Bread Machines are Obsolete with No-Touch No-Knead Bread Making

Bread machines have been rendered obsolete by no-knead bread and no-touch dough handling. No-knead bread is a lot better looking, better tasting and the crust is wonderfully crisp.  No-touch equipment is cheaper, easier to store, easier to clean, and can be used for other cooking and baking. Start with a few critical items and then add a few more when you start baking bread several times a week.

The items listed below are must haves.  The other items in the full list of no-touch bread equipment make bread making easier but can wait until you've made a dozen loaves or so.  For full details on the no-touch technique and equipment, see my first two pages at right.

Dutch Oven for Baking the Dough

Any Dutch oven or heavy pot will work for your first attempts. The smaller the diameter, the taller your loaf. One that's about eight inches in diameter is perfect for recipes using 15 ounces of flour--about 3 cups.  Un-enameled cast iron will work fine since it will be lined with parchment paper.  Make sure the handles on your Dutch oven can withstand 500° heat. MANY CAN'T!

KitchenAid 3.5-qt. Round Dutch Oven

Silicon Kneading Tool

A heavy Silicone (non-stick) tool is used to work the dough.  (It's less than a minute of shaping the dough and can't really be called kneading.)  The Zyliss Silicon Spreader is the only thing I've seen that can do the job.

 

Zyliss Silicone Spreader, Red

Non-Stick Mat

A non-stick flexible surface for working the dough is critical to the no-touch technique.  No flouring is necessary, and you can pick up the mat and dump the dough onto the parchment paper. Many supposedly non-stick pastry mats aren't. 

Silpat 11-5/8-by-16-1/2-Inch Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat

Silpat Commercial Size Baking Liner

Parchment Paper for Dutch Ovens

Any parchment paper will work but these round folded circles make handling the paper easier.  I use pre-cut and folded parchment circles made for Dutch ovens. It's available at some camping stores and Walmarts. It's made by Wausau Paper. If you use another parchment paper, cut it into a circle and fold it in half again and again to make a small wedge.  That will help when you drop it and the dough into the 500° pot.

 

Comments

[Irv]

I think you'll have better luck with recipes that don't try to mimic sandwich bread.

Look at flat bread recipes, or quick bread recipes that use baking powder and a gluten free grain. If your mother can tolerate corn, a corn bread recipe that doesn't use wheat flour would be an example. (I see mixed info re gluten intolerance and corn.) You can make something similar to corn bread with oat, buckwheat flour etc.

Here's a list of grains and whether they have gluten or not.

http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/gluten-free-whole-grains

Here's a millet and flax sandwich bread recipe:

http://poorandglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/05/gluten-free-flax-meal-sandwich-bread.html

[Auth]

Haven’t found any good wheat free bread recipes yet (they seem grtity or just, something’s wrong), have been looking because my mother is gluten intolerant.Will keep looking, for both of you, and hope that anyone reading this may be able to help.

[Lena]

Good info--thanks!

[Kara]

I think You do a great job. Thanks