I have been following the discussions her on No Knead Bread for the
past month and I have concluded with a statement and a question. I
don't need no knead bread and What's all the fuss?
This may at first seem a harsh indictment, but I just don't seem to
get it from an ingredient point of view or a easy point of view. And
I am sure from a taste point of view there is nothing I can't equal
or surpass, since it appears everyone believes it is the long rising
time which makes it taste so good. I don't disagree, but that can be
said for any bread recipe. Big deal! A long rising time of any bread,
the poolish, the biga, sourdough will do this.
Let me begin with the most obvious reason for the fuss. It's in the
title, "No Knead Bread". If people are adopting this because they
don't want to hand knead or can't hand knead due to physical problems
I have one word, no two words for them, "Food Processor". My mixing
and kneading time approaches 90 seconds. Yes, there is no typo error
here, I said 90 seconds and that may be stretching it.
The simplicity of the ingredients may be the other argument. Huh?
It's the same base ingredients used in every yeast bread in bread
cookbook and every bread web site. Water, Flour, Yeast and Salt.
90 Seconds No Hand Knead Food Processor Bread. Clever title?
1 11 cup Food processor with steel cutting blade (don't use plastic
blade or dough blade - they are useless)
3 cups flour divided (16 oz)
12 oz of water
3/4 teaspoon yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
The Process:
Step 1
1/3 to 1/2 of the flour (6-8 oz) plus yeast and salt into bowl.
Turn on processor let run 5 seconds and then pour water in through chute.
Run processor for 10 secs and stop.
Step 2
Remove top and dump remaining flour into the bowl. Put top back on.
Let rest for 1 minute to 19 hours? before going to Step 3
I let it rest 20 minutes for rolls, 8-10 hours for bread. For bread I
do Step 1 & 2 at night before going to bed
Step 3
Pulse run processor for 5 seconds 2-3 times
The dough should have formed a ball on the tip of the blade and began
to clean the bowl.
Step 4 (The step you knead :-)))
Run processor for 30 seconds.
Wait a minute, I lied, it took 60 seconds.
Step 5
Take bread from bowl (should be sticky, so flour your hands and be
careful, blades are sharp and I never found my blood to add much to
the flavor of the bread.) put bread in a bowl to rise for 1 1/2 hours
(If you insist you can let it rise 19 hours)
This bread recipe makes approximately 24 oz of dough perfect for a
9x5x3 bread pan
The remainder of the steps are the traditionL let rise until double,
deflate, shape, let rise and bake as in any other bread recipe. I
bake 375 F 15-20 minutes for rolls, 25-30 minutes for bread. Actually
I use the more reliable method on measuring internal temperature
(185-190F for rolls, 195-205F for bread.)
There is no reason I can figure why you cannot skip the second
kneading as described in No Knead Bread nor any reason if you want to
bake it like the No Knead manner if you like.
As for the long slow rise time adds flavor, well that's true for any
bread. So it's not unique. In this recipe the long rising time can be
between Steps 2 and 3, it can be the first (or only rising) or
both. For example, I'll do step 1 and 2 after supper and rest until
bedtime( 4-6 hours) and the first rise in the refrigerator over night
or until I can get to it (sometimes for 24 hours).
Important Note: if you let it rest for more than 1 hour between Steps
2 and 3 add salt in at start of Step 3
Some Final Notes:
I never measure flour, I always weigh it. Bread flour usually is 5.5 oz = 1 cup
My general rule of bread base ingredients are for each cup(5 oz) of flour
4 oz of warm water (or liquid of choice, see below)
1/2 teaspoon of yeast (I use instant, "bread machine")
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
In Step 1 I my general rule is to add the following ingredients but
none are not essential.
1 - 2 Tablespoon of each for each cup of flour (5 oz) of
Butter or Oil,
Sugar or Honey,
Drymilk Powder or Buttermilk Powder.
For every large egg added to a recipe I add 2 oz of flour(1 1/2 - 2 Tbl?)
I have been known at times to substituted scalded milk, warm fruit
juice and even warmed tomato or V-8 juice (try this with herbs to
make roles to serve with spaghetti) The ratio of flour to bread is
75%, 4 oz water to 1 cup of flour, you can reduce it to 60% 3 oz to 1
cup of flour.
If you want to add shredded cheese, add it in at Step 4, else cheese
will melt.
Herbs and other ingredients can be added during Step 3
Ingredients for my recipe simple rolls, makes six rolls
6 oz of Flour (1 1/4 cups) divided
(often I will mix 2 oz whole wheat 1 oz bread in Step 1, 3 oz in Step 3)
4 oz of warm water (or liquid of your choice)
2 Tablespoons of Sugar, Olive Oil, Dry milk (I know I doubled it from
my general rule, but we like the taste)
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
Makes about 11 - 12 oz of dough
When I am in a hurry, rest time is 1 minute, otherwise 20 minutes.
Rise time 1st rise 2 hours, 2nd rise 1 1/2 hours, Bake 375F 15 - 20
minutes (Int Temp 185 - 190F)
Brush rolls with melted butter on cooling rack.
I guess my view is bread is bread with just variations, this is an
art not an exact science. but the proof is always in the final
taste. The past three years I have only used a food processor for
bread, unless I am making bread requiring more than 3 cups of flour.
My processor is dying now, and I'll replace it with a 14 - 20 cup
processor, but if you have an 11 cup it will handle 3 cups of flour,
a 7 cup processor about 2 cups
Larry