I finally got around to making the Bittman-Lahey no-knead bread this weekend, and I'm pretty happy with the results. I only wish there were more bread to show for the nineteen-hour first rise and two-hour second rise. The crust is crackly, chewy, and thin. I doubled the amount of salt in the recipe, and it could've used even a bit more. I also took some liberties with water and flour amounts because the dough looked like it was going to be too stiff. Otherwise I pretty much tried to follow the recipe, using a seven-quart round cast-iron Dutch oven. Instead of putting the dough on top of a floured towel, I used a Silpat and put the floured towel just on top—no sticking problems at all. I'll definitely make it again.And while I was in New York I finished the brown Fetching mittens. Very happy with them, too, although the picot bind off edge is a little loose around the knuckles—it was fine on the pink pair, where I did the bind-off wrong; this time I did it right and it's not as snug.
The Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran is already pilling like crazy.My mom made several pretty outfits for the bug: a "romper" (whatever that is) for summer, a couple of breezy blouses, and some pants, the latter two based on Burda 9645. Here she is out in the yard the other day in one of the blouses.
2 comments:
The fetching gloves are so lovely! I am thinking of investing in a sweater stone from KnitPicks, so when I do, you're welcome to try it against the piling. Alison swears by hers.
Also, looks like a great trip to New York! The Bug does look terrified in the subway picture, but I imagine she's just working on her cosmopolitan, streetsmart, disinterested expression. Hope to see you around town soon--I should dig out from this freelance work soon, at least for a brief respite.
I doubled that recipe after the first time and tried sliding the dough into my Henry Watson ceramic bread pan inside the Dutch oven and got a conventionally shaped loaf with most of the crusty, chewy crust and holey crumb of the "plopped on the bottom of the Dutch oven" that I first tried.
Post a Comment