I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di... 5070&emc=eta1

The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a 6-8
qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its own.
Is anyone going to try it?

I don't own an ovenproof pot that big. Any recommendations for a heavy
Dutch oven that doesn't have a killer price tag? I'm considering "raw"
cast iron but would welcome other suggestions.

Thanks,

June

In article >,
Abe > wrote:

> >I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:
> >http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...3200&en=3e494d
> >a80e48db09&ei=5070&emc=eta1
> >
> >The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a 6-8
> >qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its own.
> >Is anyone going to try it?
> >
> >I don't own an ovenproof pot that big. Any recommendations for a heavy
> >Dutch oven that doesn't have a killer price tag? I'm considering "raw"
> >cast iron but would welcome other suggestions.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >June
> How about letting a friend who has the required cookware try it out
> first to see if the recipe is worth it. My guess is it's not.

I'm going to try it. Read the article. Even McGee says it works fine.

> > >June
> > How about letting a friend who has the required cookware try it out
> > first to see if the recipe is worth it. My guess is it's not.
>
> I'm going to try it. Read the article. Even McGee says it works fine.

Please post back about your experience, I make bread every week, and
want to try it next time. I'd be very interesting to hear how it comes
out.

Kelly

Oh pshaw, on Wed 08 Nov 2006 12:44:00p, meant to say...

> I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...63653200&en=3e
> 494da80e48db09&ei=5070&emc=eta1
>
> The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a 6-8
> qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its own.
> Is anyone going to try it?
>
> I don't own an ovenproof pot that big. Any recommendations for a heavy
> Dutch oven that doesn't have a killer price tag? I'm considering "raw"
> cast iron but would welcome other suggestions.
>
> Thanks,
>
> June

I couldn't get to the recipe, but it sounds like a "batter bread". I've
baked several different batter breads over the years and they were quite
good. The ones I baked were suitable for a 2-3 quart pyrix casserole dish.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

(I may not agree with a word you say, but I shall
defend unto my death your right to say it. (Voltaire)

>
> I couldn't get to the recipe, but it sounds like a "batter bread". I've
> baked several different batter breads over the years and they were quite
> good. The ones I baked were suitable for a 2-3 quart pyrix casserole dish.
>
> --

In case you are interested:


Recipe: No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising
Skip to next paragraph
Readers' Opinions
Forum: Cooking and Recipes

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water,
and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl
with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about
18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. 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 rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface
or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.
Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran
or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more
flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise
for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in
size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450
degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel,
Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully
remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over
into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake
pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten
out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid
and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.
Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Oh pshaw, on Thu 09 Nov 2006 11:02:30p, meant to say...

>
>>
>> I couldn't get to the recipe, but it sounds like a "batter bread". I've
>> baked several different batter breads over the years and they were quite
>> good. The ones I baked were suitable for a 2-3 quart pyrix casserole
dis
>> h.
>>
>> --
>
> In case you are interested:
>
>
> Recipe: No-Knead Bread
>
> Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
> Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising
> Skip to next paragraph
> Readers' Opinions
> Forum: Cooking and Recipes
>
> 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
> ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
> 1¼ teaspoons salt
> Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
>
> 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water,
> and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl
> with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about
> 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
>
> 2. 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 rest about 15 minutes.
>
> 3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface
> or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.
> Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran
> or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more
> flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise
> for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in
> size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
>
> 4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450
> degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel,
> Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully
> remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over
> into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake
> pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten
> out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid
> and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.
> Cool on a rack.
>
> Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.
>

Thanks for posting this. Sounds like an interesting concept. I will
definitely give it a try sometime.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

(I may not agree with a word you say, but I shall
defend unto my death your right to say it. (Voltaire)

Thanks to the previous poster for including the recipe - you got to it
before I saw the message...

Abe wrote:

> >1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water,
> >and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl

> Shaggy? What the F is that?

