the Hearth Bread recipe on the the back of the flour bag. I cannot find my baking stone. what do I do now? does it matter if I do not use it?
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brenda postlethwait in reply to comment from Rose Levy Beranbaum
12/04/2010 11:46 AM
I am trying the recipe for the Hearth Bread on the back of the flour pack. I think this will be great. I love homemade bread and make it quite often.
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Rose
09/06/2007 06:16 PM
do a search on this blog--it's there.
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Rider Cariño
09/06/2007 06:07 PM
Please, where I could to get this recipe?
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Patti
06/26/2007 04:14 PM
Just made my first Baby No Knead Bread and it came out great. I bought one of those little Lodge 2 quart pots and I love it! Got free shipping from Amazon. Anyway, thanks for the recipe. Was just wondering what fine sea salt is and how is it different from regualr table salt? Also where can you buy it? Thanks again.
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joan
06/26/2007 01:39 PM
Baby No-Knead recipe here http://tinyurl.com/348gts
Original No-Knead recipe here
http://tinyurl.com/2f5xvl
I think the idea of baking this bread on the grill is brilliant for summer. I have been doing the fermentation in my garage, which is usually 10 degrees cooler than my kitchen. If I don't, it develops too quickly.
I can't remember if I posted that since successfully making my sourdough starter using the recipe from the Bread Bible (third try!), I have been using the approx 75 grams that I would have discarded at feeding time, in the Baby No-Knead recipe with no other changes. I get a great crumb, more flavor, and better keeping qualities.
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Florence Bruscemi
06/25/2007 02:18 PM
I've looked through the newsletters but have not been able to find the original no-knead bread recipe. Just where can I find it?
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Rose
06/06/2007 10:23 PM
DeNise, i do not grease the pan--it is a seasoned cast iron pan. and the dough should not be like lose cake batter but rather very soft sticky dough.
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Hector
06/05/2007 11:45 PM
Virginia, if I may, the answers to your Questions are YES. I think dried herbs and garlic don't contribute much texture or moisture to your bread, so it should work. Regarding baking "other" bread in the Lodge Dutch oven, the cast iron dutch oven with a lid is the closest we have to a full size brick oven with steam, and you know bread comes out great from brick ovens! the heat retaining properties of brick and cast iron are very similar, and the lid functions as a steam keeper for great crust gelatination. Good luck.
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Virginia L
06/05/2007 07:57 PM
Hi there, tried my 1st loaf of NKB in a lodge 5 quart enamel with success. I think Lodge can tolerate almost up to 500F, while others such as Le Creuset can tolerate up to about 450F (especially ones with non stick handles or plastic knob).
Question: Can i add any ingredients into the NK Bread to make it more tasty? Such as dried herbs or chopped garlic?
Question 2: Can i bake your Ciabatta recipe or other breads in the Lodge dutch oven?
The dutch oven gave me a beautiful golden crispy crust all over as well as a good even rise :-)
Thanks!
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Virginia
06/05/2007 07:56 PM
Hi there, tried my 1st loaf of NKB in a lodge 5 quart enamel with success. I think Lodge can tolerate almost up to 500F, while others such as Le Creuset can tolerate up to about 450F (especially ones with non stick handles or plastic knob).
Question: Can i add any ingredients into the NK Bread to make it more tasty? Such as dried herbs or chopped garlic?
Question 2: Can i bake your Ciabatta recipe or other breads in the Lodge dutch oven?
The dutch oven gave me a beautiful golden crispy crust all over as well as a good even rise :-)
Thanks!
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DeNise
06/05/2007 07:31 PM
When you drop this into the pan, is it greased? or just as is...HOT.
What is the texture of the dough supposed to be like after the initial mixing. After it sat for 18 hrs. it was more like thick cake batter... should it have been like a very loose bread dough? I did not see his mentioned anywhere. I have it raising now, but it really seemed too moist.
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laura
06/05/2007 10:18 AM
I bought a Farberware 4 quart oval cast iron convertible casserole (this is the name on the product--in fact it's cast iron covered with enamel with handles on top and bottom) for $49 at the local Farberware outlet and have been using it to cook NKB with great success. Much cheaper than comparable Le Creuset!
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Rose
06/04/2007 06:26 PM
this doesn't happen to me so i suspect you aren't covering it tightly enough.
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Margot
06/04/2007 06:24 PM
I have been making nkb every weekend for the last couple of months. After the dough has risen, I divide it into two and put half in the refrigerator to cook the following day. A large loaf is too much for 2 people and it doesn't keep well.
I do have a question though - my dough develops little crusty spots on the top during the first rise. I have never had this with bread that I knead. Would olive oil in the bowl and turning it prevent this?
