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Also, the famous New York Times No-Knead Bread Recipe? Really is as good as they say. And you really don't need to knead it. (Although you really do need a covered pot that can handle temps up to 450F -- I used my new cast iron dutch oven.) (More about the recipe/process here.
I just tried my first loaf. (I was going to make sourdough, but it turns out that my neglected starter finally did grow a mold, so no go there right now -- and no-knead sounded like an interesting alternative.) The bread has a toasty-colored, crispy-chewy crust, and the bread inside is chewy yet tender with great big holes, like artisan bakery bread. Part of it is the long rest (the dough has to sit for 12-18 hours), which lets time do the protein-unwinding and gluten-aligning that usually is managed by vigorous kneading. The other part is the heavy, covered pot, which lets the bread steam in its own moisture -- in a regular oven, the oven space is too big, and the moisture dissipates rather than creating a good crust.
I digress. This recipe is quite simple as breads go -- and tastes soooo good. Next up: I'm going to try to engineer a sourdough version of the same no-knead process.
I just tried my first loaf. (I was going to make sourdough, but it turns out that my neglected starter finally did grow a mold, so no go there right now -- and no-knead sounded like an interesting alternative.) The bread has a toasty-colored, crispy-chewy crust, and the bread inside is chewy yet tender with great big holes, like artisan bakery bread. Part of it is the long rest (the dough has to sit for 12-18 hours), which lets time do the protein-unwinding and gluten-aligning that usually is managed by vigorous kneading. The other part is the heavy, covered pot, which lets the bread steam in its own moisture -- in a regular oven, the oven space is too big, and the moisture dissipates rather than creating a good crust.
I digress. This recipe is quite simple as breads go -- and tastes soooo good. Next up: I'm going to try to engineer a sourdough version of the same no-knead process.