Easy No Knead Bread Recipe

SQu

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Newly inspired by this quote from the wonderful interview transcripts I've got a great bread recipe to share :
"Separately from those ancient processes, the Europeans for generations processed their flour for generations to let yeast grow to soften it. The process of softening it and letting yeast grow takes about 12 hours, at a moderate room-temperature, and in that process, enzymes break down the storage proteins that are so allergenic, and release the minerals from the storage forms like phytic acid, and the traditional leavened bread was much richer in B vitamins, proteins and if you eat your grains without any of those old processes, you are going to have the lack of those positive nutrients, as well as the excess of phosphate."

This recipe is why I bake bread almost daily.correction, it's why I bake bread at all. It's no effort. It's delicious. It's simple. The only thing you need is a teeny tiny bit of planning. It came from a blog and before that I think the N.Y. Times site.
3 cups white flour
1/4 tsp yeast
1 &1/4 tsp salt
Mix with your hands
Then add 1.5 cups water
Mix with your hands. Should be ' shaggy' ( great word!)
 
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SQu

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Continued...
Cover bowl with clingwrap and leave for between 12 and 20 hours. When ready it has bubbles and looks like porridge.
Take dough out with floured hands and fold over once or twice then leave on floured board for 15 mins.
With floured hands quickly and neatly shape into a ball , flour it and leave to rise for 2 hours under a cloth.
20 mins before time is up put cast iron pot with lid into oven and heat oven to 230 c
Remove pot ( careful, it is extremely hot) and drop dough into it
Put on lid, return to oven for 35+ minutes.
Remove carefully, upend to dislodge bread, leave everything to cool.
 
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SQu

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Few little things to remember -
Cast iron pot should have cast iron handles too - everything cast iron
Amount of water in recipe may need adjusting depending on humidity. I use about 2 cups - dry climate
Amount of time varies by season and climate. You might need to put in the fridge if it's hot. in summer it could be an overnight process, in winter a 24 hour process. It's possible that in very cold weather it might need to be kept somewhere warmer, I dont know.
The teeny bit of planning is timing- adding the 12-20 hours plus the 2 hours plus the 35 minutes so you're not baking at midnight!
Oven temperatures vary. Mine's gas - very hot - hence 35 mins but I think original recipe said something like45
It's worth personalizing this to your conditions because once done it never flops.
Enjoy!
 

dd99

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Thanks, sueq! I don't eat bread, but my wife does and I'm sure she'll find your recipe interesting.

Which transcript was the quote from?
 

lindsay

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I can't eat anything made with yeast - it gives me massive digestive upset. Even when I made my own bread with yeast and let it ferment for a longer timeframe. However, homemade sourdough IS much easier to digest and the process of souring the dough causes most of the gluten to be destroyed (and without using yeast). I made my sourdough with the following processes (PDF should be attached - I made the instructions for a friend, in case it sounds weird. They were adapted from my method for making the starter and Phedre's baking method, from Peatarian). I didn't make bread for a few weeks and forgot to feed my starter and it died, sadly. So I'm currently making a new one. My mom said it was the best bread she's ever had, but it does come out dense. I think if I get a dutch oven it will work better. I only eat breads sparingly, for digestive reasons, but I seemed to digest my own sourdough without trouble.
 

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SQu

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It's the one radio network 4 December 2013 one.
Re yeast vs sourdough, I've been undecided because if I remember, lactic acid is involved with the sourdough method and I clearly have too much inflammation, aching, hyperventilation etc. But digestion clearly trumps this issue.
 

tara

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I've baked from this recipe 3 times since you posted it. As you say, it avoids the soy and vege oils and whatever other additives in commercial bread, and has the longer leavening time to hopefully make it more digestible. One of my boys eats sandwiches for school lunches, and he's preferred this to the bought stuff so far. The other one has wanted it for breakfast toast a few times. And I've enjoyed a few slices myself.

I used a lidded glass oven dish, preheating as you said, since I don't have a lidded cast iron one. Just over 1 1/2 cups water to 3 cups flour. I had some very old (past date) dry granulated yeast, so the first time I used 1 tsp to increase the odds of it rising. Subsequent batches 1/4 tsp worked fine. Last batch the weather was a bit coler, and it took slightly longer to rise, but still all done and cooked within just over 24 hrs.

I used to bake bread often many years ago, back when I was keen on more wholegrain etc. This is the quickest, easiest version I've ever made. Thanks sueq.
 
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SQu

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Thanks for the feedback and I'm delighted it's working for you! I thought I was no good at baking bread till I tried this recipe.
 

Giraffe

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lindsay said:
I can't eat anything made with yeast - it gives me massive digestive upset.
Sourdough does contain yeasts. They come with the flour. Some people can eat homemade sourdough bread, while they have problems with most commercial yeasts. Diverent species of commercial yeasts are cultured for specific purposes. The species for sourdough seam less problematic.
 

