Almost No Knead Bread

Crusty Bread.... I love crusty bread! And to be able to make it at home...who would have thought!

I was introduced originally to the NY Times "No Knead Bread" by my sister. She had tried it at home and had awesome results and was thrilled to share it with me. Well, Cooks Illustrated came up with their own "Almost No Knead Bread Recipe" that I had to try! It is a bit more easier than the New York Times and yet different...The crust still has a nice crunch, it is easier to chew,has a softer and finer crumb texture which I like. Both are great ....the NY Times version is just a bit more rustic than the Cook's Illustrated method.Well, today I had to start on it as I was curious to see the final product. Boy, was I ever pleased!!! I really, really like it! I hope you will try it as well.There is a really neat video you can see at breadtopia that shows you how to accomplish this wonderful bread step by step. Just click on their link and enjoy! http://www.breadtopia.com/cooks-illustrated-almost-no-knead/

I really like the fact that you can add all sorts of ingredients to vary the breads. I did 2 breads at one time. One I left simple the other one I experimented a bit with... I added sesame seeds, dried onion flakes,poppy seeds and Parmesan cheese (things I had around the house).

This recipe makes you look like a professional bread baker!! I hope you will try it as well...you will be pleased with the final product. I listed a White flour recipe as well as the Whole Wheat recipe in case you prefer to try both. I did both of my breads using the White Flour recipe.

White Flour Recipe:
3 cups (15 ounces) all purpose or bread flour

1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (7 ounces) water at room temp

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (3 ounces) mild flavored lager (or any beer)

1 Tbs. white vinegar

Whole Wheat Recipe:
2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose or bread flour

1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 tsp. salt2 Tbs. honey (I used 2 Tbs. raw sugar)

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (7 ounces) water at room temp

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (3 ounces) mild flavored lager(or any beer)

1 Tbs. white vinegar

Note: The beer can be non-alcoholic.

In a large bowl add flour , yeast, and salt. Mix well.

Add water:

And then add the beer and vinegar.

Mix well to incorporate all the dry ingredients with the wet.

Form into a ball and cover with a plastic wrap.

Let rise for 8-18 hrs in a 70 deg warm place. (I placed mine in the oven).

Flour your working place(countertop) and place the risen dough bread onto it. It is at this point you may want to add seeds, cheese etc. as you knead the dough 10-15 times being careful not to deflate all the bubbles in the dough. It is a soft dough...don't put all your strength into it.

Form into a ball and place on a lightly greased parchment paper lightly grease the top. Add any toppings (or omit if doing plain) and cover with plastic. Let rise for 2 hours. Score with a sharp blade 1/2 inch deep and sprinkle with some flour.

After 1 hour and a half hour has passed preheat the oven to 500 for 35 minutes with the Corning ware in it.

Place bread with parchment in hot corning ware. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Cool and Enjoy a slice or two!

Basic Baking Instructions: For both these recipes, preheat your oven with Dutch oven Corningware (which I used) inside to 500 degrees. Reduce temperature to 425 when the bread dough goes in and bake covered for 30 minutes. Then remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the internal bread temperature reaches about 200 degrees. ( I baked mine for 10 more minutes as I prefer a lighter crust).