Here is a book that is so popular, I put it on hold at my library almost 2 months ago and I am currently number 18 in the queue. What the heck.But all is not lost. Many of the recipes are online (lots on their blog), and I've only made two of them anyway (basic boule and honey whole-wheat). I've tried artisan loaves and pan loaves and want to move on to the naan (made in a cast-iron skillet on the stovetop) and pizza dough soon.
I don't have a stand mixer and I have little patience/time/skill for kneading by hand, but I made a goal to start baking my own bread this year. This method has been my answer--maybe a temporary answer, but it works. You can mix this dough with a spoon...or with your hands...and you don't have to knead it at all. And it is yummy. I recommend it to one and all. Especially to people who are scared of baking bread. If you are anti-shortcut, well, then maybe this isn't the method for you. But I like it. For the basic recipe (flour, water, yeast, and salt), you can make two batches at once, keep it in a large Tupperware in the fridge, and use it to make 8 loaves of bread over the next 2 weeks.
A few caveats: If you want a sourdough taste at all, you need to mix the dough at least a day before baking it. If your kitchen is air-conditioned, it needs a few hours to rise. And the one thing I still have trouble with is getting the dough from the pizza peel to the stone without either flipping the whole thing over or shaking it into a scary, bulbous shape, and also without getting cornmeal all over the oven floor. But it generally tastes good anyway and so far my oven still works. Virtually foolproof!
9 comments:
I think I need to try this!
eliza, I really liked it even though you said it didn't turn out well. We are looking forward to having an oven and getting back to baking.
Intriguing-I'll have to give it a whirl.
I think I could prove it not foolproof just by the fact I can't get anything with yeast in it to work. But I think I'm going to try it anyway.
http://twitter.com/NeilDiamond
Will this make you tweet again?
Haha. All I want to know is, Who has time for Twitter?! I mean in addition to blogging and Facebook, how do you do all those things?
Susie, trust me. I am really no good at bread. But the simplicity of the method is what makes this foolproof, as long as you follow the directions. You need a pizza stone, a tray for holding water on another shelf in the oven (I use a deep cookie sheet), and a pizza peel is optional but helpful. Other than that, the bread honestly practically makes itself.
I know others who swear by this book and I've been meaning to pick it up myself. Thanks for the reminder!
I got this book from the library and my first whole wheat loaf is currently resting in the pan...but I'm skeptical. I ended up kneading it some because it just wasn't staying together when I tried their fold-over, ball-forming thing. Now it looks more like bread dough, but I'm afraid I did something wrong...we'll see in a few hours I guess.
You definitely do not want to knead it because then it won't rise much. It should be very wet. If it won't stay together, then add more water.
Also, if it doesn't rise enough, add gluten.
Also, maybe you read this (there's tons of info online about all this...maybe only obsessed people like me read it :) but if you are using yeast packets, the measurement is wrong. It's 1 1/2 T yeast or 2 packets (not 1 1/2 packets).
Good luck!
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