Customer Reviews

Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I don't write a lot of Amazon reviews, but this new book deserves it. I'm not sure I understand all of the science behind the technique, but I love the results. The recipes I've tried so far are the "pot breads," meaning that they're baked in a cast-iron pot with the lid on it, and the results have been impressively crusty loaves, even better than what I get in many bakeries (and far better than anything I can get in the supermarket). But what I think is most interesting is how the author gives so many options for rise time. If I'm busy and can't bake the loaf until the next day, I choose the long rise (anywhere from 4 to 24 hours, depending on the recipe). She is also gives 1- to 2-hour OR 2- to 3-hour rise options. That's what I like when I'm baking bread at home -- options. And as they title claims, there is no kneading involved. Again, I don't really understand the how's and why's here (though the author does explain it), but I really like not having a kitchen counter covered with flour. Yes, sometimes I think kneading can be fun, but most of the time I'm a little too busy for all the fuss (full-time job, teenage daughter, you get the idea). I'm excited to try the pizza dough recipe, because I love making pizza at home. And a friend made the Double Chocolate-Honey Bread (the photo in the book is gorgeous), and wow, it's amazingly good. I really think this book is worth a try.

Oh, my! This book is amazing. I have experimented with bread recipes from dozens of cookbooks over the years, drawn by the promise of yeasty aromas and a fetish for crusty, brown artisan breads. Very few of the results have lived up to my expectations. As my life grew busier, and time shorter, I shifted to bread machine recipes, but then all the loaves looked the same and few were as tasty as I'd hoped. A few weeks ago a friend told me about this book with its innovative techniques. I could toss the ingredients together at night before bed, she claimed, let the dough rise and (get this!) knead itself through my next work day...then when I got home all I had to to was crank up the oven, do a quick shaping in a pan for a brief second rise, and stick it in the oven. I've already tried three recipes, and every one turned out looking like the product of an artisan baker. Just beautiful! And the flavor of these breads is unbeatable. No more paying $5. a loaf at the local breadery. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves wholesome, fresh bread, whether they're an experienced cook or a beginner. The recipes are that easy to follow, and the results are extraordinary.

As a new cook, this technique makes bread making easy. I always watched my mom make bread, and I thought it was too complicated. Now with Nancy Baggett's updated technique it's easy to make bread! I love the way that you can make the dough and adjust the rising time to fit your schedule. This way you can make the dough the night before, let it rise, complete a few more steps, and you have freshly made bread! The directions are easy simple and easy to follow. I can't wait to gather more ingredients so that I can make some more bread! Enjoy!

I've been baking bread for 30 years, and have bought numerous books on the art of bread baking, from the post-hippie Tassajara and Laurel's bread books, to the standard tomes from Beard, Clayton, Hensberger, to the more recent "artisan"-inspired books from bakers such as Reinhart, Bertinet, and Berenbaum. More recently I have explored the no-knead breads of Lahey's NY Times recipe and those of "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes." As my life has become busier and I have less time to bake bread, I've mostly had to leave off creating loaves in the traditional method of kneading and baby-sitting multiple rises. In the past few years, in an attempt to keep homemade bread on my table regularly, I have relied on the bread machine to knead and rise (but not bake) my loaves, and this has been a great solution. But I feel as though it all has been leading to Nancy Baggett's new book on no-knead bread. Now, having homemade bread everyday is no longer a struggle. The ease of her method -- just a few minutes the night before making the bread, and rarely even any shaping of the loaves -- means even my busiest workweek can accommodate making a delicious loaf.

While I enjoyed the idea of "Artisan Breads in Five Minutes" and can recommend that book with some caveats, the method resulted in having a great deal of dough in my fridge and that didn't really work for my small family of two. Also, I found that if I made a "normal" size loaf the results would often be somewhat gummy. And the smallish loaves that book produces were just not enough to last the workweek or to serve at a dinner of friends. Baggett's method suits my needs much better, producing generous loaves with no gumminess or heaviness. Her book also offers an amazing variety of breads, from artisan to old-fashioned white loaves to dessert breads. I have made about a dozen of the recipes, and not a single one has failed or been less than delicious, which is no surprise, as I found Baggett's recipes from her The All-American Dessert Book and The All-American Cookie Book have also yielded consistently delicious results. I love the County Fair White Bread, the Everyday Oatmeal Bread, and the Buttermilk Pot Bread, and my current favorite in the book is the English Muffin Bread, which makes the most amazing crunchy toast and grilled sandwiches. I'm looking forward to trying the sticky buns and the various rye breads next.

