The Fresh Loaf

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Variation on No Knead Bread

DCbread's picture
DCbread

Variation on No Knead Bread

Ever since I started making no knead bread, I haven't touched my bread machine and each time I make no knead bread, I try something new. I take the NY Times recipe and double it to 6 cups of flour and my family goes through it in 4-5 days. Here's the variation I've tried twice and everyone loves it. I love experimenting and here's the latest variation. WATER Instead of using 3 cups of regular water, I boil 4-5 small to medium potatoes for 30-45 minutes with lots of filtered water and use a potato masher to make it into a potato slurry, removing the potato skins. If I end up with more than 3 cups of water, I just keep boiling it down and then let it cool. This is more than just "potato water," as all of the potatoes (minus the skins) make it into the dough. Garlic We have vampires in our neighborhood so we use lots of garlic. I take 10-12 garlic cloves and chop it up and saute in olive oil for 5 minutes or so - just until the pieces are soft. This is a ridiculous amount of garlic and the vampires stay away. Flour I use 4 cups of semolina flour and 2 cups of bread flour. The semolina gives it a really delicious, crunchy texture. Time Instead of baking after 18 hours, I'll bake around 24 hours and have even baked after 30+ hours and it's still delicious. I sense that the bread is still delicious and I do it just to see what happens. Yeast & Sugar This is the craziest. I'll mix a half cup or so of cornmeal and half a cup of bread flour, warm water, sugar and a tablespoon of yeast in a bowl until it bubbles for around 10 minutes. Around 2 hours before baking and at the point where we push down the loaf for the final rise, I'll thoroughly mix the cornmeal/flour yeast mixture into the dough and let it rise for 2 hours or so. This leads to a much fluffier, higher-rising loaf but with all the interesting flavors and texture that the no knead bread is known for. I do something new each time and that's what's fun about baking bread, or making beer.

MonkeyDaddy's picture
MonkeyDaddy

So you add the yeast at the end??

Unless I missed it, the first part is a soaker with your flours, garlic, and potatoes - I didn't see any yeast up to that point.

I bet this stuff tastes awesome.  Nice and soft from the potatoes, and aromatic with oil-roasted garlic - yummy!  I might even add a spoonful or two of fresh oregano or rosemary.

Can you post the actual recipe, please?

     --Mike

DCbread's picture
DCbread

I double the NY Times recipe so I use a measly 1/2 teaspoon of yeast at the beginner with the flours, salt garlic, and liquified potatoes/water.

I do everything in the recipe below but double everything, add a gigantic amount of garlic and the potato water...and adding the teaspoon of yeast some flour and water two hours before baking...letting it rise.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

doube post

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

no more than 30 ingredient challenge bread!  I will also advise you to stay out if the auto parts store when looking for bread ingredients.:-)  I once tried to calculate how many different breads there are out thee to make and I had to quit at a billion or so.....but there are more!

Happy baking 

DCbread's picture
DCbread

You're right and I think I'll add parmesan cheese next time.  Experimenting is what's fun about baking.