Date: Sun, 20 May 2007 07:38:58 GMT -------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v107.n017 -------------- 001 - Paul Johnson Subject: no knead pot Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 05:12:40 -0500 I found small oval "chicken bakers" - the blue enamel with white dots in various sizes at Wal Mart. Using parchment paper I'm getting well shaped loaves with no pot cleanup "Have anyone of you found a satisfactory source for an oven-proof 4 or5 qt. pot (preferably oval) that can be used to bake "no knead" bread?" --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.2 --------------- From: jweissmn@his.com Subject: Dan Lepard's Art of Handmade Bread Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 06:15:22 -0400 Has anyone else picked up this book? Lots of very interesting recipes, including some unusual crackers. He advocates a method involving very little kneading and a lot of prefement, with a normal rising time rather than an extended one. He's also fixated on fresh yeast, which I can't seem to find here. So, a few questions: - does anybody have any ideas about where to find fresh yeast for sale? If not, is there a rule for substitutions? - how about "soft" flour? He says he doesn't mean low protein, but flour made from soft wheat. Any ideas about how I'd find some? Flour labelling, even for the stuff in bins at my food co-op and the health food stores, doesn't specify softness. The corn-mustard roles I tried had good flavor but the texture was a bit off. So I think I'll use his formulas with my regular techniques and see what happens. - Jessica --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.3 --------------- From: "Cindy DeCesare" Subject: Pot for "No Knead" bread Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 06:47:57 -0500 Hi Frank, Lodge has a pre-seasoned dutch oven. I've made the No Knead bread in one of their larger pots with great results. L8DOL3 Dutch Oven with Loop Handles, 10-1/4" dia., Depth: 4", 5 qt. In a Google search, I found one for $30.00. Hope you find this helpful. Cindy --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.4 --------------- From: Jim Blue Subject: 4-qt oval pot for no-knead bread Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 08:27:40 -0400 In January, I bought a 4-qt oval seasoned cast-iron Cajun Cookware casserole through Amazon for $18 + $8 shipping. It works fine for no-knead bread (that's why I bought it). The URL below should get you there. http://www.amazon.com/Cajun-Cookware-Seasoned-Cast-Casserole/dp/B000EWF5TA --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.5 --------------- From: "Keith Johnson" Subject: Re: where to buy flour Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 06:41:55 -0700 For some reason, a local Pavilions market here in Los Angeles recently stopped carrying Bread Flour. But they do stock Kind Arthur white flour & continue to sell yeast. And readers are correct about purchasing yeast at Smart & Final, much better pricing + it's so convenient having a 1 pound package of it on hand. They even stock a couple of different brands. Does seem to last forever when stored in the 'fridge. --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.6 --------------- From: Dave Glaze Subject: Re: source for no-knead pot Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 11:00:33 -0700 Frank, you don't need to use pots much larger than the finished size of the bread. Smaller ones will work just as well. I use 1.5 quart Corningware pots for small loaves. Corningware make a 2.8 litre oval pot. Just make sure your aim is good when you drop the dough into the pot. Cheers, Dave Glaze --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.7 --------------- From: "Bob & Nina Freeman" Subject: Special Whisk - Where Can I Find Another Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 15:17:49 -0400 Twenty years ago I bought a special kind of whisk in Innsbruck, Austria. I was used mostly for proofing yeast in some water with sugar, but not in the usual stirring sense but by spinning it between the palm of the hands like we're told native Americans (and later Boy Scouts) did to start a fire! It also was used to rapidly froth up an egg or two. In the picture of it shown in the below site, you can see that I've just "epoxyed" it back to health. Does anyone know of a source of this rather unusual kitchen device? http://www.pbase.com/bfreeman/image/78706115 Bob Freeman, Tallahassee, FL --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.8 --------------- From: yguaba@yahoo.com.br Subject: Re: Ciabatta Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 19:09:22 -0300 Hi Doug, On 06 May 2007 at 18:33, Doug Essinger-Hileman wrote: >My questions are two: Glezer introduces this formula with, "This is >a large, dramatic bread full of huge holes and beautifully striped >with flour." Can I assume that she means that the outside is striped >with flour? Secondly, the instructions suggest "using plenty of >flour for dusting [the dough during turning] 3 or 4 times." I forgot >to dust at all during the dusting. I assume that this led to the >dough remaining fairly wet, which obviously worked out well. Would >someone like to surmise what effects would result from actually >using the flour to dust during turning? With wet doughs such as ciabatta, you need to dust both the work surface and the dough with plenty of flour simply because if you don't, the dough will stick to everything. The dusting isn't designed to give the bread flavour, but merely to make it possible to handle the dough. Now, if you somehow managed to turn and fold the dough during bulk fermentation without lots of flour on the counter and on the dough itself, no problem. In fact, you should let us know how you did it! :- As for the stripes, I