Comments on Crunchy Chicken: Do you need to try no knead bread?

How about the perfect loaf? I found it over at Zes...

2009-01-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

How about the perfect loaf? I found it over at Zesty Cook.It makes a soft, fluffy whole wheat loaf without kneading or even much time for rising. Here's a link: http://zestycook.com/quick-and-easy-whole-wheat-bread/

The book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day produced...

2008-11-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

The book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day produced some great results for us. You make up the dough and it lives in your fridge for a week or so. You just pull off what you need and it can even be used to make pitas and naan bread.

http://wisdomofthemoon.blogspot.com/2008/11/cooking-resources-cookbooks.html

I've used the NY times recipe and it works - the p...

2008-10-21T23:17:00.000-07:00

I've used the NY times recipe and it works - the problem you're probably having is that the rising times are for overly-heated houses. In my cold house, I leave the first rise for up to 24 hours and the second up to 12 (or 24 in the fridge, depending on the timing).

Rachel said "Plus, four hours is hard, if they could come up with something that takes about 8 hours, so you could let it rise overnight or while at work. "

You can do 8 hours in the fridge instead of 4 hours out.

I've also modified it to use 1/4 cup sourdough starter instead of 1/4 tsp yeast - I used the sourdough starter instructions here, they work like a charm. You need to reduce the water slightly because the sourdough is liquidish, and I also find you can substitute up to one cup of white flour with wholemeal or rye without affecting the texture.

Give it another go, extending the rising times, it really is a great recipe!

Rosa - I didn't see your comment re: getting some ...

2008-10-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Rosa - I didn't see your comment re: getting some starter, if you read this, send an email to sourdougstarter@mintemail.com and we can connect.

I've tried the no-knead method and it works fine. ...

2008-10-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

I've tried the no-knead method and it works fine. It makes a lover-ly tasting bread and I love the ease of it. Still, I've got to agree with another poster, some of the thrill of bread making is in the kneading. That's the sensual, I'm involved in this, zen aspect of bread-making. No knead is good to have in the repertoire but the hands-on version still reigns supreme.

I've only made bread a few times in my life but I ...

2008-10-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

I've only made bread a few times in my life but I love eating homemade bread and the no knead breads have made it so that I'm making bread now in. It's very easy.

I've had good luck with the recipes from 'Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day' as well. If you are getting the recipes from the book, there are some errors in it. Here is a link to an error correction page

The enriched bread recipe made a wonderful Challah.

I use the simple no-knead loaf recipe from "A...

2008-10-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

I use the simple no-knead loaf recipe from "Artisan Bread," too. It was also featured in the New York Times not long after the other recipe came out. I use a half-and-half mixture of whole wheat and white flour and get great results, although like many whole wheat breads, the loaves are flatter than an all-white version. It's dead simple, though, and doesn't require a Dutch oven, which I don't have.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/dining/211brex.html?sq=simple%20artisan%20bread&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=print

I will say, however, that I haven't had great luck keeping the dough in the fridge, because it crusts over in an unpleasant way. I usually just bake all the loaves one after the other and freeze them.

I tried it once when I saw it in the recent column...

2008-10-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

I tried it once when I saw it in the recent column. Bread was very dense, pretty flat, but tasty. I am going to keep experimenting until I get it right. Maybe.

I made a no knead spelt bread awhile back that was...

2008-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

I made a no knead spelt bread awhile back that was good, it didn't have a rise time either, but baked for like an hour. It was more of a cornbread consistency, but the flavor was good. No idea where I found the recipe though LOL.

There is a great book on no-knead bread by Zoe Fra...

2008-10-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

There is a great book on no-knead bread by Zoe Francois (www.zoebakes.com) called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Not only do Zoe's recipes not require kneading, but the dough can also be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks... just grab a hunk of dough whenever you want a loaf, let it come to room temp and bake away. The "peasant loaf" incorporates whole wheat with rye and absolutely fabulous. The bread bakes up with a crispy crust and chewy interior every time and the preparation is MUCH easier than the NYT recipes. You must try it!

I use a bread maker. I have tried to make bread t...

2008-10-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

I use a bread maker. I have tried to make bread the old-fashioned way and could never make it rise enough. Also... I definitely don't have time to babysit multiple risings.

We no longer buy bread (except hamburger buns or rolls to make melted cheese sandwiches) because almost all of the bread has HFCS unless you buy expensive bread. And this way... I know exactly what goes into a loaf of bread. The other bonus is that my honey wouldn't eat anything but white bread if it came from a store. Now I only make half whole wheat/white flour and everybody eats it... kids and honey included.

I don't know if I would try a no-knead recipe or not. It would mean making it Saturday night for cooking on Sunday and I just don't see that happening based on my work schedule.

I baked whole wheat no knead bread every week for ...

2008-10-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

I baked whole wheat no knead bread every week for about a year from a recipe I found in Prevention. It was about the only thing I ever baked and it always came out well. I lost my recipe in a move and haven't tried it in decades but this has inspired me to try.

Here is my beer bread recipe:

1 beer (stand...

