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| No Knead Bread! |
I made another batch of no knead bread, today. This time, I used yeast that was only one year out of date (expired May 2022)! I proofed it as the recipe called for and it worked very well, getting nice and foamy. I weighed out my flour and mixed up the dough and it rose well, it being a warm day. Then, I divided the dough between a loaf pan and a round casserole dish as usual, covered the dishes with cling wrap, and kept for a second rise. Again, the dough rose quite well, but, it touched the cling wrap. So that, when I went to take the cling wrap off, air bubbles burst and the dough deflated a bit. Oops! I kept it to rise a bit more without the cling wrap, but, it didn't work that well. Anyway, I baked it and it turned out well enough:
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| The Round Loaf |
It's crusty and the bread itself is tasty and not too dense. As I told my daughter, the best thing about it is, I know exactly what went into it - all purpose flour, expired yeast, water, salt, two teaspoons of sugar, and the butter I used to grease the pans!
I had the piece I cut off with chicken curry for my dinner, today. Brunch had been the leftover piece of French toast from yesterday.
It has been a very relaxed Tuesday. I went to bed at 5:00 a.m. woke up once around 8:30 a.m. to feed Dancer, and woke up for the second time at 10:00 a.m. I brought in the emptied trash bin and it was already quite warm outside (about 85F/29C). We eventually went up to the 92F/33C, today. I replied to blog comments, visited other blogs, checked the new grocery ads that came in the mail today, did a few things around the house, and baked bread.
Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter and while we were chatting, she noticed that there was smoke coming out from the side of her laptop, where the charging cord was plugged in! The same thing happened to me, with one of my old laptops, I remember! She quickly unplugged her computer and turned it off! She will be shopping for a new computer, this week, either after work, tomorrow, or on Friday, when she has a day off from work! We are very grateful that the computer didn't start smoking when it was plugged in to charge overnight!
Today, I am grateful for:
- My daughter noticed her laptop was smoking before it actually caught fire or something bad happened!
- We were able to video chat before the computer started smoking!
- The expired yeast still worked!
- Homemade bread (even if it is a bit on the flat side!)
- Working appliances
Today's joyful activity was making bread! I still can't make a proper loaf of kneaded bread and my no knead bread doesn't rise as much as I'd like it to, but, I am enjoying trying to make bread from scratch!
Do you make your own bread? If so, do you make kneaded bread or do you make no-knead bread?
Smoke coming from the computer is certainly a scary thing. I just read a report from the iphone folks saying not to allow your phone to charge overnight in the bed with you. OM goodness that you have to tell people that. I'll say no more. I like freshly made bread & thought about getting a bread maker, but no, I eat far too many carbs as it is. Your bread looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteYes, and poor daughter was so worried about it, especially since she couldn't remove the battery from the computer, that she stayed up practically all night, making sure the computer wouldn't smoke or burst into flames!
DeleteA bread maker would be nice, I think, but, I don't have room for yet another appliance. My dream is to master the art of making kneaded bread by hand, but, until then, this no knead bread works. I shouldn't eat any bread, but, I love crusty bread!
I haven't made bread in a long time because we don't eat that much. However, I have a bread machine that usually does a good job in making a loaf. I've never had a smoking laptop. I'm glad that your daughter noticed hers quickly.
ReplyDeleteIt's good that you have the bread machine for when you do feel like having some homemade bread. I've considered getting one, but, I really don't have room for another appliance and, I might be tempted to eat even more bread than I do!
DeleteA smoking laptop is a bit scary! Daughter said she tried to remove the battery from the computer and when she couldn't, she stayed up most of the night, worried that the computer battery might burst into flame! She is planning to get a new laptop on Friday.
The texture of your bread looks good and as long as it is crusty and tasty then it turned out well enough. I've never made my own bread and did suggest buying a bread maker but husband wasn't keen.
ReplyDeleteGood job your daughter's laptop started smoking while in use and no accidents happened, it doesn't bear thinking about.