don't really know what Glezer is talking about. Baked ciabatta loaves usually have some of the flour used during folding and shaping on the outside because you need to use so much that it isn't all absorbed by the dough. But the effect is usually rather random, not in stripes or anything. I'm interested in how you achieved big irregular holes in the crumb. I haven't had much luck with holes in my bread, even with long fermentation times. Perhaps it's because of the less-than-ideal flour available where I'm living, which I think doesn't have as much gluten as it should have (impossible to tell exactly how much gluten the flour contains, though). Cheers, Erik --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.9 --------------- From: Linda C Subject: Kefir for a starter Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 16:36:53 -0700 (PDT) I had to share something with you've I've been introduced to in the last few weeks. I know it may be a little out there, but no more than sourdough starter. As a matter of fact, it's very similar. I began adding something called KEFIR to my bread. It's a milk culture and works like yogurt or buttermilk. I've used buttermilk in my dough before, but wow, what a difference the kefir has made. I use Golden 86 grain to make my bread (100 percent) so a little at a time I have improved my bread to where it was a fairly light loaf when I wanted sandwich bread. But I began putting a couple of cups of WW flour, 2 t yeast, a cup of warm water and 1 cup of kefir starter and letting it sit for a while on the counter before I start mixing up the dough. It bubbles and wiggles! It's alive! The bread is tall and light and SO tasty! I have researched the health benefits of drinking kefir in shakes and such, also, but if for no other reason than bread I would keep it around. Basically, you get the grains (more like cottage cheese kurds) and pour a cup of milk over it, lightly cover and let it sit on the counter 24 hours or so, longer for more sour. You strain out the grains and make another batch and put the kefir milk in the fridge to use as you need it. You need to use glass and plastic because it reacts to the metal (kind of like making yogurt and sourdough starter). Anyway, I wanted to share 'cause my bread has been.....mmm...mmmm..mmmmm..mmmmmm.... good. Linda http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html http://www.kefir.net/ http://www.kefir.net/kefiryogurt.htm Blessya'bunches from a Linda New Blog - Just a Stitch in Time: http://360.yahoo.com/chasebusiness RSS feed And photos are posted there...go see! --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.10 --------------- From: ATroi37324@aol.com Subject: Re: Pot for "No Knead" bread Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 23:00:40 EDT Frank: When I make the dough for the "No Knead" bread I usually double the recipe and bake one in a La Cloche Superstone by Sassafras and the other in a Kitchen Aid 3.5 Quart Covered Round Ceramic Casserole. I found the Kitchen Aid about a month ago at a Tuesday Morning store for $25. I went a couple weeks later and they didn't have any left. I wish I had picked up at least another one as it is perfect for the bread. You can bake up to a temperature of 500 F. Rosemary --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.11 --------------- From: Judi9826@aol.com Subject: Re: no-knead pot Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 23:35:57 EDT I bought a cast iron enameled 4 qt pot from QVC at a fraction of the cost of Le Cruset. I love it. Judi --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.12 --------------- From: "Rosalie Valvo" Subject: Pot for "No Knead" bread Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 09:33:42 -0700 FrankM asked: "Have anyone of you found a satisfactory source for an oven-proof 4 or 5 qt. pot (preferably oval) that can be used to bake 'no knead' bread?" I found that the insert for my 4-quart slow cooker was perfect. It's Corning Ware. Rosalie Valvo rvalvo@sbcglobal.net Morro Bay, CA --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.13 --------------- From: aqn@panix.com Subject: Re: Pot for "No Knead" bread Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 14:34:26 -0400 (EDT) I found an enameled cast iron pot a la Le Creuset at TJMaxx for $50. You might be able to find a similar one at TJMaxx or at Ross Dress For Less, or one of those "discount" chain stores... Actually, I kinda wished I had splurged for a Le Creuset one, since I have found such a pot to be very useful for sauces and stews etc., where I can brown the meat and cook the stew/sauce in the same pot. It's also oven safe so I can also use it for those stews/sauces that require oven time. With enough use, I wouldn't mind "investing" in a good enameled cast iron pot. Andy Nguyen --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.14 --------------- From: Dan Haggarty Subject: Quote-of-the-day Date: Fri, 18 May 2007 18:58:53 -0400 On the Spanish island of Minorca, a old proverb is: "Ahon no hi ma pa, es juliol hi ha fred." -- "Where there is no bread, July is cold." (as found in _Catalan Cuisine_ by Colman Andrews) Dan --------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v107.n017.15 --------------- From: Reggie Dwork Subject: Kneading Conference 2007 Date: Sun, 20 May 2007 00:19:40 -0700 A bread conference in the north-east US... Kneading Conference 2007 Meeting the need for locally grown grain and wood fired bread Aug 2-5, Skowhegan, Maine Topics include: Growing grains in Maine Baking in wood fired ovens Economics of a local mill Bread for health Sourdough bread making Wood fired oven building --------------- END bread-bakers.v107.n017 --------------- Copyright (c) 1996-2007 Regina Dwork and Jeffrey Dwork All Rights Reserved