No-Knead Bread, the Results
Posted by Chas Grundy on January 9, 2010 under Loaves
I’ve completed the No-Knead Bread recipe started yesterday in the post Recipes with Forethought. The full recipe can be found at the New York Times website.
As I mentioned before, the secret to this recipe is time. The small amount of yeast does its magic over the course of a good 16-20 hours. I started the dough Friday night and wrapped it up Saturday afternoon and evening. I also made two batches, as I have read that 20 hours isn’t enough to earn the sour taste that one might hope for. So I’ll make the second batch on Sunday and see how they compare. I’ve also been requested to take some of these results into work to share. 🙂
The Results
I am very pleased with the outcome. The texture is amazing, and the taste is possibly the best I’ve ever achieved.
A few notes, in case you’re planning to make this. First, I think I was a little light on flour, as the dough was very sticky when I tried to form the ball. What a mess. The recipe calls for proofing the dough between two towels. As sticky as the dough was, I left it on the cutting board and covered it with a towel. This worked for me. Second, I let this rise for nearly three hours and it never seemed to climb. It was relatively flat, which had me worried that it wouldn’t be as boule-shaped. In the end, it wasn’t. It’s still fairly flat, but that doesn’t seem to have affected the quality. I think the sticky dough affected my ability to form a proper ball with the dough, which wouldn’t hold the shape.
My favorite part of this bread is the texture. The crust manages to be crispy and chewy at the same time, two qualities that tend to be contradictory. The crumb is light and chewy, with large bubble holes. The yeast obviously did its job, and made for a very tasty bread. Now I’m wondering what I can make for Sunday dinner that will do this bread some justice.