Cook’s Illustrated Almost No Knead
A Clever Variation of an “Old” Theme
My hat is off to CooksIllustrated.com for formulating a worthy variation to the now famous New York Times no knead recipe. They call it their “Almost No Knead” bread since it involves a bit of light kneading, but another key step in the process is streamlined so overall their recipe is still a cinch to make.
If you’re already familiar with the “traditional” no knead recipe, I think you will find the final results of this one significantly different in almost all respects. This crust has a nice crunch to it but is much thinner and easier to chew and the interior crumb is tighter (smaller holes) and softer. I wouldn’t classify this bread as “rustic” like I would the NYT version.
But what really sets this recipe apart is its flavor. The addition of a few ounces of beer and a tablespoon of white vinegar creates a unique and pleasing flavor all its own.
In these videos I cover the Cooks Illustrated plain white flour and whole wheat flour versions.
This recipe also converts extremely well to sandwich loaf bread. In the third video below, I do just that.
I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of this bread – please leave your comments below.
Update: See Virginia’s comment post of 8/22/08. She made a few changes to get great results with a rye version (click link) of this recipe.
White Flour Recipe:
3 cups (15 ounces) all purpose or bread flour
1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (7 ounces) water at room temp
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (3 ounces) mild flavored lager
1 Tbs. white vinegar
Whole Wheat Recipe:
2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose or bread flour
1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat 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 lager
1 Tbs. white vinegar
Note: The beer can be non-alcoholic.
Also, regarding the use of sugar and the ratio of white to whole wheat flour in the ‘Whole Wheat’ recipe, see the post from Beatrix below. She used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 of white and it still came out light.
Baking Instructions: For both these recipes, preheat your oven with Dutch oven or Cloche inside to 500 degrees. Reduce temperature to 425 when the bread dough goes in and bake covered for 30 minutes. Then remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the internal bread temperature reaches about 200 degrees.
Almost No Knead Sandwich Loaf Recipe
The thinner crust and softer, tighter crumb of the Almost No Knead recipe, combined with its subtle flavors, makes it a nice candidate for a sandwich loaf. Here’s a video of the process with the the adjusted ingredient quantities.
18 ounces (~3 2/3 cups) flour. Use all white or a combination of white and up to 6 ounces whole wheat.
1 3/4 tsp salt
3/8 tsp. instant yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) water
1/2 cup (4 ounces) beer
1 1/4 Tbs white vinegar
2 1/2 Tbs honey (I use raw sugar instead). The honey is suggested only when baking the whole wheat version of this recipe.
Baking Instructions: Preheat oven to 425. Place bread pan with risen dough in oven and reduce temperature to 350. Bake for 55 minutes or until internal bread temperature is about 200 degrees. Note that in the video I’m using a Pyrex bread pan. A metal bread pan would probably bake a few minutes faster.
Note: some have reported an issue with the loaf sticking to the bread pan. After buttering/oiling the baking pans, cornmeal can be sprinkled liberally on the insides and bottom of the pans. This eliminates the bread sticking to the sides while baking. Thanks to Tom & Melody DeGraziano for this tip.
{ 492 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
I am a novice at bread but am very happy with the results and ease of no or almost no knead. I have followed a similar method in the Tampa Times this week. It calls for 2-1/4 t dried yeast and 4-12 hrs of the first rise. It was great, now with beer! I am in no rush, is the extra yeast for the reduced rise time?
I just love this recipe and video. It really helped me become more comfortable making bread over the last couple of years. Here is a photo of the flour monogram that I put on it once. Thank you!
I love a crispy crust but mine seem to be just HARD. The interior of the bread is great (CIANKB) but I wonder what I might be doing wrong to get this kind of crust? This WW bread was baked in a cast iron vessel with the top on until the last ten minutes. ANY TIPS??
Take the lid off sooner – like the last 15 minutes instead of the last 10.
