The critical steps in making hominy from dry corn kernels. Continue reading

I've started experimenting with 100% whole wheat bread that I mill myself. The basic no-knead recipe works great if you add a little more water. I've found 100% whole wheat flour needs a hydration percentage of at least 79%. If you're working from Jim Lahey's recipe that's: 14.1 ounces of flour or 400 grams 11.1 ounces of water or 316 grams (versus the recipe's 10.7 oz or 300 grams) If you're working from the Cook's Illustrated recipe that's: 15 ounces of flour or 425 grams 12 ounces of liquid or 340 grams (versus the recipe's 10.5 ounces or 298 grams)... Continue reading

What's the difference between no knead bread made with an 8 hour rise, an 18 hour rise, or a week in the refrigerator? Which recipe is the best? The one from Lahey's "My Bread", Hertzberg's "Bread in 5 Minutes a Day"?, or Cook's Illustrated's: "Almost No-Knead Bread"? How much should you work and shape the dough? I've made bread with absolutely no kneading or shaping and it turned out good--just not as tall as normal. I've followed Julia Childs' famous recipe for French bread and it turned out great. Whatever you have time for! I'm finding they all make good... Continue reading

What temperature should you look for to indicate that your bread is finished baking? It depends on your altitude. 0 feet: 212°F, 100°C 1000 feet: 210.1 F, 98.9°C 2000 feet: 208.1°F, 97.8°C 3000 feet: 206.2°F, 96.8°C 4000 feet: 204.3°F, 95.7°C 5000 feet: 202.4°F, 94.7°C There are more elevations listed at: The Engineering Toolbox I've been carefully watching the temperature of my bread during the last 15 minutes of baking with a Polder Cooking Thermometer . Read the reviews on Amazon--there can be problems with probe type thermometers. I regularly use mine during the last half hour of baking. Here's what... Continue reading

The flour hydration percentage is a measure of the wetness of the dough. Flour hydration is calculated as: Hydration percentage = (water weight / flour weight) * 100 The sweet spot (from my experience) is between 70% and 90%. If you need to hand-shape a loaf (rather than dumping the dough into a pot), the lower percentage is easier to work. Around 90%, the dough becomes unworkable without the No-Touch technique. Jim Lahey New York Times Recipe No weight was given for the flour or any indication on how to measure the flour was given e.g.,Scoop and sweep vs using... Continue reading

The goal of this batch of bread was to merge no-touch no-knead techniques with Julia Child's famous recipe for true French bread in: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I found success by using a baguette pan to both mold the rising dough and bake it--avoiding problems moving the fragile risen dough. Continue reading

Bread machines have been rendered obsolete by no-knead bread and no-touch dough handling. No-knead bread is a lot better looking, better tasting and the crust is wonderfully crisp. No-touch equipment is cheaper, easier to store, easier to clean, and can be used for other cooking and bakin Continue reading

How to make No-Touch No-Knead bread using a Zyliss Silicon Spreader and a Silpat Silicon Baking Mat to shape the bread dough. Your hands NEVER TOUCH the dough. Continue reading

This recipe will make a hot and spicy version of Chex® Party Mix. The secret is boiling down the Lea & Perrins® Worcestershire Sauce and the hot sauce to concentrate the flavor and thicken them before adding to the cereal. Continue reading