I am not a bread baker–I reserve my weights and measures for the sweet stuff. But last Saturday, The One and I spent the day with one of LC’s testers, Cindi Kruth. She made the New York Times‘ famous No-Knead Bread using her 23-year-old sourdough starter named Lex. (Why it’s called Lex, don’t ask me.) She was kind enough to give me some of the starter, which we re-named “Lexi, the Spawn.” Here’s my first attempt making the bread using no commercial yeast, just Lexi.
I was wondering what your experiences were with the No-Knead recipe? I feel it needs much more salt (about 2 tablespoons in total), but I was pleased with the rise and shape of Spawn Bread, and its crust was fantastic. I hope as Lexi gets older, it’ll develop more of a sourdough taste–still too adolescent for my taste.
I’ve also combined the no-knead recipe with the delayed fermatation technique described in Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice recipe for the pain a’la ancienne baguette. E.g., mix the dough with ice cold water to the shaggy ball stage, then immediately put it into the ‘fridge. Flip & fold it a few times over the next 12-18 hours. Take it out of the ‘fridge and let it proof for 8-12 hours and then bake.
The delayed fermatation in the ‘fridge gives the flour (carbs) time to break down into simpler sugars for the yeast to feed on when the dough warms up.
I find that the residual sugars make for a sweeter, nuttier tasting bread as well as better caramelization of the crust.
The problem with the no-knead technique is the short fermentation period, the main premise being convenience and minimal effort. Getting the complexity of a sourdough takes time. If you really want a sourdough, a no-knead loaf will never satisfy.
You can boost the complexity/taste of no-knead loaves easily. In addition to (or in place of) the ‘fridge trick, try adding chopped kalamata olives, roasted red pepper and onion (1/4 cup of each). The olives make up nicely for the missing salt. A little bit of balsamic helps.
And experiment with different flours: I use Gold Medal’s Harvest King and mix and match with semolina, rye and regular all-purpose. My standard for no-knead loaves is 1/2 Harvest King and 1/2 semolina. 1/2 HK, 1/4 semolina and 1/4 rye is nice, too.
Hi David ~ One of the grocery stores where I used to live has this great roasted garlic/asiago/black peppercorn bread I’ve tried to duplicate. I don’t have the garlic down yet, as I seem to remember reading somewhere that garlic retards the yeast or something, so I’ve been afraid to add too much. There’s also a garlic/cheddar bread from another bakery that I am also afraid to add too much garlic to. I guess I should just DO it, it’s just flour and water, after all.
Other than that, I’ve added parsley and pepper and rosemary and chives and all sorts (not all at the same time) of stuff when my garden was not frozen, and gray salt and Himalayan pink salt and sea salt, and Spike seasoning, and crushed red pepper too. I’ve just remembered I’ve got some of that bacon salt too, maybe I’ll throw some of that in the next batch!
~ Peggasus
Peggasus, thanks for the info on the add-ins. I was think cheese myself. Love the garlic-Asiago-black peppercorn idea.
Well, I’m one lucky girl because I have celiac disease and can’t eat gluten, so there’s no need to knead my bread to begin with. Are you jealous?
I’ve yet to try a spawn-of-Lexi type starter, but I will share with you why those of us who dabble in the parallel universe of alternative flours don’t bother kneading. Gluten is the storage protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It’s what gives kneaded dough it’s elasticity, texture, and acts as the leavening agent.
Yes, I know, all good qualities.
But, if gluten is what gives kneaded dough those qualities and you can’t include gluten in the mix, then you get to go directly to bake and skip the kneading process altogether. Ha-ha-ha. We get to do this every time we bake bread. So there.
Having said all that, I refuse to agree to a taste test with any of you. Even you, David (no offense, but you did say you’re not a bread baker).
Cheers,
Melissa
So YOU’RE the original no-knead baker. You’re like Baker Zero. Well, if I can’t seduce you into tasting my bread, perhaps you can convince me to try a gluten-free morsel. But I’m warning you now, I’d rather fight than switch.
I should have said baking contest, rather than taste test.
But yes, I was there first, doing the no-knead thing. However, the NYTs never contacted me about my bread. You New Yorker’s get all the attention.
Melissa