My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method

Jim Lahey's "amazing, phenomenal, no-work, no-massage bread" (Vogue) has upset the food world.

At the point when he expounded on Jim Lahey's bread in the New York Times, Mark Bittman's energy was unmistakable: "The portion is fantastic, a fine-pastry kitchen quality, European-style boule that is delivered more effectively than by some other procedure I've utilized, and it will knock your socks off." Here, gratitude to Jim Lahey, New York's chief cook, is an approach to make bread at home that doesn't depend on an extravagant bread machine or confounded plying methods.

The key to Jim Lahey's bread is moderate ascent maturation. As Jim shows in My Bread, with bit by bit directions followed by bit by bit pictures, the measure of work you put in sums to 5 minutes: blend water, flour, yeast, and salt, and afterward let time work its magic―no manipulating important. The cycle couldn't be more basic, or the outcomes additionally motivating. Here―finally―Jim Lahey gives us a cookbook that empowers us to fit quality bread into our lives at home.

shading photographs all through

About the Author

Jim Lahey has received two James Beard Awards and is the author of The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook, My Bread, and My Pizza. He lives in New York City with his wife and coauthor, Maya Joseph.

Rick Flaste served as the editor of the New York Times Dining Section at its inception, creating many of its acclaimed features. He has collaborated on numerous cookbooks and books.

This beats those Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes methods all to heck. I bought a 5 qt. Lodge preseasoned cast-iron Dutch Oven with lid, use my ole' rubber dough scraper, a cookie sheet, a rubber spatula, bread flour or a mix of sprouted organic whole wheat, sprouted organic spelt flour, and SAF yeast, along with bread salt (w/minerals) I bought from King Arthur. My first loaf turned out super delicious! and with the wonderful crumb and browned chewy crisp crust Mr. Lahey described in his book. This is the coolest way to make homemade, superior quality bread EVER! I've been using a bread machine for years, using Beth Hensperger's "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook", which has excellent information about all the ingredients you might use, different bread machines, and great recipes, but "My Bread..." is so easy, so simple, so not labor intensive - it gives me the opportunity to make really wonderful breads with the feeling of being maybe a bit off-grid in a simple way. I had tried and given up making homemade breads decades ago - after all the work, the loaves never seemed to come out right and I was frustrated and full of bread making shame about it (yes, I was shamed by the homemade bread people). I switched to a machine several years ago - also shameful according to artisan bread zealots. I invested in the artisan bread making thing - the equipment, the refrigerator space, misting the bread, yada yada yada. Still never turned out great bread, another hope dashed on the rocks. I was overjoyed when this book popped up in my suggestions list on Amazon!! Not only is Mr. Lahey able to write with humility and kindness, he's encouraging!! His personal story as the intro is inspiring. --PLC

My husband is of German heritage. A recent poll of Germans in the US found that the thing German visitors miss the most is their bread. We moved from WA state where we got a very good, hefty bread that my husband liked but there was nothing like it in our new home. He's been all over town looking for a bread that fits his needs for years. I tried baking, several times, starting 20 years ago, even baking a batch that I let sit for days and kneaded for 15 full minutes. My husband's sad face told the story, over and over. I bought this book with little belief that the results would be much different. The first loaf finished a couple of days ago. It smelled wonderful. It had a heft to it that no local bread had. When it cooled, I knocked on its solid surface and it indicated that it was like an old world loaf. And then we cut into it--My husband ate half the loaf by dinner. It's still good days later (nothing is ever as good as the first day, though). He couldn't stop complimenting it and said it was even better than the bread that we used to buy from a baker who left a bakery to parts unknown years ago. He kept talking abut the nuances of the taste, smell--and I couldn't understand how that could be. I did nothing but a short mix of some pretty simple ingredients (could it be? just flour, salt, yeast mixed with my hands). When I said I was going to buy a second cast iron dutch oven so I could make two loaves at a time, I got no argument. My husband fairly pushed me out the door to get to a store where we knew they sold dutch ovens. --Linda

I've had good success with kneaded bread, thanks to Paul Hollywood, but this no-knead bread is even better. I've only tried the plain white so far, but it has worked every single time. I'd done them round in my dutch oven and long in a rectangular cloche. They've all worked brilliantly. I'm about ready to experiment with some of the other breads in the book now. --Spyro

My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method