No knead bread in a skillet

LarryB

New member
Ran across a video on how to bake a loaf of bread in a skillet. View artisan bread with steve. Omit the spaces and it will work. I made the bread several times and it is glorious! All during this video I kept saying this is not working. However it did work. I used a number 6 Griswold skillet. Larry
 
I've probably made well over a hundred loaves of this bread since DougD posted the video several months ago. Sometimes double the recipe, sometimes triple. Sometimes I've put the dough on a longish griddle for a longer shape, and sometimes in a couple R&E Mfg. #5 muffin pans for rolls. Usually though, I toss the dough in a couple skillets. I've been meaning to thank Doug for a while now...I think my family might starve if I stopped making that bread.
 
It clearly works, but it shouldn't.

I cook bread from scratch about twice a week. In reading bread cook books, I learned that salt inhibits yeast from proofing, so I can see why it takes 8 to 24 hours for this recipe. My recipe takes about an hour to rise. Now that doesn't mean that I totally omit salt, but it goes in last, and the yeast and water proof before I add the flour(about 5 minutes). Admittedly, I do cheat, and use a stand mixer, but I don't see much difference between my ingredients and this recipe. I knead mine once, but you could probably not and it would be fine.

Since I'm new to the CI thing, I'm intrigued about trying out bread in my 9 Griswold. I've been meaning to try olive oil out as well, as I usually use Pam. I don't know about a video, but I will report on how it turns out

And I'm sure you all noticed, but that skillet in the video is not cast iron. I think someone needs to write that guy a letter! :grin:
 
It clearly works, but it shouldn't.

I cook bread from scratch about twice a week. In reading bread cook books, I learned that salt inhibits yeast from proofing, so I can see why it takes 8 to 24 hours for this recipe. My recipe takes about an hour to rise. Now that doesn't mean that I totally omit salt, but it goes in last, and the yeast and water proof before I add the flour(about 5 minutes). Admittedly, I do cheat, and use a stand mixer, but I don't see much difference between my ingredients and this recipe. I knead mine once, but you could probably not and it would be fine.

Since I'm new to the CI thing, I'm intrigued about trying out bread in my 9 Griswold. I've been meaning to try olive oil out as well, as I usually use Pam. I don't know about a video, but I will report on how it turns out

And I'm sure you all noticed, but that skillet in the video is not cast iron. I think someone needs to write that guy a letter! :grin:

Stan, you are right that salt inhibits yeast from proofing. I will add the salt after the initial rise, and only 1/2 as much. Just not a salt lover. Also I use my dutch ovens, as I will bake 2 loafs at a time.
I saw this post sometime back and saw the photo of the skillet, and said this is not CI.:icon_thumbsup:
 
As I sit, eating my last evenings work, I can report on the recipe/method.

First, I used my method of proofing the yeast before adding the flour. The entire dough making process was only about 10 minutes of actual work, but start to finish, it was under 3 hours, not including cooling. I had been wanting to try olive oil, but was not too impressed, so my next loaf will be back to Pam. This was also my first attempt at a boule style loaf. I usually use a Pyrex bread pan. I liked it.

I do feel that my #9 Griswold is a bit large for the job, but my only other CI is a #3, so I'll be looking to expand my collection. I had been concerned about the seasoning on the Gris, as it was a bit splotchy, but it has now gone 3 uses, and has emerged a champ.

FWIW, here's my recipe.

1 1/8 cup of warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
3 cups bread flour
3 tbl melted butter

Mix sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast into the water, let it proof about 5 minutes or until it "mushrooms". Add the flour and butter. Mix well. I use a stand mixer with a dough hook. Let it rise once and knead it using the dough hook in the mixer again. Let it rise one more time. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

For CI, let it do the final rise in a different bowl with a coating of oil or Pam.

The guy in the video seemed to be talking a bit of trash about stand mixers. I will tell you it is a lot easier to use one. He talked about the trouble of "getting it out", but I would say that if you have one, and do any decent amount of cooking, you use it enough that it doesn't get "put away". Mine lives in a corner of my kitchen counter, gets pulled out when I need it, gets pushed back when I'm done.

Maybe it's my "newbness" to CI, but the dude in the vid didn't say exactly how to preheat the skillet. Is there a set method for this? What I ended up doing seemed to work out fine. My oven is a dual setup, with a short, pizza sized oven on top, and the larger main underneath. I heated up the main oven to 400, and set the Gris in the top oven. When the dough was ready, the skillet was just cool enough to get it out without an oven mitt. I was concerned that it might not be hot enough, but the bottom of the loaf was just right, as in just a tad more done than the rest of the loaf. Beginners luck?

I'm going to try another one this afternoon, without the olive oil.
 
My first loaf from the original post in this thread. Because of schedule issues, it did rise for almost 24 hours before I could bake it (including the second rise). Can't wait to sample it. I LOVE bread! :p

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---------- Post added at 10:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:27 AM ----------

Yea, so this bread may very well have just retired my breadmaker. OMG! :glutton:
 
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