December 26, 2010 - 11:57am
Why no-knead bread?
I really don't understand the tremendous interest in no-knead bread, as if kneading was such a terrible process to go through. Using a food processor or stand mixer, total kneading time is from 1-5 minutes with the machine doing the work (food processor - 1 minute, mixer - 5 minutes). With no-knead you have to decide the night before whether you'll want bread for dinner the next day. I use my Cuisinart and can walk into the kitchen at 2:00 PM and take the bread out of the oven at 6:00 PM. Of that time there are two windows, 1 hour and 1 1/2 hours when I can do other things while the bread rises.
I find the results identical, use the same hydration. I do use more yeast, about 2 tsp.