The steam is important for good ovenspring so that the outer layer of the dough doesn’t dry out too fast and prohibits good rise but is also important for a good crust as moisture is critical for the starch gel to form. The steam also prevents that the crust gets too dark
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Oh shoot, i knew there was a revised recipe and didn’t think to ask which one you used…!
Yes the revised one with less water is the best to follow. I’ve only made it a few times myself- and i am soooo not a baker and it came out surprisingly good. It doesn’t age well though, so if you won’t finish the loaf in 2-3 days freeze the rest
I think you need a smaller pot. I have three sizes to use for 1/1.5/2lb loaves. The crumb on your loaf looks good, but if you proofed a bit longer, you’d get bigger holes, if desired (so long as the flour is 11+% protein).
Are you referring to the picture I posted in January 2017? Or was the reply meant for someone else?
This is such a long thread that I am not sure. I was responding to two pictures of a handsome loaf, but not a tall loaf. Looks great!
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Could you share the brands/sizes you use for the different loaves? I ruined the lid handle on my Le Creuset enameled pot. Such an expensive pot wasn’t necessary for bread baking, but I didn’t know at the time.
Vielen Dank!
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I don’t think brand matters much. But my smallest pot is Kitchenaid and, I think, not produced anymore. Maybe 3 quarts. The middle size is a Tramontina pot, gettable at Walmart and Sam’s Club and elsewhere. The largest, for the 2±pound loaves, is a 30 centimeter dutch oven from Le Creuset, lower profile than the others. I love that pot.
You can go to a hardware store for a replacement stainless-steel top handle for the Le Creuset–can stand high heat…
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The original NYT recipe is my “go-go” method. I do increase the water to around 425ml. A full 18 hour rise in the warmest room in the house…in SF, that’s usually no more than 70 degrees.
Today
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Beautiful bread.
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Perfection.
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P and b, I take no credit for this. It just works for us.
Great results in this thread. Very impressive. High hydration. Long overnight prove. Fun getting it into the dutch pot.
Oh and hi from a new member!
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Welcome! Beautiful bread! I hardly bake in the summer but all this bread porn is making me hungry.
Wow that looks like a terrific loaf! Which recipe are you using?
Welcome to the forum. Lots of bakers, cooks and opinions here!
Welcome and LOVELY LOAF! What flour are you using?
Well thanks for the lovely welcome.
I’m in London, UK. We call the flour ‘strong white bread flour’. It will be around 12% protein. What do you call that flour in the States?
As for the recipe. I’m not sure in the traditional recipe format. I used some software called ‘knibl’ - nibble - knibl.com . It interprets recipes taking care of timings, processes, tips…well everything. It’s cheating really.
There’s a video of me using it to make that recipe somewhere. Let me look. Can’t upload it; too big.
It’s on vimeo. Link below. I’ve changed the password to ‘onion’ for you.
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Hey Pilgrim, thanks for the welcome. Did you cut your loaf on the image above to get that wonderful oven spring?
No. How to explain. I just flip the boule off the towel on which it rose into the hot pot, the top of the boule now on the bottom, and the underside on top. It just cracks open naturally with the heat.
Ok Pilgrim.
I followed a link to the NYT page for the bread. Really good. It’s a lower hydration - 52.5% - than I would expect which will give it a stronger physical structure but a slightly tighter crumb I guess. I’d love to see a cross section of your loaf when you do it again.
The hydration of the no-knead loaf I posted is 75% which, as I’m sure you can imagine, makes it a little more difficult to work with. It also gives it a flatter physical structure. It does seem to give it a looser crumb however. Fascinating.
