NO KNEAD BREAD- not my going on "bread baking challenge"

 NO KNEAD BREAD- not my going on "bread baking challenge"

When  I find in Internet the video about this "no knead bread" I was very surprised, and if this was not a baker, who is telling us the story of how he is making "no knead bread" I WOULD NEVER believe IT!!,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

Everything I knew about baking bread  (I am baking for about 10 years, home baking, infrequent) is not followed in this method

You mix all the ingredients, just a little, just enough to incorporate the flour with water, to make a dough.... no kneading in a bread machine, no mixing for 10-16 minutes as I used to do before I start a new bread. Just mix water, flour, and salt with a very, very low amount of dry yeast.  The amount of yeast you use for this recipe is 1/4 of a tsp, compare to the 2 tsp I am using for any recipe of 3 cups of flour, in the bread machine.

This is why I was so amazed..... what kind of bread is this? Is it well-raised? Is going to be well-cooked, or baked?

The key for this recipe is to leave this dough, covered, at room temperature for about 18 hours.... That means, just before you go to bed, at 11 pm you mix all the ingredients in a tall bowl and leave it to raise, until about 3-4 pm the next day when you come home from work.

This is the basic recipe  adapted from Jim Lahey,

"Sullivan Street" Bakery:

 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Add 1 and 5/8 cups of water


Later  found another recipe, that I like much better (the method is the same)
 http://breadtopia.com/cooks-illustrated-almost-no-knead/


White Flour Recipe:
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose or bread flour=425gm
1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast=2gm
1 1/2 tsp. salt=25gm
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (7 ounces) water at room temp= 210ml
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (3 ounces) mild-flavored lager=90ml
1 Tbs. white vinegar=15ml



Wheat /rye Recipe:
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose or bread flour
1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour/or rye flour
1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 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 beer
1 Tbs. white vinegar

 And we are going to wait 18 hours.... a long time!
This reminds me that my grandmother used to tell stories before going to bed, she always find a herd of sheep, traveling a long bridge, so we had to wait the next day for the cheeps passed the other side of the long bridge.

After 18 hours the dough is very wet and sticky, you just pour from the vase, on a flour bed, touching as little as you can.

The original recipe from the "Sullivan Street Bakery (Jim Lahey)  is to put the dough directly in a very hot casserole and bake. I find out that for home cooking is more rewarding to put the dough on parchment paper and live to raise, it at room temp for about 2 hours more.

We are going to prepare the oven, for bake.
We set up the temperature to 485F and we put the casserole and the cap in the oven, for 30 minutes.

The recipe is asking for french Creuset casserole, covered, but from my experience and what I read on the Internet from other, any ceramic, glass-covered casserole is good, as long as is designed to be resistant to such high temp.

When the oven is 485F and the casserole is very well heated we can take the parchment paper from the corners and slide it in the casserole, back in the oven, COVERED, for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes are covered, take the lid out and live the bread for 10 more minutes at 485F for 10 more minutes to be nice and brown.

This is a very crunchy, chewer and very tasty bread. Everybody who had this bread in my house, they all need the recipe, they all love it!!!!

It is a very easy recipe, but if you read all of this may be confusing. Once you bake it the first time, it is clear that is very easy and you almost lose no time to make it... From time to time, you have to make another step.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

There is a video that may be is going to look easier to follow....but all my discussion on this site is from my experience, baking this bread, many times. after I follow the video.