2008-10-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Here is my beer bread recipe:

1 beer (standard size bottle/can)
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
-Mix ingredients together well, pour into loaf pan & bake at 325 or 350 till done (about 30 mins, just check till toothpick comes out clean!)

I've used this recipe to make loaves of bread as well as muffins. A good cheap beer makes perfect muffins for buttering up with herbs, cheese, and spices.
I like using specialty stouts and porters along with some chocolate for more desert style bread.
Combinations are endless here since there are SO many types of beer out there!

I made my first 2 loafs of bread last weekend and ...

2008-10-20T05:43:00.000-07:00

I made my first 2 loafs of bread last weekend and they came out pretty good. The crust was really hard so I read that if you add a bowl of water in the oven it will help steam the bread as it cooks. Then also add some milk (or soy) to the recipe to soften the bread. Then to put some butter on the top right when it comes out of the oven. I will try all those combined next time I bake. But overall the bread is so easy.

I found a few recipes on this website that I have to share:
http://www.tastespotting.com/

I've heard of a thing called Beer Bread that doesn...

2008-10-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

I've heard of a thing called Beer Bread that doesn't need kneading either. NZ comedian Te Radar made it on is Off The Radar self-sufficency show a couple of weeks ago. It looks sort of like a scone bread texture. I was wondering if you had a recipe for that and if you could post it on here.

Madz in NZ

Haven't read all the comments so my apologies if t...

2008-10-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Haven't read all the comments so my apologies if this is a duplicate. I make the no knead bread as posted in the Mother Earth News, and it is fantastic. Turns out every single time and is absolutely delicious! If you search on their website you can easily find the recipe. The hardest part for me is remembering to mix the ingredients the night before so they can rise for long enough. I'm glad it's getting cold out again so I can turn on the oven and make this bread!

We've had good luck with the original no-knead...

2008-10-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

We've had good luck with the original no-knead recipe using a hot dutch oven, although we stopped making it because we haven't yet replaced the plastic knob on the lid. We tried 3 times with the whole-grain recipe that was posted in the NYT on 10/8/08. We enjoyed the flavor, but it *really* didn't rise enough. The first loaf we had the dough in the fridge overnight & let it rise almost 3 hours at room temperature (~61 F) That was tasty, but super dense. The next loaf we tried to more closely follow the rising instructions, but put it in the unheated oven with the light on to more closely approximate the recommended rising temperature. We got slightly more rising, but it was still too flat. The last time we tried, it was on a sunny day & kitchen temps got up to 75 F or warmer. I expected a sandwich-style loaf, but none of our multigrain loves haven't gotten over 2 inches tall. We're very intrigued by the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day method.

I tried one that you bake in a cast iron dutch ove...

2008-10-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

I tried one that you bake in a cast iron dutch oven. I personally thought there were enough steps that it wouldn't have been that much harder to knead it. Anyway, it turned out horribly. Didn't taste right and was too tough to chew. Sigh. I haven't had the courage to try again yet.

I too was excited when I saw the NY Times article,...

2008-10-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

I too was excited when I saw the NY Times article, but my attempt at the whole wheat no-knead was a failure. It didn't rise much, and the taste was strange, I don't think I liked the cornmeal.

Not impressed. Plus, four hours is hard, if they could come up with something that takes about 8 hours, so you could let it rise overnight or while at work.

I'm sticking with my bread machine to knead. Much easier, less time, and consistent results.

My favorite no-knead recipe is this one:
http:/...

2008-10-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

My favorite no-knead recipe is this one:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,184,157178-241195,00.html

It's easy and moist. Dense, but not puck-like.

I've been using a bread maker for the last few months instead... it really does cut down on the time involved.

I made it a few times last year after the recipe c...

2008-10-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

I made it a few times last year after the recipe came out, but once the weather got warm, it was back to the bread machine (we buy bagels, but make all our own loaves). I was using Pyrex to bake in, but I've read the high heat can cause shattering, so I'm coveting a Le Creuset dutch oven for this purpose (and others, of course). I'm looking forward to trying the WW version they've recently posted. Fresh, homemade bread is a real pleasure--we have a loaf baking now!

I LOVE baking beer bread! It is so fun to experime...

2008-10-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

I LOVE baking beer bread! It is so fun to experiment with too. One of our favorite twists on it is to use a Young's Double Chocolate Stout beer and then add raspberry chocolate chips as well. Super yummy!

Beer Bread is my favorite no-knead bread. Easy to make, easy to bake.

I have to admit, I'm a big ole cheater when it...

2008-10-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I'm a big ole cheater when it comes to baking bread! I have a bread machine that I use for mixing the dough, then I put it into a loaf pan, let it rise & bake.
I really hate having to do it that way, but I bake all of our bread and it always seemed like every time I tried to mix & knead one of the kids would get needy and interrupt the process. So, the bread machine for dough making has been my life-saver.
I need to branch out more though. I always make a sourdough bread, using whole wheat flour that I "convert" into self-rising flour. I really need to bake some more styles of bread!

arif, I'm in south Minneapolis and I would love ...

2008-10-19T11:27:00.001-07:00

arif, I'm in south Minneapolis and I would *love* some sourdough starter. I could trade dried apples or apple butter, I have a ton of that.