A tip for crispy crust lovers. Bread is sort of like hot glass in that the moist inside cools at a different rate than the outer more brittle crust. If you just take a hot loaf out of the oven, often the moisture still inside the bread will seep out through the crust while it cools, and you get a soft crust. Here are two simple things you can do to get great crisp crusts:
1. When the bread has finished its last ten minutes of cooking outside your baking vessel, shut off the oven, and prop the door open 2 inches or so, use a block if necessary. And then let the loaf cool right on the over rack. This anneals the bread crust by letting the whole loaf slowly come down in temp with the cooling oven, rather than at different internal and external rates in the much cooler room air. If you really want to get fancy, you can prop the door, and turn the oven down to 150 and let it cool for 30 minutes in the lesser heat, and then shut off the oven and let it cool all the way down.
2. About 15 minutes before you are ready to eat the bread, place it in a pre-heated 200 degree oven. This will crisp up the crust nicely. But this is best done for fresh, recently bakes loaves that are uncut and still have a lot of internal moisture.
Enjoy.
I have a question about the CIANKB sandwich loaf recipe above. I like the bread but my husband objects to the beery taste. What else can I use? Would all water still work? Would I need to use more yeast? Thank you!
Hello Rhonda,
As I understand it, the beer and vinegar serve to flavor the loaf in the direction of “sourdough”, without comitting you to the challenges of maintaining a sourdough. It doesn’t matter whether the beer is alcohol-free or even flat. I’ve even used apple cider and cider vinegar, which was delicious. One day, I’ll try using white wine and white wine vinegar in a loaf with dried fruits and nuts.
So, I suggest that you simply experiment. Try making a loaf with only water and take it from there.
Unfortunately, my bread-making activities have been cut short for awhile. I stupidly fell off a ladder about ten days ago and broke my knee at the tibia joint. I am not permitted to put any weight on my leg, or to drive, for at least three months! If it had to happen, I’m so happy it did so in the winter!
May all your yeasties keep smiling!
Karil
Hi,
I have a question about the CIANKB … If I am going to be gone when I would normally shape the dough, is it OK to knock down the dough and let it rise slowly again before shaping? Or will it overdevelop the yeast and gluten structure?
My trail and error solution is to use a home miller that has a sifting device. (Komo Wolfgang). At first I thought that the sifter would remove all the bran but it just didn’t happen. What I ended up with was a lightened whole wheat flour. This works well and is of course very fresh.
I found that if you try to mill too fine it just makes the bran pieces smaller and harder to get out by sifting. I now mill at just less than half way coarse/medium and sift once using the medium gauze in the sifter. I think this gets out between 50 and 70% of the bran. If you want, you can use the bran for flour on the loaves (Which adds fibre) or add it to muesli or porridge oats.
I am trying to avoid white flour in favor of whole grains (for health reasons). Can something else be substituted for the white flour in this recipe? I have soft wheat berries that I use in making cookies and muffins etc. – would that work?
I’m not sure I understand the question. Whole wheat flour is white flour from which the bran and germ has not been removed. So, are you asking for a recipe which uses all whole wheat instead of mixing whole wheat with bread flour?
HeartlandMills.com sells something called “Golden Buffalo”, which is whole wheat which has gone through one gross sifting to remove the largest bran pieces, so it’s kind of a hybrid. It’s expensive because it’s unbleached organic and costs a bundle to ship, so I don’t buy it very often, but it has a finer quality than mixing whole wheat with bread flower.
Or are you asking for something else, some sort of substitute for wheat flour?
I am asking if I can use either all whole wheat or is there another whole grain flour (spelt, kamut, rye, etc) that could be used in place of the white flour to still achieve a similar texture/taste?
Using different flours always changes the taste and texture. It all depends on how much difference you’re willing to tolerate. Everyone’s taste is different, so “similar” is pretty hard to quantify. In some instances, like using rye flour, it’s going to taste really different and the texture will be extremely different.
Using all whole wheat will give a more dense bread with a “rougher” texture, since you’ll have a lot more bran in it. Most other whole grains (like rye) have very little gluten in them, so they will produce dense breads that are more crumbly (more like cornbread than regular bread).
I’ve never used Kamut, but it seems to be related to Durham flour, which I have used (in it’s white form) with success. It just tastes different – similar to regular white bread, but with a curious flavor I’m not fond of. Not a bad flavor, but just not my cup of tea.
For some facts on different types of flours, see:
http://www.barryfarm.com/How_tos/flour_facts.htm
Spelt and most other flours are low in gluten, so I expect it will produce a dense bread.
