Comments on: Cook’s Illustrated’s Almost No-Knead Bread

By: shadowcook

shadowcook — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:45:26 +0000

thanks, Rosanne! I keep this blog mainly because it’s easier to point my friends to it than to make copies of all my recipes. But it’s also satisfying to make connections with other cooks. Let me know you have any suggestions to make on any of the recipes.

By: Rosanne Johnston

Rosanne Johnston — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:21:37 +0000

I have made this recipe about 100 times since seeing it in the Cook’s Illustrated magazine,Jan / Feb 2008. I am amazed at how perfect it come out every time. I have played around with the addition of a little more beer etc but the recipe seems perfect the way it is. One of the best recipe finds I have ever gotten. Also The Martha Stewart chocolate cookies that look cracked on the top are really great too. Someone gave me the polena and almond cake recipe and I saw it came from your web site. I took a look at your web site and it is really beautiful. I thought the recipies looked really good and I will enjoy cooking and baking some of them. Got to get back to snooping around
Thanks
Rosanne Johnston

By: Ann

Ann — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:21:40 +0000

Back in January when I first tried this recipe I was dismayed at the lifeless lump of dough after the first rise. I hadn’t read Sherry’s post yet, and I was less adventurous – I chucked it out, assuming I got it wrong. I tried again this weekend. This time it was the nadir of my cold, and through sheer neglect I let it rise for about 26 hours. Bubbles started to form on the top, and the texture of the dough was wonderfully soft. I let rise again for 2 hours, on a tea towel in the traditional method, and the resulting loaf was great, packed with air holes and a crunchy crust. It’s incredibly forgiving dough.

By: shadowcook

shadowcook — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:29:40 +0000

I just finished another loaf. Now that I’ve followed this recipe three times, I’ve decided the temperatures are too hot for my oven. Perhaps whole wheat loaves burn more easily. I’m not sure. Next time I make the whole wheat loaf, I’ll use the ones I adapted for the original Slow-Rise recipe: 475 to heat and then down to 425 when I put the loaf in the pot.

I also halved the amount of honey. The first time I made the whole wheat, I thought it was rather too sweet. We’ll see in two hours how the new amount tastes.

This loaf certainly got the jump that the best of the other versions did. And I love the color. Must be the lager and honey. So, all in all, I would use the amounts in this recipes but apply the Slow-Rise technique.

By: Sherry

Sherry — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:45:24 +0000

I made the bread the same day Sally did. I was sure I was headed for disaster: my dough did not rise, there were no air bubbles covering the top like there are when I make the original Bittman recipe, and the two-hour rise produced nothing but a spreading mound of dough. Like Sally, I didn’t use a skillet, mainly because I didn’t have any parchment paper at hand. I let it rise on a kitchen towel, like I usually do, and then flopped it over into the heated dutch oven. The result was a wonderful, crusty loaf with good texture.