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I just stumbled upon your site after spending several hours researching and reading about the no knead bread. Your is by far the best! I have my first batch nearly ready for the second rise and I am already using some of your methods.

Thanks,

Jerry Ulett in Seattle

Eric, I just received my proofing basket and dough wisk. They arrived in perfect condition and were beautifully wrapped. My my fist batch of whole grain sour dough bread is resting comfortably in the refrigerator awaiting tomorrows baking.
I cannot wait. A few weeks ago I read a novel written by Patricia Kate Lynch. It was called By Bread Alone. Her inspiration is also the Poilâne Bread of Paris. I used her starter recipe for my bread.
Thanks again,
Cathy

I am a newcomer to the no knead bread.I own a oblong La Cloche.Tomorrow morning I will make the finished dough for you “Poilaine” bread and that does not fit in My stone conyainer.I own a large Magnalite roaster.Can that be heated to 500 F? Mali

Ihave been following the no knead bread recipe since spring and have had perfect results everytime. The best bread I have ever made and so easy. Keep up the good work.
Susan
victoria, B.C.

unfortunately eric, I cannot view any of your wonderful videos and I am bummed about it, big time. I have an at&t laptop connect card and I am lucky to even get a picture after about a half hour wait. Is there any other way for me to view your videos? Is there a cd I can buy? thanks, sandy

Eric,

Thanks for your comments. I am making progress.

Here is my challenge –bake the no-knead bread early Saturday morning. I go to work on weekdays from about 8am to 6:30pm.

Here are a couple ideas:
Plan A: Mix and start Thursday at 7pm. Put in refrigerator for 24 hour rise in refrigerator. Friday night, 24 hours later at 7pm, let set for 30 mins then do the 1.5 hour rise. Put back in refrigerator. Take out Saturday AM, let rest for 30 mins while over heats up and then bake.

Plan B: Start Friday at 7 AM. Leave covered on courter until Friday night at about 9 pm (14 hour rise) put in refrigerator. Saturday AM, take out or refrigerator, let rest in room for 30 mins, then do the 1.5 hour rise and then bake.

What are the pros and cons of refrigerating after the 1.5 rise?

So far, I made two loafs, ordered the La Cloche and other items from Breadtopia and am getting more confident. Both loafs were good.

Thanks
Paul

Dear Eric,

Thanks for the follow-up. For ten years, I used a bread machine. Its breakdown last month was a blessing in disguise because I discovered no-knead bread on U-Tube. I feel more connected with my bread and it is much better bread. The no-knead has more prana, better flavor, and even the kids like it.

So far, I have made five loafs but still need to solve the time issue for my working schedule. I will try your plan of mixing up the dough on Friday morning, putting it in the fridge, and then about 9 or 10 PM on Friday, I will take it out. Sat AM around 6AM, I will start the rest of the process. I should have the bread done around 9 AM – before the summer heats sets in. Will let you know how this works for me.

Instead of saving for a bread machine, I now am saving for a flourmill. My goal is to move up to no-knead sourdough whole-wheat breads. This is really a wonderful experience.

My current goal is to increase the whole wheat to white flour ratios from 1:2 up to 2 to 1. Do you recommend raising the yeast to .5 tsp or adding some gluten flour, or both?

Best wishes,
Paul in Ojai, CA.

hi! i was just wondering if you have any instructional videos on pan de sal bread making. i would like to learn to make this bread for my family so that i don’t have to go to the bakeshop to buy just a few pieces of pan de sal every morning. thanks!

arian. when you find it, share it with us please,

sandy in fl

Re Beginner Pauls question. I used 100% whole wheat (3 cups) using the original No Knead recipe. I followed all the other ingredients and steps and baked it in a Le Crueset dutch oven. The result was the loaf was rather flat, only about 2 inches in the middle. The crust was thick and chewy and the bread was really heavy. But I find that it tasted really good, especially if I toast it lightly.

Hello Eric…
I realized that my corning dish was not tall enough. What I ended up using was an iron skillet (12″) and used a bowl to form a foil paper dome. It worked great. The only changes I have to make is the bake time. The bottom of the bread was a tad bit more done than I wanted, but the bread was still delicious. I will be baking more this weekend. Thanks.
Denise

I am about to make my first starter.

I love to bake and I am looking forward to making my own sourdough. I lived in San Francisco for 2 years and we have moved back to Australia. I have been looking for a good sourdough here but I have not found one that my family likes so I hope this works.

Please can you send me some easy recipies so I can make my first sourdough this week.