PeatThemAll

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Newly inspired by this quote from the wonderful interview transcripts I've got a great bread recipe to share :
"Separately from those ancient processes, the Europeans for generations processed their flour for generations to let yeast grow to soften it. The process of softening it and letting yeast grow takes about 12 hours, at a moderate room-temperature, and in that process, enzymes break down the storage proteins that are so allergenic, and release the minerals from the storage forms like phytic acid, and the traditional leavened bread was much richer in B vitamins, proteins and if you eat your grains without any of those old processes, you are going to have the lack of those positive nutrients, as well as the excess of phosphate."

This recipe is why I bake bread almost daily.correction, it's why I bake bread at all. It's no effort. It's delicious. It's simple. The only thing you need is a teeny tiny bit of planning. It came from a blog and before that I think the N.Y. Times site.
3 cups white flour
1/4 tsp yeast
1 &1/4 tsp salt
Mix with your hands
Then add 1.5 cups water
Mix with your hands. Should be ' shaggy' ( great word!)

In all likelihood this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html?_r=0
 

dd99

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Sueq, I never thanked you for this recipe. Thank you! I make it at least once a week (keeps for ages - but it is usually quickly devoured by my wife and son. My mother in law - a good German bread-eater and expert baker - asked which bakery it came from. Can't get better praise than that!

I've started making it with sprouted wheat flour, because Ray mentioned that sprouted grains aren't as bad for you and it works perfectly.
 

dd99

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Here's the quote:
Caller: Regarding treating corn with lime to make it more digestible - are sprouted grain tortillas also considered good for the digestion?

RP: The starch is largely consumed and used. The storage proteins in the seed happen to have lots of ammonia or amino groups which are used to make actual functioning proteins with the energy from the starch. So when you sprout a grain you get rid of the toxic proteins that could release too much arginine and produce nitric oxide and histamine, and you get rid of most of the starches. So, sprouts are basically good nutrition, like leaves.

Caller: Oh! So it doesn't matter whether it is sprouted wheat or barley or whatever...in general it's a good thing?

RP: All seeds as far as I know have some toxic effects. Many of them are built in by the plant to protect their offspring. Once the sprouting has begun, the seed detoxifies those intrinsic chemicals, especially if it's very well cooked, and then it becomes nutritious
 
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SQu

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Thanks, that's the one! I am grateful to Jim Haley. And great, great RP quote. I'm also looking into using better quality flour seeing as if you're going to make the most of what's in your flour, it may as well have a lot to start with! But if you just use basic commercial flour, I worked out it's a bit cheaper than your basic unfancy loaf of supermarket bread. In ingredients at least. Stone ground costs more. I haven't seen sprouted flour for sale. I've emailed the stone ground flour people for more info on vitamins and minerals, waiting to hear. A friend has pushed this recipe in all directions in terms of how long to ferment, (days sometimes!) rise, bake, and she hasn't had a flop yet. Neither have I. Very forgiving. I'm making it about 3x a week. The other interesting thing is it digests well for me, no blood sugar and mood mayhem like I get from other starches.
 

tara

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I've been leavening mine for 24 hrs+ lately.
Spoiled me and one of my boys for commercial bread. :)

I've recently experimented with adding oyster shell to this for some calcium to help balance the phosphorus. I don't know if there are any down sides - if anyone does, please let me know? I can't tell that it affects the taste or texture. About 1 tsp oyster-shell to 4 cups of flour.

I also tried adding Mg carbonate a couple of times. It tasted quite different (didn't like it as much) and looked slightly yellow, so I'll not continue that.
 

mt_dreams

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is there any benefit to purchasing sprouted white flour? or is this just a way to inflate the cost for people reading about the nutritious value in sprouted whole flour? I stopped eating sprouted whole flour due to the pufa, but am looking to start baking again with some white flour, so any help before buying the more expensive flour would be appreciated.
 
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SQu

SQu

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My mother in law - a good German bread-eater and expert baker - asked which bakery it came from. Can't get better praise than that!
No you can't!

Spoiled me and one of my boys for commercial bread. :)
My family too

I've recently experimented with adding oyster shell to this for some calcium to help balance the phosphorus. I don't know if there are any down sides
I don't know either but looks like a great idea. I'll try eggshell powder.
 

michael94

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Nice thanks for sharing,

What would happen if you let it ferment for like 48 or even 72 hours? I know nothing about bread making.
 

tara

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What would happen if you let it ferment for like 48 or even 72 hours? I know nothing about bread making.
I've had mine leaven for up to 48hrs and seemed good, may try longer.
It gets sloppier as the yeast produce water along with the CO2, so might want to start with a stiffer dough.
 
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SQu

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I've left it 2 days, it gets sloppy but will bake fine, not your best loaf but fine. Does get a beery taste. By the way, I tried the eggshell, 1 tsp to 3 cups flour. Umm, no. Gritty.
 

tara

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By the way, I tried the eggshell, 1 tsp to 3 cups flour. Umm, no. Gritty.
I never managed to grind eggshells fine enough to get them down. The oystershell I buy is really fine.
 

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