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"Mother Earth News" apparently had a recipe for "Easy, No-Knead Crusty Bread" in a previous issue (you can get the recipe by doing a search on www.motherearthnews.com ) that I wanted to try, but you need a Dutch oven, something I've always wanted anyway. So, checked at Walmart, and found one for $59 (made in China, not sure the knob won't melt in the oven, too). Was told by the kitchen store guy on Kamehameha that the "only place in town" to find a Dutch oven was Macy's. So just happened to be in that neck of the woods yesterday and voila.... Martha Stewart brand 5.5 qt. Dutch ovens are on sale for $49!!!!! I know it sounds expensive, but folks often pay over $100 for a good Dutch oven (and the ones from Macy's are very, very heavy duty). So now, I'll try the bread (if not today...) and let you know how it turns out!
Otherwise, anyone baking their own bread at home? Favorite recipes? I don't have a bread machine, so am kneading by hand.
Can't wait for that aroma of just-baked bread to fill the house!
Katie
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Wherever you go, there you are.
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I have made that recipe with a slight variation (adding half a cup of beer at room temperature to the batter). It comes out very well, considering that no kneading is involved and it looks beautiful.
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I gave up on baking bread, I never really got a real crust down here by the ocean. Must be elevation.
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I have a great simple recipie for yeast bread and the crusts are coming out great.... you want crusty, oil the surface well and turn up the oven at the end and viola... crusty!
Here in N. Glenwood, at 2800 ft elevation, I lower the temperature by 25 degrees and increase cooking time by 20+ minutes. Inside is not doughy (which it was with the original recipie) and outside crisps up well.
Woo Hoo... love home baked bread.
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Glen, I'm assuming you replace that one-half cup water (the recipe calls for 1 1/2 c. warm water) with the beer? I started the bread recipe at 11:00 AM today, and when I checked the recipe again, it says to let the dough rise for 8+ hours, then mess around with it (but no actual kneading), and eventually let it rise another 1-2 hours....so it looks like it'll be a late night for me tonight!! LOL!!
Pam, how about sharing the recipe for bread that's working so well for you? I'm in Mountain View, so elevation is fairly close.....
I think I'll start a new thread called "What's for dinner?" and maybe we can do some recipe sharing... Always up for something new to try.....
Katie
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Katie,
There is a variation on this recipe that was published in Cook's Illustrated. I can't link to the recipe because it requires registration. I can tell you that I have tried both the recipe in Mother Earth and in Cook's illustrated, and I prefer the latter. Here it is:
3 Cups unbleached flour, plus a little for the work surface.
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp table salt
3/4 cup plus two tablespoons water (rm temp)
1/4 cup room plus two tablespoons beer (rm temp)
1 tsp white vinegar.
All ingredients go in at the same time, then you basically follow the recipe in Mother Earth.
I also add chopped rosemary at the beginning.
I also let the bread sit several hours longer than they say are necessary.
I've made it four times. Only flopped once. (Dead of winter, kitchen below 65 degrees).
If you register at Cook's Illustrated do a search for "no knead bread".
This bread should rise better in Hawai'i!
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We purchased a cast iron dutch oven a couple of years ago at the surplus store downtown.... I think it was only in the $20-$30 range....but the mind is toast on the price of things a couple of years ago....
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Most of our cast iron is from yard sales. Lodge even makes a huge cast iron wok. It comes pre-seasoned that way, too. If it is rough inside then it can be sanded smooth and re-seasoned. The new cast iron seems very roughly made.
Just put a couple loaves of egg bread in the oven. It's egg bread because the girls are laying again and we have a lot of eggs all of a sudden. No real recipe, just warm water with a couple spoonfuls of yeast, some white sugar (frequently I use molasses instead), three eggs, a bit of oil, a dash of cinnamon and flour. Basic white egg bread.
For a crusty crust some folks recommend putting a pan of water in the stove while baking the bread and spritzing the oven with water as well.
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Kurt Wilson
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Dutch ovens are also available at J. Hara store. The Surplus store down town has lots of great stuff besides dutch ovens. I bought a dutch oven cook book at cabela's in utah last summer. Great fun! Im glad to see that there is an interest here for dutch oven cooking.
Aloha,
Daniel R Diamond
Daniel R Diamond
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That Lodge wok is one of a handful of cast iron pieces I brought here (we had hundreds of pieces from my mom, but I never used mos, & couldn't see shipping all of it....but the wok is one piece I use a lot).
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