Friday I was reading through some new blog entries and came upon this post by Lindy at Lindy’s  Toast. 

Now I admit that the idea of a nice loaf of bread with no kneading and very little action on the part of the baker has tremendous appeal for certain times and situations.  Over the years I’ve tried my share of these “no knead” bread recipes.  I’ve always been “rewarded” (read that big time disappointed) with tough crust and heavy bread and odd or no taste.  But, you know hope springs in the true heart of every baker (read that lover of fresh baked from the oven bread eater).  I followed Lindy’s link to the NYT here and there’s a video there also, look for it.  It sounded too good to be true.  Ok, I’ll check back to Lindy’s site and see if she’s putting up anything new on the bread.

Well, she’d started her bread on Thursday!  There on her page was a stunning picture of fresh bread.  I was blown away.   For the entire 3 minutes it took me to mix together the flour, salt, yeast and water and cover it with plastic wrap, I kept repeating “If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t.” 

Just been mixed.

Under it’s plastic wrap at 4AM.  Beautiful sweet yeast smell.  As I lay my head back on my pillow I wonder what kind of woman is up at 4 AM taking pictures of dough in a bowl, dough in a bowl.  I’m reminded of a song we used to sing in high school

Hooray, hooray, I'm going away with the men in the little white coats.

I'm all dressed up in a cute straight jacket

Bonnet of red with a bird cage on it. 

Hooray, hooray, I'm going away with the men in the little white coats.

And I’ll bet you’re wondering why.  Well, I just heard from Neopolian B,

He wants to have a little talk with me. 

Hooray, hooray, I'm going away with the men in the little white coats.

Thank goodness I don’t remember more.

The dough at 20 hours.  It’s just been sitting on my counter.  All bubbly, it’s ready to shape.

I heavily dusted a T-towel with flour and then a little corn meal.

Now, a small interruption.  There are “things” in my kitchen that I truly love.  There are some expensive things in my kitchen that are really nice to have and I enjoy but they aren’t the things I love.  Lindy told about a linen cloth that she uses for bread.  Over time it has become saturated with flour, dough even very wet dough isn’t going to stick to it.  She gives this cloth very special care.  I think she has a respect and love for this cloth because of it’s long use and it’s beauty of function.  Today, I also read a post at The Wednesday Chef entitled In My Kitchen.  Wednesday Chef gives us a peek into her kitchen.  The things she’s describing are the things given to her by special people, things she collected over time, things that by using she’s built special meaning into.  It is these things that we use in a kitchen that bring joy and comfort. These are the things that lend the flavor of love to the foods that come out of our kitchens.

This is one of those things in my kitchen.  This is one of a set of four T-towels my Aunt Dort embroidery for me for my “hope chest” over 40 years ago.  Actually it was the only thing I remember being in any hope chest because I didn’t really have one but that’s what she gave it to me for back then.  I don’t use it everyday or it wouldn’t have lasted this long.  But, Lindy’s linen cloth made me remember I do want to use it or it won’t take on enough patina of love.  I used it to cover this bread for it’s final two hour rise.  At one hour 30 minutes into the final rise, I turned the oven on to 450° with the LeCreuset Doufeu on the middle shelf to warm also.

Two hours under Dort’s T-towel and it’s easily doubled in size.

I very lightly dusted the pan with flour and just a touch or corn meal.  I thought it might burn but it didn’t.

Now I thought it was nutty to be up taking pictures of dough rising at 4 AM.  I think it may be even nuttier that I took a movie of this bread when I took it out of the oven so that I could capture the snap and crackle sounds it made as it cooled!  But I did.

I know this really sounds too good to be true but this is what came out of my oven.  Folks the crust is as good as anything you’ve ever eaten and the taste, well...Sorry, I can’t offer you any, it was dinner and what’s left will be our breakfast.

Believe

Now, the other thing that happened with baking this is Baking Soda and I saw Lindy’s post at almost the same time and each issued the other the challenge to bake it.  There were a number of wacky e-mails that went back and forth as we baked round the world around the clock.  Her loaf came out of the oven just about the same time as mine (read that midnight her time at which point she went to bed).  Her loaf looks just as stunning as mine.  She’ll have a post up as soon as a house with husband and young boys gives her the free moment.  Update:  Also check out Life begins at sixty-five who also baked this bread and has a great blog that I’ve just discovered with this bake around the globe!!

I love blogging and the internet!!

Did you bake this bread with me?  Let me know! I’d like to list all the No-Kneader in a side bar. Leave a comment or drop me an e-mail at comments my kitchen at mac dot com and you know not to put those spaces in...Let me hear from you.

Have a beautiful day and Bake Bread!

What do they call the bread singing, crackling...  musique du pain