Used this recipe many times before and the results are amazing!!
I did make a few tweaks:
mix 1 tbsp yeast in lukewarm water with sugar (1 tsp) mixed in. Make sure you do this in an airtight environment - put plastic wrap on the glass or the container you use. In 10 minutes the you will see foaming and frothing inside - the yeast is now ready!
Mixed fried jalapenos, poppy seed and garlic in the flour! Yumm!
Mixed everything together and followed the steps as shown! Please see the results for yourself!
I tried posting earlier and am pretty sure it did not go through, so please excuse us this gets posted twice.
I had to post since this was my first real success in making great sourdough. A little over a week ago I ordered the live culture. It came in about 4 days and in only about two dayslater it was ready to use.
I had previously tried to make sourdough and after following the Breadtopia recipe directions and watching the tutorials, it was obvious why my prior attempts failed, even though I got the previous starter from a reputable dealer online.
The proportions to obtain a usable starter have been perfect, and it is clearly a defining part of sourdough. Following different instructions my starter was always way too runny.
Other recipes failed to mention the needed 10-12 hour (overnight) ‘pre-proofing’ to obtain a viable loaf.
Extra time is also necessary for the final proofing and the results have been outstanding!
I can’t thank you enough for all of the great, and correct information. Plus your sourdough culture is outstanding!
I have been using a Staub 4 Qt. Cocotte pan for making the No Knead Bread. I do not preheat the pan. I have skipped the 15 minute rise as noted, put the rounded dough on a piece of parchment and lower it into the cocotte. I cover with a dishtowel for around 1-1/2 hours and preheat the oven to 500 degrees about a half an hour before putting into the oven. I then douse the top with a little water, make some slits in the top, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Then I place the cold covered cocotte into the oven. I let it go for 30 minutes, take the cover off and reduce the heat to 450 degrees for another 15 minutes. This has never failed to turn out great bread. There is no need to preheat the pan!
First try instructions followed near to the letter used 5 oz. of steel cut oats I turned into a rough flour in my spice grinder, and 11 oz. of King Arthur bread flour, 1/3 cup of starter and scant 1 1/2 cups tap water. Little dark on the bottom. Next time I’ll remember to take the lid off at the half hour mark I did turn the oven down to 450 but forgot to remove the lid, which gave me a little burned bottom. Texture is as good as the big boys uptown and the flavor is outstanding.
Love all the recipes, tutorials, and the website! I am a relatively new No-Knead bread baker and wonder if it’s OK to double the recipe? (I am referring to the original no-knead recipe.) Thanks in advance for any help!
@Irishweaver, honestly I only bake one loaf at a time for a couple of reasons. 1) I only have one covered clay baker. My oven is a smaller one and two simply wouldn’t fit. 2) It’s just me and my husband. We’re empty-nesters. As it is, when I bake bread we indulge “the day of baking” and then I slice and freeze the remaining loaf for us to enjoy as we care to without worrying about it turning stale or spoiling. Frankly, I don’t see how doubling the recipe wouldn’t work. I would imagine all you’d have to do is divide the dough in half before doing the stretch and fold phase. Then you’d have 2 loaves to be able to proof and bake. But since I’ve never attempted it, I’m hoping someone who has will chime in on this thread and answer your question.
Thanks very much for your reply, Leah! I should have been more specific because I was really talking more about doubling the recipe to make a bigger loaf vs. two loaves. I have a lot of breakfast (toast) eaters here and wondered if making a larger loaf would work. We really love the flavor of this bread. Thank you for taking the time to reply!!
I have determined that if I make two separate doughs approximately 40 minutes apart, it allows me to make two loaves in one baking session. As you’re pulling the first loaf out of the oven, you’re able to reheat the oven back up to 500 degrees (10 minutes or so), and throw in the second dough and bake it off. Some of my other hacks are using a bowl with very steep sides to do my second rising, it really helps,tgst wet dough hold it shape better. Additionally, I line it with a generous amount of parchment, which I use to lift the dough into my cloche.
I have tried making NK bread several times, without getting an edible loaf.I end up with a loaf with an off color and damp crumb,or one as hard as a rock The loaf does not get any larger during the proofing time. There is no indentation when when pushed with my finger, it feels dense and firm. I have changed Lid on-Lid off baking times. What else can I try?
I made my first loaf of NK bread. Will admit was very skeptical at first as the dough is very wet. Used King Arthur bread flour, Fleischman’s yeast, kosher salt and water from water cooler (non-tap). Proofed overnight 12HRS in the garage. Used a regular ceramic mixing bowel for the final rise. Baked in a Le Creuset iron Dutch oven. The crust is crispy and crunchy while the inside is light and fluffy.
What type of salt does the recipe call for? 1 and 1/2 teaspoon table salt? Or kosher salt? And if kosher, Diamond Crystal or Morton? This would all yield different sodium content. Does it matter?
@ajgemrich, I have always just used table salt. FYI, if you are concerned about the amount of sodium in your bread but still desire the flavor boost that the bread definitely requires, you can cut back the amount of salt added to your recipe with NO negative effects on the flavor. My husband requires a low sodium diet. I have very successfully reduced the amount of salt called for in the recipe from 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt to only 1/2 teaspoon of salt with NO noticeable reduction of flavor! If reduced sodium is what you’re looking for, perhaps this solution will help you too.
I have a really simple question. I am an experienced cook, but beginning bread baker. None of the recipes or videos I have seen make any mention of what kind of salt is used. I normally cook with Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, but if the measurement in the recipes is for table salt, my bread will come out bland. What is the standard in your recipes on this site?
For a lot of the recent recipes that I’ve developed, it’s Diamond Crystal or Morton Coarse salt. Because scales can struggle with low weight ingredients, I measure salt (or instant yeast) by volume.
Thank you! I read somewhere that you should have the percentage of salt be 2% of the flour, but I agree that 10 grams can be hard on a regular kitchen scale.
When it comes to things like salt and yeast one can get a special scale that will be very accurate for these smaller ingredients. However if you have a regular scale then don’t tare out the weight before weighing the salt (I rarely use yeast so just wish to comment on the salt for now). If you tare out the weight then often adding the salt doesn’t “register” straight away and when it does you’ve added too much. However if you just add salt on top of what ever has been weighed without resetting it back to “0” it will weigh 10g of salt easily.
I have been tinkering with this recipe since Bittman first published it in the Times (and was one of the many who sacrificed their ceramic Le Creuset lid handles to the experiment.) I do have one issue that is consistent with any “wet dough” recipe - flipping the dough into a 500F cloche or Dutch Oven without burning yourself or centering the boule in the pot can be difficult, at best. I finally gave up and now just use a piece of parchment paper as a “transfer plate” to place the dough in the cloche. Easy.