Looking forward to receiving your reply.

Regards
Shereen

I am a novice but almost fearless sourdough person who has made a starter from flour and water. It is still alive and I shared with a friend who is equally fearless in the kitchen. She discovered your web site and shared the info. with me. This is ABSOLUTELY fun. I am sure I will eventually view all of your videos and read all of your recipes and have a good time baking bread.

I wonder if you can help me. I finally made the sourdough however after the proofing in the basket… the dough stuck to the bottom and when I turned it onto the dutch oven it spread and lost its rising … what did I do wrong?

should the dough be firm or wet?

I am eager to try again, so any assistance would be appreciated.

I have been baking Sour Dough breads for some time now. Two months ago I learned that I have diabetes. SO, I have stopped feasting on that wonderful white bread. Do you know of a recipe that makes the Sour Dough bread healthier for diabetics? The recipe I make my Sour Dough with includes sugar. I am also doing the Weight Watchers program , so I need to be careful with startch. Help!
Impressed, Lisa

Good morning…
Thank you for your breadmaking videos…I am a relatively new baker and value the help more than I can say. I began by sending for the 1847 sourdough starter mix but then discovered your site and found a deep appreciation for just about every bread you have listed. I have found your baking tips nowwhere else. I recently found a local source (Seattle area) for low-cost flour and supplies so am baking even more…more than we can consume…it’s driving my wife crazy! (but what fun)

Now that I have gotten my starter going I have a few baking questions:
- How can I better control the density of the bread? Add more water?
- How can I better control the thickness of the crust?
- Always seems the bread is quite done baking before it’s attained a rich color and I’m afraid of over-baking it.
- Any benefit to adding the salt a little later in the dough-making process?
- Can I use semolina flour in lieu of bread flour?

Thanks!

Melissa,

Let me take a shot at your questions:

Now that I have gotten my starter going I have a few baking questions:

- How can I better control the density of the bread? Add more water?
The ratio of water to flour will affect the density. More flour, denser. Also, the use of whole wheat and/or rye flours will give you denser breads. Most of my “mixed” breads have no more than 50 percent whole wheat or rye. 3 cups white/3 cups WW or rye. You might try that as a starting point and adjust upward with the heavier flours. I personally like the heavier breads, but my significant other prefers the lighter bread (brought up on Wonder Bread). But I am educating her!

- How can I better control the thickness of the crust?
Baking in a covered container or baking in an uncovered pan can affect the crust. Baking with steam will also affect the crust. You might try buttering the top before you put the bread in the oven. To soften the crust, I rub a stick of butter on the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven. Even better is to use clarified butter which does not make the dull sheen on the crust. I also cover my loaves with a cloth as soon as they come out of the oven.

- Always seems the bread is quite done baking before it’s attained a rich color and I’m afraid of over-baking it.
Are you using an instant read thermometer to check the interior temp? I bake most of my breads to about 207 – 210F internal. Some do the initial bake at a higher temp and then turn down the oven about 25-50 degrees to get what I think you are striving for. If the bread starts to turn too dark, just put a tent of aluminium foil over it. I personally do not bake my breads as dark as I see on some of the bread sites.

- Any benefit to adding the salt a little later in the dough-making process?
Salt affects the action of the yeast/starter. Adding it later (just ensure it gets fully incorporated) IS beneficial.

- Can I use semolina flour in lieu of bread flour?
Can’t speak to this as I do not use semolina. Big question would be the protein content of the semolina. As you know, rye and whole wheat need white flour OR long ferments to help them rise because of the lower protein content.

Bob

Eric,

After going on to this site, I am totally confused. Seems to me that moderation in all things is the key factor.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/health/2008/10/high-fructose-c.html

Bob

Eric! (AKA the “Hot Bread Man”)

Pun intended of course ha! I had referred to you as thus when I first began my journey 6 weeks ago baking no knead SD. Even though I have a great “Hot Hubby” at home he can NOT inspire the artisan baker in me the way you can!

Kudos to your creative and well laid out website, and to the great recipe’s I have tried out so far. I have baked SD bread often the old fashioned way and with my arthritis had to resort to purchasing it a few years back. Now I can make it with little to no elbow grease.

I mostly bake the SD as my family loves it and usually include 4-5 sliced cloves of fresh garlic and a tsp. garlic powder right in with the initial mix. I have even thrown in some fresh rosemary soaked in olive oil. Oh and I make it a point to add a tbsp. of olive oil to the starter/water mix as well. My bread rises perfectly, has a golden, thinner/chewy crust and a soft holy crumb. The bread has a nice medium sour tang too. If I keep the bread in a paper back loosely rolled up the crust stay’s crisp and chewy for 2-3 days. The bread toasts perfectly as well.

