World's Easiest Bread Recipe

[jennyema]

I posted this recipe ("Simple Crusty Bread")in another forum, but wanted to report back after I made it this weekend.

It's also from the NYTimes. Full article here

Although it's not quite as goog in taste and texture as the "original" NYT/Bittman no-knead bread, it's still very good.

But the best part is that it is sinfully easy. So easy that it's perfect for small children and beginners but good enough for experienced bakers. Plus it takes a fraction of the time and planning of the other recipe.

I baked mine in my LC french oven and not on a pizza stone.

The recipe makes enough dough for 2 lgood sized loaves. The dough will keep or you can cut the recipe in half.

Also, like the other recipe, it benefits from more salt than called for. I used about 2 1/4 T.

I made some excellent crusty dinner rolls with some of the leftover dough.

 

[bethzaring]

I saw this recipe a few days ago and made up one batch of dough today. I refrigerated 1/2 and baked off two smallish loaves. It turned out like regular bread!! Was that supposed to happen? I was expecting a holey, chewy bread like the Mark Bitman recipe, but this is like regular bread. I followed the directions and baked them on a pizza stone. I don't like to mess with the salt/yeast ratio, so I used the proportions suggested. It was fun to make, certainly easy, but the minimalist in me likes the 1/4 t. yeast in the Bitman recipe, as opposed to 1 1/2 T. yeast in this recipe. I'm thinking I will try a pizza with the other 1/2 of the dough.

 

[Katie H]

Sorry, jenny. I've made this bread twice and was very disappointed in it. Didn't think the loaves were very big and the texture was nowhere near as nice as the NY Times bread. I'm a skilled bread baker and followed the directions to the letter. I'm still going to give it another shot, though.

 

[jennyema]

I agree about the texture not being the same, but mine was not at all like regular bread. I am looking at it right now (brought some in for lunch with some Lurpak butter) and it has fairly large wholes, a crunchy crust and a nice chew.

My rolls also were crusty and delicious.

I used more salt and cooked it ala the other recipe, in a covered french oven, then uncovered and steamed.

I did let it rise for 3 hours and not 2 beacuse I was in the middle of something.

I have the rest of the dough in the fridge. Will make more bread tonight and report back.

I still think it would be a great recipe for a kid.

"Betty Crocker" wrote my mother a letter congratulating her when she made her first loaf of bread when she was 7! The fact that my grandfather worked for General Mills helped.

 

[jennyema]

I took a picture of it before downing it for lunch