I've made the NYT no-knead recipe a dozen times now, and would like
to share my experience.
* I used 3/8 tsp of SAF instant yeast, instead of 1/2 tsp. For me,
this quantity of yeast produces more reliable results.
* The recipe calls for "three cups" of flour. I used the
conversion factor in The Breadbaker's Apprentice to convert it to
ounces. Three cups come to 13.7 ounces, which, with 12 ozs of water,
results in a much too wet dough (91% hydration).
I then weighed three cups of flour (King Arthur Bread Flour) and
saw that it's actually 15 ounces! I then used 15 ozs of flour + 12
ozs of water (83% hydration), which worked out much better.
* I do the final rise on the same old non-stick cookie sheet
(floured) that I used for proofing all my other breads. I cover the
dough with a piece of oiled Saran wrap.
I put the lump of dough on to a square of parchment paper and
toss that into the pot (preheated to 450'). The paper square helps
in handling the dough as well as in keeping it from sticking though
even the sides of the loaf does not stick much to the enamel either,
only in a couple of small spots). I do not oil the pot.
* I use an enameled cast iron pot, a` la Le Creuset ones, which I
bought at TJMaxx for $50. The thing must weigh about 10 pounds!
* I bake the loaf covered at 450F (versus the recipe's 500F) for
the first 20 minutes (versus 30 minutes), then uncover and reduce the
temperature to 400F for another 15 minutes, then remove the loaf from
the pot and just put it on the oven rack (no baking stone) for
another 15 minutes at 350F. I made the adjustments to get a. a dryer
crumb and b. a more golden crust.
Total baking time is 50 minutes; the final internal temperature
is usually about 206F - 207F.
Gloria J Martin <ggmartin2@juno.com> wrote:
>I do have a question. I know that salt inhibits the growth of yeast,
>but I do believe I would like a little more salt in the finished
>product. Would adding an additional 1/4 teaspoon inhibit the yeast too much?
I have indeed tried the recipe with an additional 1/4 tsp of salt,
since I thought I would prefer the bread a bit saltier. Using the
conversion factors in Breadbaker's Apprentice, 1 1/2 tsp salt (versus
the recipe's 1 1/4 tsp) in 15 ozs of flour works out to 1.6% salt by
weight. Even though BBA recommends no more than 1% salt by weight, I
did not notice any difference in yeast activity. The taste was just
barely saltier. All the same, I reverted back to 1 1/4 tsp salt
because I prefer that taste.
ljrsphb@comcast.net wrote:
>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.
The big deal with this "no knead" recipe for me is not how little
work it takes, but the fewer steps that it requires. I need to mess
with it only four time:
1. initial mix (yes, I'm lazy and I do this in the KitchenAid; I
leave the dough in the mixer's bowl for the long rise)
2. 19-20 hours later: dumping it out onto the cookie sheet,
3. two and a half hours later: put the pot into the oven & turn oven
on to preheat,
4. half an hour later: throwing it into the oven.
There are significant chunk of time in between the steps for me to do
things that require a bit of time, like running errands or mowing the
lawn or work on my car.
By contrast, a ciabatta requires:
1. Initial mix & let sit overnight in fridge
2. dump out & let ferment
3. after two hour: fold & let sit
4. after 1/2 hour: fold & let sit to proof
5. after 30 minutes: put quarry tiles in oven & turn oven on to preheat
6. after another 15 minutes proofing: put water in oven & put loaf in
Not only this requires two more steps, but also there is much less
time in between the steps, requiring me to hang around.
Andy Nguyen