Oh boy...I've let no-knead bread back into my life

[marilynfl]

I recently had the neighbors over for dinner and it was a Soup Nazi kind of night.

I made pots of vegan, vegetarian and Paleo soups along with two no-knead breads. Guests would sample each and then ladle bowls of whichever one they wanted.
Vegan: apple butternut squash
Vegetarian: brothy lima bean soup with pesto and parmesan cheese
Paleo: beans with pancetta, onions and parmesan cheese.

Everyone had bread, so Strictly Paleo was a non-starter.

The two breads varied in that one used beer and AP flour, while the other used bread flour. Both were good, but I recently made the beer version again yesterday and found America's Test Kitchen recipe to be flawed in one step. Traditionally, no knead breads are baked in lined cast iron dutch ovens that have been preheated to a scorching temperature, at which time the risen dough is dropped in. I'm sure there are hundreds of home bakers still bearing scars from this tricky step. ATK changed that by putting the dough in a COLD dutch oven, putting it in the oven, turning the heat up to 425 and then baking the dough covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 30. The first batch for dinner was baked, but pale looking. When I made it the second time, I did a little research on their recipe and found a blog where the step should be: put the dough in a cold pan, put it in the oven, turn oven up to 425. When the oven DINGS that it is at temperature (for my oven, that was 20 minutes later), THEN start the 30 minute covered bake. Wow...that made ALL the difference in the world.



So pay attention to that missing step in the recipe. It really is critical.
Also I don't drink beer, but fortunately a house guest had left behind a 6-pack of white ale (??). Anyway, that's what I used.

 

[charley2]

That's good info!! I might have to start that saga again.
I have a bread baking cloche that I used for at least some of what I made.

 

[mariadnoca]

Huh. I’ve never heard of the cold Dutch oven technique, but I’ve never burned myself. I have everything ready to go when I take the preheated Dutch out, and I do take it fully out and sit it on my cooktop. I have a spray bottle sitting right there and the cold dough scored right there, the the Dutch comes out, the lid comes off, the dough on parchment drops in, one hand is putting on the lid while the other is spraying the lid with water while I put it back on. Then everything goes back in the oven. At first I was thinking be quick like a racing pit crew, but later realized it doesn’t make a difference really. I try to do it fairly quick, but I’ve done it in fairly normal speed too and never noticed a difference. My main thing I’m trying for is to keep the heat for that spray of water on the lid. That steam makes a difference in oven spring. If I hear a big sizzle, I’m happy.

The three soups and TWO kinds of bread sound yummy and ambitious!

ps
now that I’ve read the recipe, this is so different in how they have you handle the dough. It has you put it on greased(!) parchment and in the Dutch for the second rise. Now, using sourdough I’ve almost always done my second rise in the fridge, but earlier when itching to get it in the oven I’ve done a rm temp rise. My concern, is how wide the Dutch is and that it would cause the dough to spread, limiting the rise of the final bread. It might not make a difference with rm temp dough, so ymmv, because it’s going to spread some when turned out, but I’ve experimented with several shapes of bowls and bannetons, smaller and taller gives me a better loaf. Then again, I’m baking cold from fridge so holds shape better. i do my second rise in a oiled bowl (or floured banneton) and it gets turned over onto parchment (ungreased) then dropped into Dutch. All this is just fyi, me rambling because rm temp dough will be somewhat different. However, I now always use my aunts 1930s small jadeite batter bowl for last bread rise because I get more height in my bake from it. End ramble, lol.

 

[charley2]

I also always used a sort of batter bowl for the second rise to get the better shaped loaf.

 

[mariadnoca]

I have a replica, maybe 1990s jadeite batter bowl that’s prob 4 qt. (I think both are fire king, but I have a cat on my lap, so can’t get up to look.) I love that thing so much! My aunt’s version is about 1/2 that size and gets a great dome shape on the bread.