Do I Need to Knead?

I keep on finding bread recipes online and recently I have been seeing more no knead bread recipes.  I think I am a bread magnet.   

In spite all the recommendation for low-carb diets, I love freshly baked bread (especially with butter!).

This love for bread is a result of the sourdough bread that Father would bring home from his business trips to the U.S.   We always looked forward to his coming home.   We would rummage through his luggage to see what treats he had brought home for us.  When we were younger, they would be toys, stationery and knick-knacks but as we grew older, Father would bring sourdough bread from Fisherman's Wharf, chocolates, Mauna Loa macadamia nuts and other goodies.

I actually don't mind kneading dough.  Ironically, it is the rising time that gets me down.   

We hope to try the first recipe since it uses more flour therefore will yield a bigger loaf. We tried the second one during my leave and it was gone in one sitting.   

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Easy No Knead Skillet Bread (http://bakerbettie.com/easy-no-knead-skillet-bread/)

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast (2¼ tsp if measuring from bulk yeast)
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• ½ TBSP kosher salt
• 4⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• olive oil
• rosemary

Instructions

1. Combine yeast and warm water in a large bowl or pitcher.
2. Using a wooden spoon add in 1 cup of the flour and then the salt and mix until combined.
3. Stir in the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, until completely incorporated.
4. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid that is not shut completely.
5. Allow to rise for 1 hour.
6. Do not punch down the dough.
7. Lightly oil the bottom of a cast iron skillet.
8. Sprinkle a good amount of flour on top of the dough and then cover hands with flour.
9. Take all of the dough and shape into a disk. (it will be sticky)
10. Place in the 10" or 12" skillet, cover loosely with a towel, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
11. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
12. Drizzle a little more oil over the top of the bread, and slash the dough with a knife creating an X.
13. Sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary leaves.
14. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is a deep brown color.

No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread  (http://www.motherearthnews.com)

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting 

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.