An added bonus, and the thing that really clinches the deal and makes this a 5-star book, is the final section in which Baggett offers tips on converting any favorite bread recipe into one using her method. I tried converting my favorite Peter Reinhart pizza dough using her method, and the result was amazing. Now I can more easily bake up any of my favorite bread recipes!

The only slight flaw I've encountered is that one aspect of the author's method requires adding enough flour to make a stiff dough after the initial long rise. Initially, I was unsure of the consistency Baggett was describing; so stiff I couldn't stir it?, or just stiff enough that it isn't batterlike? And the instructions to "pour" the dough into the pan seemed to add to the confusion, as often the dough seemed too stiff to pour out of the bowl by itself. Since enough flour is needed to avoid a heavy, gummy loaf, this step is crucial, therefore this aspect was a cause for concern. But after making a number of loaves I think I've hit upon the right consistency. Anyway, whether I was doing it right or not, the loaves still turned out uniformly excellent. Perhaps the author has made a demonstration video that's out there somewhere that illustrates the right consistency of the dough. That's all it would take.

Overall, I can highly recommend "Kneadlessly Simple" for bread bakers of all kinds -- from the novice to the expert -- and for bread lovers like me who love to bake and have a great loaf always on hand but who have little time to spare.

I love fresh bread but hate kneading, and now I don't have to. By using cold water and extra time, I can make great bread that tastes like it came from a bakery. The recipes are very detailed but easy to follow. I especially like the pizza dough recipe (and the easy recipe for homemade sauce). There are plenty of beautiful pictures, making this a great gift for a beginner or experienced baker.

I initially heard about the baking artisan bread in 5 minutes while reading Mother Earth News. The article was about another Artisan Bread book with a similar technique in baking bread. I checked it out from my library to give it a try. The loaves were good bread but not the artisan style that I was hoping for. Everyone truly thought the bread was really, really good.

While all that was going on, I was looking at the reviews on Amazon and noticed Kneadlessly Simple and read it's reviews. I was intrigued and bought the book. I just finished my first loaf called, Crusty White Peasant Style Pot Bread. I followed it as closely as possible but I know that I made some mistakes along the way. Perhaps the dough was more moist than what she would suggest? In fridge longer than 10 hours? The room temp wasn't always at optimum heat? But, I did my best. (I am in WA state and we've had the coldest winter on record I'm sure.) Anyway, my first load just came out of oven and it's as beautiful as a Parisan Artisan Bread that you will ever see. I bought the perfect little cast iron pot with lid to bake it in. You know you scored when you hear the bread "popping" while it is cooling. I'm telling you, this bread is a work of art.

Buy the book. Enjoy the process. Make lots of mistakes and have fun with it. The smell is heavenly! I'm creating dinner tonight to go with the bread. ;D Bon apetit!

I've tried about ten recipes in this bread baking book and the results are fantastic! While the method used is definitely simple and time-saving and the outcome is delicious, there is some judgment involved in knowing when the dough is just stiff enough to get the desired result. But this is really relatively simple. The results are far beyond most bread recipes -- I'm an experienced bread baker and these recipes get more favorable reviews than anything I've ever made. The resulting bread is fully as good as any "artisan" bread I've been able to buy in the San Francisco area. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to eat interesting and varied and delicious bread.

Fuss-free is right! The bread I've made so far from this cookbook has all been wonderful and dead simple to make. However, as an offset to the simplicity you do have to plan well in advance. There's no deciding to make some bread for dinner tonight; you've got to be thinking about bread for tomorrow or beyond! The author spells out multiple options for rising. None of them are quick, but they are very helpful for working around your schedule.

In the end, the results are worth it! Even the basic white peasant loaf is wonderfully complex, with a chewy crisp crust that is leagues ahead of any supermarket loaf. The green chili cheddar bread was my last attempt, and it was awesome as well.

The title is right! These breads really are no-knead and fuss-free, and every one I've tried has been fabulous---better than a lot of very pricey bakery breads. Unlike the other no-knead recipes circulating around, most of these don't require any hand-shaping or kitchen mess at all. I think the selection of recipes is great (everything from crusty artisan to healthy to home-style), and the book is really attractive, too. What a bargain! Highly recommended to anybody who wants good homemade bread but doesn't want to work for it.

I had been making the Sullivan Street bakery bread...then tried the Artisan Bread in 5 (but always baked it in the dutch oven--not according to the instructions...) This is by far the best of that type, and I love that this book is so versatile. AND I LOVE that I can put the wet dough in a loaf pan without shaping it. I don't mean to exaggerate, but I feel at this time it is the only bread book I want to use. And I have shelves of them.


This is something different--slow risen, low effort, simple instructions, verrrrry flexible timing.