>I have baked the New York No-Knead bread recipe several times, but
>most recently I tried King Arthur's Bread site's "adjusted"
>version. Both mix, rise, brown, and taste as expected which is very good.
>
>But the problem I have with both recipes is that even though the
>crust is nice and crispy, the inside bread is sort of gummy.
Dear Jeanette:
We had the same problem even when the bread was baked for a full
50-60 minutes - 30 minutes in the pot, 15 minutes in the pot with the
lid off and 10-15 minutes out of the pot on a baking stone.
THEN we decided to shut off the oven, put the door ajar and let the
bread cool slowly as the oven cooled. Voila - nice crusty bread, big
holes, no moistness or gumminess inside.
I believe that what happens is that the crust forms fairly fast in
the sealed pot - so fast that the moisture in the interior doesn't
have a chance to escape or dissipate sufficiently. We might try, the
next time, to take the lid off after 15 minutes of baking. By then,
the benefits of the contained moisture should have been achieved.
Experiment a little with a slightly lower temperature too and with
the amount of water you use. You don't have to be slavish about the formula.
Finally, have you seen the 'new' approach to artisanal bread? It
makes four loaves of bread in five minutes each with no kneading and
excellent results. I've tried it, it works well and the baking part
is easier - no pot required. I make 3 loaves where the recipe calls
for 4 loaves since I like a slightly larger loaf. There is a real
benefit to letting the dough stay in the fridge for a few days. The
recipe is below - here is the link:
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/dining/211brex.html?em&ex=1195880400&en=38f2e2bf176e2383&ei=5
087>
This is not quite the same bread as the first "no knead" but it is
definitely an excellent alternative!
Good baking and Happy Holidays to all!!!
Frank
New York Times
November 21, 2007
Recipe: Simple Crusty Bread
Adapted from "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg
and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)
Time: About 45 minutes plus about 3 hours resting and rising
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
Cornmeal
1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3
cups lukewarm water (about 100 F). Stir in flour, mixing until there
are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an
airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two
weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut
off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands
to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy
bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40
minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle
rack and turn oven to 450 F; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.
4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife
three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler
pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned,
about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Yield: 4 loaves.
Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and
place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh,
an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 F for 5 minutes.
Place pan on middle rack.