Breadmaking advice needed - next step

[cbayer]

I have now gotten the hang of making the NYT no knead bread and we are just loving it.

What I would like is some ideas for a next step. Variations? Things that could be added?

How might one add other ingredients, like rosemary or olives?

I am just looking to mix it up a bit.

Once again, I wish to thank all of you who helped me through the process of getting the hang of this. I am forever grateful!

:hi:

[Warpy]

1. As you know, the NYT bread is both wet and fragile

Adding things the night before is problematic, although you could get away with hydrated dry fruit and maybe nuts. The next day, you could conceivably work something into the dough as you shape it, but you might end up shaping all the air out of it and end up with a dense loaf of bread with a lot of "fillings" clustered right in the middle of it.

What you could do is a focaccia style and put whatever you want to flavor the bread on the top of the loaf. You could conceivably pat this bread out to a flatter shape and cook it on a cookie sheet that way, although the crust wouldn't be nearly as wonderful as when you cook it in a closed pot. Those of us with the large Dutch ovens have an easier time of turning it into focaccia bread since it tends to flatten out to the larger diameter of the pot.

You could also pat it flat and sprinkle your fillings onto it, roll it up jelly roll style, and continue to shape it from there, but you'd probably again end up with overworked dough and a very dense loaf.

You'll never know until you try, of course, but it's my feeling that this bread does better with toppings than with innards.

[cbayer]

9. Great advice. I am going to try and sprinkled some Rosemary on top of my loaf today

and see what happens.

:hi:

[madmax]

2. The NYT bread

Does it have a nice crunchy crust? Also, is it the one that is baked in a metal loaf shaped pan?

[hippywife]

3. Here is the recipe, madmax.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

It's a no-knead recipe baked in a Dutch oven. :hi:

[madmax]

4. Thanks!

I'd kill for an easy recipe for crusty bread. I can't knead dough with my hands. Could buy some sort of appliance but, I really don't want another gizmo if I can help it. Thanks :hi:

[hippywife]

5. You can also try

the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It's also a no-knead. If you search around this forum, you'll find all kinds of posts about Ain5.

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMxJgIpe38Q

Master Recipe:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/print-article.aspx?id=142688

Errors in that article, which were also in the book:

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1134

Makes a really nice crusty loaf of bread. I do a mix of bread flour, white whole wheat and semolina flours that make a tasty loaf and a really great pizza crust once it's fermented in the fridge for about a week.

Enjoy! :hi:

[madmax]

6. ROFL

Just noticed your chicken avitar ;) :hi:

Pizza crust! Pizza here sux, too. My Granddaughter is coming down for a visit - she can make pizza.

[Warpy]

7. I live alone and have arthritic hands and wrists

I bought my Kitchen Aid mixer so I could still do bread.

The NYT bread is ideal for a gimp living alone since it produces the best crust I've ever had on bread while thriving on neglect rather than long kneading time.

I don't do the Ain5 because I live alone. It's more for people who need a lot of bread to feed friends and family.

If you were to buy another gizmo, I'd strongly suggest the Kitchen Aid mixer. There is nothing like having hands free when you're throwing together anything baked plus whipped egg whites, chocolate mousse, whipped cream...you get the picture.

[cbayer]

8. It has the most spectacular crust and I highly recommend this recipe

:hi:

[DrDan]

10. well - I make pizza at least weekly using the NYT olive oil dough

mmm mmmm

tomatoes, banana peppers, and sauteed mushrooms . . . with appropriate cheese of course

I have made the olive variation - really quite good.

[cbayer]

11. Do you have a link for the olive oil dough recipe?

:hi:

[DrDan]

12. I have the book - but will try to summarize it for you in a bit

[DrDan]

13. here ya go

2 3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar (I use a tad more - but I like my dough a bit sweeter)
1/4 cup EVOO
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Mix yeast, salt, sugar and EVOO with water in 5 qt bowl
2. mix in flour without kneading
3. cover and allow to rest until dough rises and collapses - about 2 hours

I take 1/4 of the dough and prepare the pizza crust - I make 2 crusts (each 1/4 of the dough) - save one pizza for lunch the next day.

Let it rest and rise on a peel (with a bit of cornmeal) for an hour or so

Then prepare it and cook on a stone until browned the way you like it.

The next day - warm the leftover pizza on the stone - will come out nice and crisp.

[cbayer]

14. Wonderful. Thanks, I will give it a try.

:hi:

[DrDan]

15. oops - forgot to mention

I do the pizza at 450 and watch it - I take it out when the crust looks nice and brown and crisp. I really have no idea how long that is.

[pscot]

16. Hell, it's only flour and water

Try whatever seems interesting. If it doesn't work out, take it to the park and feed it to the ducks.

[cbayer]

17. Good advice. I was going to add some herbs yesterday, but chickened out, but

I am going to go all "sperimental next go round.

:hi: