No Knead Bread: My Experiences
I began baking about two years ago when my friend, Steve pointed me to a video by New York Times reporter, Mark Bittman about baking no knead bread. The recipe called for using a Dutch oven and I just happened to have one readily available, so I tried the recipe and, surprise, the bread was not bad at all. With subsequent tries I tested various modifications and mostly, it was about the relative amount of water added into the dough. I finally settled on my perception of the consistency of the dough when I first prepare it.
I weigh the flour and usually use 450 grams. I then add water until I think it is right. It usually happens to be about 1 2/3 cups. Sometimes I make it using as much as half whole wheat flour. I've even tried using equal parts white, whole wheat and rye flours. I have also baked a loaf with cheddar cheese and another with Parmesan cheese and black olives.
Sometime I have trouble with the dough sticking to the towel. My current theory for this is that I didn't put enough flour on the towel. Another possibility is that the dough has a bit too much water. But, no matter how bad it seems to be going, the bread still comes out very tasty. It's almost as though the recipe is not all that important and I can do nothing wrong.
Observations in no particular order:
I live at 4,500 feet elevation and the exact recipe may differ for someone closer to sea level.
The recipe calls for the oven at 500 degrees. When the oven announces that it is ready at 500 degrees, you can be sure it's not there yet. For my oven it takes another 20 or 30 minutes. I used a non-contact infrared laser thermometer to determine the temperature. What really happens is that it takes that long for the cast iron Dutch oven to reach that temperature.
I took the next temperature reading after 30 minutes when I removed the cover from the Dutch oven. The temperature reading is about 390 deg to 410 deg.
Then about 15 minutes later, after the crust has become nice and brown, and I'm ready to take it out of the oven. The temperature reading has risen to about 420 to 440 degree range.
So, why do we see the temperature changes? Again, my theory is that the water in the dough is boiling away and forming steam. The cover keeps some of the steam inside the Dutch oven and consequently keeps it at a lower temperature. Once the lid is removed the temperature again begins to rise toward the 500 deg. mark.
An electric knife makes quick work of slicing the bread. It was better than any other bread knife I have ever used.
I weigh the flour and usually use 450 grams. I then add water until I think it is right. It usually happens to be about 1 2/3 cups. Sometimes I make it using as much as half whole wheat flour. I've even tried using equal parts white, whole wheat and rye flours. I have also baked a loaf with cheddar cheese and another with Parmesan cheese and black olives.
Sometime I have trouble with the dough sticking to the towel. My current theory for this is that I didn't put enough flour on the towel. Another possibility is that the dough has a bit too much water. But, no matter how bad it seems to be going, the bread still comes out very tasty. It's almost as though the recipe is not all that important and I can do nothing wrong.
Observations in no particular order:
I live at 4,500 feet elevation and the exact recipe may differ for someone closer to sea level.
The recipe calls for the oven at 500 degrees. When the oven announces that it is ready at 500 degrees, you can be sure it's not there yet. For my oven it takes another 20 or 30 minutes. I used a non-contact infrared laser thermometer to determine the temperature. What really happens is that it takes that long for the cast iron Dutch oven to reach that temperature.
I took the next temperature reading after 30 minutes when I removed the cover from the Dutch oven. The temperature reading is about 390 deg to 410 deg.
Then about 15 minutes later, after the crust has become nice and brown, and I'm ready to take it out of the oven. The temperature reading has risen to about 420 to 440 degree range.
So, why do we see the temperature changes? Again, my theory is that the water in the dough is boiling away and forming steam. The cover keeps some of the steam inside the Dutch oven and consequently keeps it at a lower temperature. Once the lid is removed the temperature again begins to rise toward the 500 deg. mark.
An electric knife makes quick work of slicing the bread. It was better than any other bread knife I have ever used.
Donald Robak has been baking homemade bread for nearly two years. He definitely does not consider himself an expert baker by any means. He is just a rank amateur but is learning more each time. He seeks to share his experiences.
http://renegaderider.blogspot.com/2011/02/no-knead-bread-with-cheddar-cheese.html
http://renegaderider.blogspot.com/2011/02/no-knead-bread-with-cheddar-cheese.html
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