This probably hasn’t been all that helpful, but it does give some general guidelines: less gluten = more dense, less airy bread with smaller holes; also, less gluten, the less you can handle the bread without it collapsing. Many whole rye breads look great after they’ve risen, but then they collapse in the oven and you end up with a really dense bread.
More bran/germ = more dense bread with different taste/texture. You usually have to use more liquid with whole grains because the bran absorbs more water.
Different flours will naturally produce different tastes, which is a matter of personal preference. One person might think Kamut bread tastes really close to an Italian bread, while other might find it very foreign.
I have a question, what’s the best way to store most breads? A paper bag? Plastic bag? Perforated plastic bag? Where does one get these bags? (Long enough for loafs or baguettes.) My bread like most others I’m sure doesn’t stay around long enough to go bad, but I have made some breads on occasion that are fantastic for dinner and then hard as a rock the next day! What can I do about this besides making french toast or bread pudding? Thanks!
When I got into bread making we were not big fans of bread. We were lo-carb people. I bake a lot of bread now – blame it all on Breadtopia. All my breads, as soon as they are cool, get sliced up, put in a zip-lock bag and into the freezer. When we want a slice we will pop it in the toaster. For sandwiches or bread and cheese we just put it on low – just enough to defrost it and not toast it. We use wax paper between slices to keep the slices from freezing together so we can easily pull out a single slice. I don’t like days old bread nor would we every eat a loaf in a few days so this is our method to enjoy ‘fresh’ bread, but don’t feel you have to gobble it up while it is still fresh.
P.S. even before I started making bread I used to do this with French baguettes. I would slice them up and keep the slices in the freezer for when we wanted a little cheese, but don’t need an entire baguette. This was our lo-carb technique for controlling carb intake! For these I didn’t even have to put in toaster. They can be left on the counter to defrost (not too long else they will dry out!)
I use basically the same technique as Madelyn for storing bread, except I don’t use waxed paper – I just slice the bread and stick it in the freezer in a plastic bag. Slices that stick together can easily be separated by placing an ordinary dinner knife at the separation point and lightly tapping the whole thing, bread and knife together, down on a hard surface, like a counter top. This always works, unless the bread has been squished or deformed by an overcrowded freezer.
Unless I’m planning on toasting it, I microwave the frozen bread to defrost and freshen it up, usually about 15-25 seconds per slice, depending on the size of the slice.
Another trick: for getting thin slices from really moist breads or those with lots of holes or with large holes (like ciabatta) that tend to collapse when sliced, I refrigerate the bread in a bag or wrapped in aluminum foil, then unbag or unwrap it before slicing. This firms up the bread so that it holds together better and enables much thinner slices. Then it goes into the freezer. For bread with really gigantic holes, like some ciabattas, the bread can be almost frozen to do this, but still yield very thin slides that would otherwise be impossible to obtain.
Wheatfields bakery in Lawrence, Kansas, produces a very nice authentic ciabatta with huge holes, but they will not run it through their motorized bread-slicing machine because it gums up the works. By using the refrigeration techniques, I’m able to slice their bread into sizes thinner than normal sandwich bread.
Madelyn,
So, my way of handling that is to run about 1500 miles a year so I can gobble up as much bread as possible. It’s a lot of work, but this bread is that good!
Just tried the sandwich loaf version of the Almost No-Knead bread. I made a couple of changes to the recipe…well alterations really. I used 14 oz. of bread flour and 4 oz. of Kamut. I have been on a Kamut thing since I tried to match my wife’s favorite commercial bread (it was close, but not quite there). I also substituted malt syrup for the sugar/honey. I wish I had pictures. I used a Bohemian Pilsner (my own brew) for the beer. The bread was beautiful!!!! Very delicate in texture and very moist. The taste was very beer-y. I loved it. I don’t know what contributed to what, but this bread is a keeper! Thanks for the recipe and the videos on making it.
Sounds great, Neal.