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Mona Lyn Reese--The Bangalore Baker
05/30/2007 10:18 PM
Yes, you can bake bread on the grill. I do this all the time. It is hot in Bangalore all the time--I never want to turn on the oven for 2 hours. My bread is not as nice as it usually is bcuz the flour here is weird. For a picture, see http://web.mac.com/themona/iWeb/Bangalore/Blog/
and select the entry Bread on the Grill
I'm going to try the NKB again using the techniques listed here. My husband doesn't like the wet texture either or the big holes. I usually make NKB in a banneton and I am SICK of cleaning up the flour mess out of it and TIRED of burning myself on a hot pot. What a great idea to put a parchment paper in the basket. Yay.
Mona
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Ann Timms
05/23/2007 09:34 PM
My last two loaves of NKB were so much better than my early efforts, and I am sure it is because I have been lining my banneton with parchment paper. Actually I shape the ball and set it on a square of parchment then lower it into the banneton. That way I can lift the risen dough by the edge of the parchment and GENTLY place it in the heated pan. No more deflating from being dropped from some height. I have gone back to my stainless Dutch oven as my cast iron one always burned the bottom crust. This evening I got the urge to bake a baby NKB and found I only had KA all purpose flour - hope it will work. I will use the smaller flower pot to bake it with a casserole lid on top. Using the parchment will save me from forgetting to cover the hole! Glad to hear you had such a good trip and look forward to hearing more about it.
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Melinda Pickworth
05/22/2007 07:58 PM
That is funny that your husband said he found the big holes undesirable. My husband said the same thing! He says the honey drips on to his lap.
I have found my own best way for the no knead bread. My favourite flour is a french bread flour (11.5 protein). I let it sit for 18 hours. Then when it needs to rise, it is placed on a bed of wheat bran and cornmeal with parchment underneath.
My big secret was to put a domed lid (a tupperware lid) underneath the parchment, that seems to keep it from spreading wider, and encouragages it to rise upward instead. When it has risen, I simply lift the parchment and put it into my LeCreuset pot.
I grew weary of being afraid of burning myself on the pot and also a deflated loaf from the big plop!
The result is a more desirable loaf to me with a tighter texture and more height to it. My husband says he prefers the new No-knead as his honey stays on the bread!
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Hector
05/22/2007 02:57 AM
I think another primary purpose of the stone, as important or even more than drawing moisture out from the bottom crust, is to bring back your oven temperature. Tiles keep heat extremelly well.
Rose must put the stone directly under her dutch oven, so the bread has the hotest surface you can achieve from initial contact. This is desirable for the dough to spring up.
I don't have a stone directly under my dutch oven because I use quarry tiles or inexpensive pizza stones, which are rather thin and crack often from the weight and lack of care when handling the dutch oven. My dutch oven is on an oven rack. However, my oven is big enough and the bottom heating element is covered, so I have a layer of tiles on the bottom and on the top of the oven. I keep my tiles there ALL THE TIME, for all kinds of baking, cakes, etc.
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Davia
05/21/2007 11:16 PM
Hi Rose and Hector. Rose, did you mean to say that you put the dutch oven onto a preheated stone? What for (I thought the stone's primary purpose was to wick moisture from bread that's set directly on the stone)?
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Rose
05/21/2007 08:27 PM
hector i never heard of bleached bread flour--are you sure sure sure? if i had access only to bleached i'd add vital wheat gluten.
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Hector
05/21/2007 07:37 PM
Let me catch up with you on bread baking (I've been busy re-creating one of your most spectacular cakes).
The lodge baby dutch oven is my favorite piece of equipment.
I think Zach or Matt mentioned that "wet" bread makes wonderful grilled paninis or toasts, I AGREE.
I am also experimenting what is the best venture and vessel to do your final rise: a banetton (which I don't have), a colander with a floured cloth, a non stick pot, a silpat with a upsidedown bowl, etc. So far, I use your "pizza method:" I heavily oil a bowl with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, drop my dough in, turn it a few times so the dough is equally oiled, and let it rise. It drops out easily onto the dutch oven. My fingers get a little greasy during dinner time, but it is delicious. I figure, since my breads don't have any milk, any butter, or any sugar in it, a little olive oil flavored crust is a nice balance.
I am also experimenting with AP, and Bread Flour. Both are bleached, though. The AP is making bread more moist and spongy, as expected I think. Since I have so much AP flour now (I had to try this brand that comes in 50 lb), I am planning to add about 25% of whole wheat or ground wheat and see if the texture improves. Only once I baked with unbleached flour, that was during the Panettone Marathone.
Thanks goodness I have a gas oven. Electric bills are very high in Hawaii.
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