I am using a crock pot liner w/ lid and the parchment lowering method as well. We can’t afford to buy a la cloche, or dutch oven but honestly there is no need. That crock pot bakes the bread perfectly. You can hear the crust “singing” and see the tiny bubbles all over the crust too :0)

I had meant to take pictures of this last night but it was mauled and so I had to regrettably take pictures of the remains. The loaf “was” very pretty, but as you can see it’s been manhandled slightly by hungry hoards of bread trolls! Originally it was about 1/2 an inch higher. I put some of my own starter (made last year by me) in a Pyrex cup just before taking the pictures. I feed my starter every other day a 1/4 cup of flour and 2 tbps. filtered water. It’s thick and is always bubbly. I keep it on my counter lightly covered and and in the summer months I feed it daily due to a warmer kitchen. Great California climate! Also, I give it a once weekly dose of sweets (1 tsp sugar). It feeds the starter very well and IMHO keeps it vigorous. I keep my starter at about 4 cups so 1 tsp of sugar per week does not sweeten the starter a bit taste wise. Otherwise I’d recommend just a pinch or two of sugar for smaller batches if you are thinking about giving it some extra oomph.

Thanks again Eric for the great recipe’s!

Jennifer K.

Many Many thanks! Jennifer K.

*Click to enlarge

I have a question. I love making bread and have tried many methods over the years and enjoyed them all. But I have one problem that occationally drives me crazy! The dough will rise beautifally and when I put it in the hot oven, it flops. I’ve tried rizing it in the oven and just turning the oven on, or
rizing it outside the oven and then gently putting it in the oven. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. What am I doing wrong?

Great idea and great layout! I’m hoping that we’ll be able to work together soon! Drop me a line and we can try to set up a time for a visit to IHCC. Our students would like to hear from you!

I’ve added a link over at the Hill’s!

eric
I’ve made a new sourdough starter using wholewheat and white flour didn’t get much of an oven spring with cold oven start but a great thin crust any comments. I also couldn”t resist kneading about 4 times befor the second rise comments please

Thanks for your great recipes and videos that are very helpful. I appreciate that you’re doing this from Iowa (my home state), that your information is simple and clear with enough details for those of us with little experience, and that the two of you seem down-to-earth and make bread creating an enticing adventure possible for anyone and not something scary or daunting. Even my aunt, who has loads of cooking/baking experience, especially in the pizza realm, has now adopted your pizza recipe and is using a peel and is very happy about both. Again, thanks.

I just received a Romertopf 111. I am new to clay baking. Do I soak the baker in water, put it in the oven and heat it to 500 degrees before adding the dough?

I have been baking your bread for a short while, and keep improving on the quality… I think I almost got it. To my shock, during a visit yesterday, my adult son told me that he was learning to bake bread. He especially asked about sourdough making. Boy, did I turn him on to your site!

Thanks for your help. The site is wonderful and the camaraderie, a lot of fun. Keep it going forever.

Got your sourdough starter last week and after being away for the weekend I got it going this week. Just finished making the San Francisco sourdough bread from Peter Reinhardt’s Crust and Crumb book. Can I be in love with a loaf of bread? I cannot believe just how good this bread came out. I don’t have a camera but the bread looks just like a great photo of this bread should look and the flavor is just fantastic.

I was baking my own bread before with yeast and it was a lot better than what I could find in the supermarket. This takes me to a whole higher level. I followed the instructions and they worked just like you said they would. I had some King Arthur Flour Whole Wheat around so I started with that. Then I added the King Arthur Bread Flour the next day. The sourdough worked like a champ.

After you make the first batch how to store the remaining starter?

Just watched your no-knead video, and enjoyed how easy and concise you made it seem!!! I went to your site to find out the cause of my “Pain Poilane” clone (a la Patricia Welles) not coming out with a nice brown crust, and I think I’ll give your no-knead a whirl!!! Can I just add water to my saved started to make it less doughy??? Maybe that’s my problem, the dough isn’t wet enough….(Am off to one of many Indian stores in Vancouver to find chapatti flour, I already make use of kamut and spelt. Thanks….

I JUST REMOVED MY FIRST ATTEMPT FROM THE OVEN AND IT WAS FAB!

HOLY COW IT IS SIMPLY THE BEST!

ALL THE BEST FROM CAMBRIA, CA