Okay, So I’ve used your site before and made the rye bread recipe last year and it tasted great but didn;t rise too well after baking. I recently picked a Romertopf at the thrift store for a steal at $5 and it looks like its been used once and not even with any fatty food! Needless to say I’m back in the saddle at trying to bake breads again. I’ve started a starter that’s going really well right now. Can I use a starter for this recipe? How would I sub it into this recipe? Please let me know if there’s a good rule of thumb so I can use the starter in as many recipes as I can! Thanks!
Hi Alfonso,
I’m not sure about a rule of thumb that works in all situations but in this case I would simply substitute 1/4 cup of stiff starter for the yeast and follow the rest of the recipe as is.
Hi! Another alternative to a paper bag for storing artisan bread is a linen bag or a linen tea towel (linen dish towel or linen napkin). In Switzerland, there are plastic bags that are perforated in such a way that they almost seem to be woven. They are excellent for storing bread and can be re-used numerous times. It is essential that the bread is stored in the bags or cloth only after the loaf is thoroughly cool.
This bread came out picture perfect inside and out! The crust made that gorgeous crackling sound when sliced into and the holes in the bread looked professional! The taste was excellent. I do have a question regarding the storage of the loaf: I put mine in a zip lock bag, and although it kept the bread fresh, it compromised the texture of the crust, making it softer than the original crackling one. How should crusty bread be stored?
Ellen, I found the same thing. So I reasoned that’s why all of the artisan bakers ship their bread in paper bags. So, I store my loaves in a paper bag, or in a bread box instead of plastic bags. Especially for the first day or two after it has been baked when there is still a lot of moisture present. I also let mine sit out on the wire rack overnight after baking to let as much heat as possible dissipate before bagging. Lastly, I often do an annealing much like a glass blower would, where I leave the bread in the oven after it bakes, but with the over shut off and the door slightly ajar. This lets the interior of the loaf cool, but with the crust still in a relatively hot, low humidity environ so that it does not cool too fast and stays crispy. You must be like me, I love a crunchy, crispy crust.
Hi all,
Thank you so much for this phenomenal website and for all the member feedback. I never thought I would be so interested in making all my own bread at this stage in my life, but I am only sorry I was too intimidated to try it before! I am in my second week of full on bread making, with half a dozen wonderful loaves under my belt and only one failure.
What I am looking for now is a good recipe for the Portuguese sweet bread I remember getting at Easter time. I’m sure it will be a different kind of bread recipe than the no-knead and almost no-knead recipes I’ve been using, but I now feel up to the challenge of trying.
Thanks again for the most wonderful new skills and the delicious recipes!
Rhonda
So glad you’re having fun (and success!) with your bread baking. This Portuguese sweet bread recipe from King Arthur Flour looks like it could be a good one. The instructions are detailed and the feedback is positive.
RHONDA-This recipe for Portuguese Sweet Bread is more authentic and very forgiving AND you can use the ‘rest/chill/rest’ method….
‘Maria Carreiro’s Massa Souvada’.
Go to the website for the instructions… ‘
6 ½ cups unbleached white flour
1 ½ cups sugar
6 eggs beaten, until frothy
1 T yeast
¼ lb + 2T unsalted butter
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp kosher salt
Additional milk for brushing top of loaf
I guarantee you will love how this bread turns out.
Well I made the version for the loaf pan and I just used the whole 12 ounces of beer instead of water. I didn’t have any raw sugar so I used some brown sugar instead (I always screw with a recipe anyway!). I have to say that the flavor is incredible!! It is great toasted! It has a bit of a sourdough taste to it but not real strong. I think that the next time I make it I may add some oats and sunflower seeds to it. (I may even flatten it out and add cinnamon and raisins). Just a nice easy and very tasty bread!
Thank you so much Eric, for sharing these Almost-No-Knead-Bread videos. I read many articles and blogs about no knead bread. I am so interested in trying it out but I don’t have a Dutch oven. I like the sourdough bread taste but really don’t want to mess with the sourdough, and don’t like the hard-to-chew crust of it either. These ANKB recipes seem perfect to my needs. I will try it soon with my regular 9×5 loaf pan. You make the bread making look so easy. That’s definitely give me more confidence on my 1st attempt. Thanks again!
I have what I think is a healthy starter after about a week. So my question is when is it usable? When can I bake bread with it? And thank you so much for this wealth of bread baking information! It is truly fabulous!
