Recipe Review: Quick No-Knead Bread- Natasha’s Kitchen

No-knead bread

Have you ever had your best-laid plans go to blazes? That’s how I felt the first few times I attempted this No-knead bread recipe. The problem was not the recipe though; the problem was my yeast. I never thought to check my yeast because each time I baked bread; I opened a new sachet of yeast. 

After my fourth attempt at making this recipe, I gave up and tried other recipes. 
2 weeks ago, I rediscovered this recipe and tried it again. My recipe review is of my successful attempt at making this recipe.

No-knead bread

The recipe and Instructions

This Quick No-Knead bread from Natasha’s kitchen has only 4 ingredients; Water, yeast, flour, and salt. Every baker should have these essential ingredients in their pantry. 

The instructions are easy to follow and very clear. The simplicity of this recipe even makes the all in one method of mixing possible especially if you use a stand mixer. You must avoid placing the salt and yeast together to avoid rendering the yeast inactive. Even better is the fact that no kneading is required. The straightforward recipe and instructions set the stage for simple but epic bread making. 

After the first and second rise, you put the dough in the oven with a cup of boiling water in a pan to create steam. The steam contributes to the formation of delicious chewy bread with a crisp top.

Texture

This bread had an amazing chewy texture considering the fact that no kneading was involved. Despite how crisp and chewy the crust of this bread was, the center was soft. It also reminded me of French bread. 

A day after I made the bread, the crust was not as crunchy but still had a lot of chew to it. The texture was lovely, especially when dipped in tomato sauce, which was the way I ate it. The texture of the bread makes it suitable for piling on toppings, sauces or cheese as it does not get soggy quickly.

Taste

 While this is quick bread dough, the flavor profile does not reflect that fact. The salt was the main seasoning for the loaf and the flavor the yeast provided after the second rise complimented the salt. It may seem like a ton of salt for some to add to add to a bread recipe but this was actually a perfect amount. The flavors of the no-knead bread also paired wonderfully with butter and cheese.

For a better flavor especially in savory dishes, add some dried herbs or crushed garlic to the bread dough while mixing. A few drizzles of olive oil make a lovely addition to this bread recipe. 
For a simple affair, eat this bread with butter.

Quick No-knead bread


Combo

This bread was perfect with a homemade tomato recipe. The saltiness of the bread combined with the acidity, sweetness and subtle spiciness of the tomato sauce provided a flavor bomb. This also tastes good with a mild cheese. 
I recommend mild cheese because a sharp one might add another layer of salt which could lead to a salt overload for your taste buds.

Do I recommend this recipe? 

Yes, I do, it is ideal for the amateur bread maker or busy baker. 
However, you will probably need ½ - 1 cup of flour more than what this recipe calls for. If you use only the amount the recipe calls for, your dough will be sticky, not tacky and unmanageable. The dough will also spread out instead of rising upwards.

Once you have mastered making this recipe, mixing and baking this dough will be a breeze. 

This bread is nothing like commercially made bread so if that is what you are searching for, this recipe will disappoint you. I still encourage you to try this recipe. 

- Substitutions
You can use all-purpose flour if you do not have bread flour.


No comments

Post a Comment

Professional Blog Designs by pipdig