New guy, with questions | The Fresh Loaf

Intro: Hi! I’m new to bread baking and very excited to have found this resource! I know I’m late to the party, but I found Jim Lahey’s no knead bread a little over a year ago and fell in love with it. I have a medical condition in my hands that makes it hard to knead dough, so the no knead / Dutch oven method was perfect for me. In the past year, I’ve made a bunch of loaves, including variations with herbs, small seeds, and up to 1/3 rye or whole wheat flour, all successfully.

Question 1: Poolish vs no knead – I got a copy of Leader’s “Bread Alone” from the library and have been reading about using a poolish. It seems to me that they're basically the same thing, but a poolish is mixed with other flour and water and needs to ferment / rise again, while the no knead is just baked as a loaf by itself. How is the flavor of a bread made from a poolish different from Lahey’s no knead method?

Question 2: Generally speaking, how could I adapt a ‘normal’ kneaded bread recipe to the no knead method? Can I just mix up all the ingredients from the preferment and the final dough together, add ¼ tsp of instant yeast, and get something close to the original loaf? Most bread recipes seem to have a hydration percentage in the mid 60’s. My no knead recipes are typically 75-85% hydration, which I understand is important to the no knead / bake in a covered Dutch oven method. Can I just add extra water to get a high hydration dough, or am I making too many changes at once to expect a good result?

I'm going to get into sourdough at some point, but that'll be a question for later...

Thanks!

-Chris

this place is a fantastic resource as you will discover.

(1). Usually a poolish is left to 'ferment' overnight and adds considerable flavor to a bread.

(2). Here's a recipe for you to get your sea legs with. Then you could make those in Leader's book, substituting stretch and folds for kneading, prolonging the bulk fermentation times. But start here:
https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2014/03/white-bread-with-poolish.html

good luck

hester

Thanks! That recipe is interesting. It looks very similar to the no knead loaves I make. The recipe you posted calls for equal parts flour and water with 1/8 tsp yeast, fermented overnight, and then added to more water, flour, and yeast the following day, to get to 75% hydration. In the Lahey recipe I've been using, it's the same ratios, just with everything added at once on day 1, fermented overnight, and then baked the following afternoon without adding any extra flour, water, or yeast. I guess the 'stretch and folds' in your method are what forms the gluten in the second half of the process, because that second dose of flour is only fermented for a few hours? Is there any difference in flavor between the two methods, do you think? Thanks! -Chris

there might be more flavor in the recipe I posted. I am familiar with Lahey's recipe. It's good. I haven't done the one I posted b/c I just do sourdough breads now... so I cannot answer. I suggested it b/c it'd get you familiar with stretch and folds and doing something a bit different.

Was just a thought.
Good luck and keep us posted.

hester

Oh, certainly, thanks! I have a bunch of different loaves I want to try, and I try to only change one variable at a time, but I think I might do a side-by-side of these two sometime, to compare the methods.

Thanks again!

is a great way of comparing. Doing the poolish as in the linked recipe is not really that different from feeding your sd starter and letting it ripen overnight in prep for a dough. And the stretch and folds will familiarize you with that technique. Then You'll be doing what is done w sd. You'll just have to get your starter going.
Please post when you have the comparison done.

Hester

Advice - do what you like with it ?:

As much as possible when starting, use recipes that are already set up to do exactly what you wanted. Modifying recipes can be much trickier than it looks.

Just keep a notebook and write the recipe down. Evaluate the outcome and make only 1 (poss.2) changes for the next bake. Experimenting can be fun and delicious and you learn more quickly how the ingredients behave and how to tailor the outcome. Delicious process.

I have 3 additional suggestions.

1.I have had hand issues in the past and found that a stand mixer for the initial mix (and even the kneading) is invaluable.

2. Look up an old-fashioned bread idea-Batter Bread. The dough is about the same consistency of a thick cake mix and most stand mixers handle it quite well. Red Star yeast has a few recipes on their site. I made very edible breads in the sandwich variety and the fruit toast variety. Worth a try-esp. if you have a mixer.

3. How about stretch and folds instead of kneading. Use the "Search" box. It might even be in the "Handbook" tab at the top of the page.

A fourth idea- I wish I could find the YouTube link but it doesn't seem easily found.

Jacques Pepin's Bread

Makes 1 round loaf

2-1/4 cups tepid water

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon and a little more of active dry yeast

4 cups all-purpose flour

Combine the water, salt, yeast and flour in a non-stick 2-quart saucepan THAT CAN BE PUT IN THE OVEN FOR BAKING.

Stir gently to mix. It will be quite shaggy looking.

Cover the pot and set aside for 1-1/2 hours.

Remove the cover and give the dough a good stir or two.

Cover the pot and refrigerate for 10 to 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the cover from the pot and bake until golden brown on top, about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before dumping the bread out of the pot.

Cool a bit before cutting.