Blessings,
Sara
Depends on how old the starter is – that is, how long it’s been since you last fed it or refreshed it. If you bake almost every day or every 2 or 3 days, I think that you can just use the starter and replenish your saved starter at that time. If so, you’d only need to add enough water and flour to double the amount of left-over starter (perhaps discarding a bit of the old starter before doing so, so you don’t end up with vast quantities of starter.) For example, if you use 3 oz. of fully active starter in our bread, you could keep 6 oz. of starter on-hand for bread-making. When you take out the 3 oz for your bread, you’re left with 3 oz of starter. You add 1.5 oz water and 1.5 flour to feed the remaining 3 oz. of starter, so that next time you’ll have 6 oz. of starter to begin with.
I don’t bake that often, and I keep my starter in small amounts (about 4 oz.) in the refrigerator. If it’s been less than a week since I last refreshed it, then I refresh it once – using about 1 oz of starter mixed with 3 oz flour and 3 oz water (giving me 7 oz. of refreshed starter) let it sit for 8 – 12 hours or so, maybe stir it down once during that time period. This activates the yeast to full power. Once I see that the refreshed starter is doing OK, I toss the 3 oz. of old starter.
I use about 3 oz of the refreshed starter to make bread, and save the remaining 4 oz in the fridge.
If the starter is older than a week, then I refresh it twice before using it, but the first time making a smaller batch, say adding .75 oz old starter to 1.5 oz flour and 1.5 oz water, let it sit for 8-12 hours, then use 1 oz. of that with 3 oz flour and 3 oz water and let sit for another 8-12 hours. If it’s not acting right, or if it’s been a really long time since I refreshed the starter (like a couple months – I have more than one kind of starter, so that happens sometimes) I may refresh it a 3rd time, or even a 4th time.
Seems like a lot of trouble, but it works for me, and the small amounts of refreshing ingredients keeps the waste low. Many commercial bakers refresh their starters every 8 hours, or at least once a day, according to what I’ve read about it.
I’d be interested in hearing how others keep their starters going.
Hi,
I’ve read about drying out the starter and then breaking it into piece .that are stored in a linen bag and placed in a dustfree place. (When you are certain that ithe pieces are ABSOLUTELY dehydrated, they can be stored in a glass jar, protected from mealy bugs). You then rehydrate a piece, when you need it, and then begin to feed it, etc. It is certainly worth a try!
Hi Danny,
Sure, you can make bread from all whole grains. It will be denser than bread made with some white flour, but that’s kinda the tradeoff.
Hi, I’m a beginner from europe. I love your site and have ordered what you call a Wolfgang grain mill. I plan to mill a hard white wheat from a local farmer. Is it possible to make bread from all wheat flour that I mill myself or do I need to blend it with white flour? I’m hoping to make bread from only grain that I have freshly milled.
Thanks for the great videos. I’ve learnt a lot already.
Just finished making the sandwich bread for a bake-off in the bread category.
Cool. Good luck. Let us know how it goes. Send pics maybe.
I’ve been making the sandwich loaf for several weeks now in my bread machine. It works great and is good for when you don’t have the time for the full labor of the no knead bread with the thick crusts.
My bread machine is a Williams Sonoma machine with programmable cycles. I picked the first program and set it up just for kneading with no rising or baking. I simply mix the no knead sandwich loaf dry ingredients well, then poor in the water-beer-vinegar and start the cycle. Four minutes of slow knead, 3 minutes of fast need. Then I scrape down the sides to get all the dough together in the center of the pan. Then I take the pan out of the bread machine, wrap it in a plastic bag and set it aside to ferment for 12 hours.
When I come back, I put the pan back in the machine, and turn on my second program. In the second program, I punch down for 10 seconds. Then I let it rise for 2 1/2 hours. Then it bakes for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
You can even leave the dough in the machine and do the whole second part automatically. My machine has a delayed start function that lets me add time to the second program so I can add the twelve hour fermenting time in.
By using these two programs, I can use the bread machine, single pan and very little other utensils for mixing. It’s not quite as great as the perfect hand crafted no knead loaf, but it is much better than the typical bread machine bread, and still makes good use of the machine for automation.
← Previous Comments
{ 7 trackbacks }