I haven't been making our own bread very often lately but now that it is so cold out I feel quite good about having the oven going - the fire is just not keeping it quite warm enough. I've been meaning to try out Mother Earth News' No Knead Dutch Oven Bread recipe for ages - all the more reason to use my cast iron pot that my folks gave me last Christmas. I also had Kneadlessly Simple from the library so, being uncharacteristically organized for me, I decided to test both recipes and then choose our favourite to add to our collection.
They are very similar recipes and so easy to make but from the start I felt that the Mother Earth News one was rising better and looked less sticky so I felt as though it would be the keeper recipe. I baked it first (the baking temps and times were slightly different and I wanted to be sure to follow the recipe exactly the first time - Yes...Me!! I followed a recipe precisely. I know - bizarre but true.) 
We couldn't wait the suggested hour (?!?!) before slicing it...we couldn't wait five minutes! so we tried it right away. Delicious.
A little later when I took the lid off the fresh baked Kneadlessly Simple Peasant Style loaf it looked simply beautiful too. Just the right combination of crusty outside and chewy inside.
And, also delicious. So...it looks like we will have two recipes to add to our keeper pile. Ah well, you can never go wrong with a good bread recipe and since we like to eat a lot of soup at this time of year it's always nice to have fresh bread on hand.
Looks very good! I haven't tried very many no-knead breads, so this will spur me on to try again!
ReplyDeleteI make this up once a week in a large batch, store in fridge and just pull out a glump of it to bake each day. No kneeding, no fuss. I have found that you really need to let it sit and cool Completely. Makes for the best of bread and once totally cooled it doesn't require wrapping in bags or bread cloths, it will keep just fine for 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying different bread methods lately and the Mother Earth News recipe is the most delicious and foolproof, by far. I haven't tried 100% whole wheat yet but half ww works great.
ReplyDeleteI'll try the Kneadlessly Simply Peasant next time, thanks for sharing!
Hi MamaTea, I do hope you try it. Don't let the sort of longish baking instructions turn you off, it is really very simple.
ReplyDeleteGarnet, I love that idea. I'm all for being efficient so I will give that a try. I guess I could just start with a triple recipe?
Jain, thanks for the half WW tip, good to know. I was wanting to add some WW or rye for my next loaf so now I know it will be great.
Hi, Since I'm the author of Kneadlessly Simple, I'm delighted to hear that you are enjoying my bread. I know that the instructions may seem a bit long, but it just gives enough detail that those who have never baked yeast bread can succeed. Also, as you probably noticed, the recipe gives you different time options and the flexiblity to fit the risings and baking into your schedule--which also make directions look a little long. I hope you also noticed that my method makes cleanup especially easy.
ReplyDeleteOk, I too have never tried a no-knead but these look amazing and I have bookmarked this page so that I don't forget!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your review!!
Forgot to mention that you can pull out any size of dough from your frig stash, don't kneed just smooth and round with a touch of flour. It needs to sit for 40mins before going into an oven. Overbake not underbake.
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy, thanks for commenting. I've tried several of your recipes now and have enjoyed every one of them. Thank you. And yes, I definitely noticed the easy cleanup with your method - very nice to have just one bowl to clean and no dish towels to shake out and wash.
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