The bread tasted delicious and yes, it was nice and crusty! The texture was good, too. I'm happy with it, although I do wish it had risen just a bit more, but, then, it did what it could with old yeast and having the top of it disturbed when I removed the cling wrap!
DeleteYes, it was very fortunate that my daughter noticed the smoke from her laptop when she did! She said she stayed up most of the night, worrying about it because she couldn't remove the battery from the computer. She will get a new laptop on Friday, she said.
Glad I am not the only one who has accidentally deflated the rise on bread.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, accidental deflaters of bread dough unite! :D
DeleteSorry about your daughter's laptop! Yes, it is a good thing it wasn't plugged in or even unattended. I am making bread today and the same thought came to me, that which happened to your bread. Rises well, then take off the cling wrap (even though I spray oil on it) and it deflates. So, today I'm going to keep an eye on it, and when it rises a bit close to the cling wrap, I'm going to remove the wrap. andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea; yes, it was a good thing that she noticed the smoke before anything bad happened!
DeleteOh, I hope your bread turns out well risen and not accidentally deflated! I didn't think to oil the cling wrap, but, maybe I will the next time! Or, use a damp towel. Enjoy your freshly baked bread!
Io pensavo che il lievito dopo un po' perdesse il suo effetto, invece il tuo dopo ben un anno dalla scadenza funzionava ancora
ReplyDeleteAccording to Google Translates, Stefania says:
Delete"I thought that the yeast would lose its effect after a while, but yours still worked well after a year from the expiration date"
Yes! Most recipes say, if the yeast has expired, throw it away, but, to me, that is a waste of the yeast! I proofed it and it was quite bubbly and the dough rose well until I accidentally deflated it! The bread tastes just fine! :)
There's something really comforting about home made bread. Except mine. I've turned out the good stuff but I've also turned out bread that could be used as a rockery!
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, I've turned out my share of bread bricks! I seem to have a problem with getting my bread dough to rise and stay risen! But, I keep trying! Maybe, one day, I'll invest in some bread flour and yeast that is fresh and try again!
DeleteI used to always make bread, but not so much lately. I find American bread far too sweet for my liking, so it's always nice to make my own. Thinking about it I should start doing it again! I miss it. The smell is lovely too
ReplyDeleteMaybe when you come back from your holiday, you can start baking your own bread, again. :)
DeleteAs long as your bread tasted delicious, that's all that matters :)
ReplyDeleteYour daughter must have had quite the shock to notice smoke coming from her lap top. Thank goodness she was using it and it hadn't been left on the side where she might not have noticed.
The bread buns I mentioned turned out really well. I think I might bake some more this next week. Xx
The bread was very delicious and the round loaf has been eaten, already! LOL.
DeleteYes, my daughter was very shocked to see the smoke coming from her laptop! We are very glad it happened when she was using it and not when it was left charging overnight, etc. She stayed up till 4:00 a.m., keeping an eye on it, that night, because she couldn't remove the battery and she was afraid that something might happen! She is planning to take the laptop to the store, today, to have it checked and also, to buy herself a new one!
Glad your bread buns turned out well, Jules. Sounds like another batch this week would be good, too. :)
Your bread looks delicious and making your own is certainly helping you bridge the gap between your store visits. I know bread is something you like to have fresh rather than freezing it.
ReplyDeleteHow many more packs of the older yeast do you have?
I haven't made any bread in a while but used to make the No Knead version quite a bit.
I remember, through trial and error, I had developed a longer rise time in the fridge that worked well. I made it and let it rise like normal at room temperature (although probably longer than most) then I would punch it down and smush it around a bit then cover it and put it in the fridge overnight baking it the next day. I do recall liking that method.
The bread did turn out tasty! I ate the round loaf very quickly, but, I still have the second loaf in the fridge. I know they say don't store bread in the fridge, but, I always do! I think I still have about 10 individual packets of the old yeast (I bought 4 of the 3 packs); lots of bread to be made! LOL.
DeleteMaybe, next time, I might try your method of leaving it to rise overnight in the fridge!