Try this if you have flour to waste - have a bowl of water. Start
adding flour, stirring. First, it's like floury soup. Add more, and
then it forms a batter. Add a little bit more, and suddenly it looks
sort of... shaggy is really a good word to describe it. From a
distance, it almost looks like a pelt. The dough sticks together, sort
of, but it's fragile, and gravity smooths it out very quickly.

June

On Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:20:21 -0800, Abe > wrote:

>>Recipe: No-Knead Bread
>>
>>1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water,
>>and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl
>Shaggy? What the F is that?
>
>>with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about
>>18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
>Room temp rest for 12 to 18 hours? That sounds just bozo.

Mine's been sitting for 11 hours now. I'll let y'all know how it turns
out. My house is a bit cooler than 70 degrees, so I'm guessing it
will take closer to 18 than 12 hours.

Serene
--
"I can't decide if I feel more like four ten-year-olds or ten four-year-olds." Laurie Anderson , on turning 40.

http://serenejournal.livejournal.com

wrote:
>> I couldn't get to the recipe, but it sounds like a "batter bread". I've
>> baked several different batter breads over the years and they were quite
>> good. The ones I baked were suitable for a 2-3 quart pyrix casserole dish.

It's not really a batter bread. Not liquid enough to pour
and demands a very long proof to work.

> Recipe: No-Knead Bread
>
> Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
> Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising
> 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
> 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
> 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
> Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

I did this yesterday and this morning. The 13 ounces of
water, below, contradicts the 12 ounces the video asks for.
I had to add more flour to the 13 ounces of water to get a
dough stiff enough to handle at all. The bread is brilliant.

I'm going to use 12 ounces of water as the standard
henceforth. I floured the towel rather than to use bran or
meal. Worked fine. Watch the video.

From the New York Times
<http://tinyurl.com/y2akye>

Sounds interesting. Science and other background info.
<http://tinyurl.com/uazou>

Pastorio



> 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water,
> and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl
> with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about
> 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
>
> 2. 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 rest about 15 minutes.
>
> 3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface
> or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.
> Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran
> or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more
> flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise
> for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in
> size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
>
> 4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450
> degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel,
> Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully
> remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over
> into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake
> pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten
> out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid
> and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.
> Cool on a rack.
>
> Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.
>

On Sat, 11 Nov 2006 07:13:09 -0500, "Bob (this one)" >
wrote:

>I did this yesterday and this morning. The 13 ounces of
>water, below, contradicts the 12 ounces the video asks for.
>I had to add more flour to the 13 ounces of water to get a
>dough stiff enough to handle at all. The bread is brilliant.

Yeah, mine was not stiff enough to handle. The bread *tasted* great,
but the consistency was wrong. Now that I've watched the video, I'm
gonna try it again.

Serene
--
"I can't decide if I feel more like four ten-year-olds or ten four-year-olds." Laurie Anderson , on turning 40.

http://serenejournal.livejournal.com

I used the posted recipe and am quite pleased. The crust is extremely
crisp and hard, the bread itself is chewy and filled with larger holes
that I only generally see at commercial rustic bakeries.

I will say I was dubious initially, the flour to water ratio seemed
off, the dough was very dry and (as previously described) shaggy. I
let it rise for a full 24 hours, it didn't look good last night but
this morning the dough was moist and bubbling. I balled it up, let it
rise again, and baked it in the Le Creuset. It is the best bread I've
ever made for sure.

I used the posted recipe and am quite pleased. The crust is extremely
crisp and hard, the bread itself is chewy and filled with larger holes
that I only generally see at commercial rustic bakeries.

I will say I was dubious initially, the flour to water ratio seemed
off, the dough was very dry and (as previously described) shaggy. I
let it rise for a full 24 hours, it didn't look good last night but
this morning the dough was moist and bubbling. I balled it up, let it
rise again, and baked it in the Le Creuset. It is the best bread I've
ever made for sure.

In article . com>,
" > wrote:

> I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...200&en=3e494da
> 80e48db09&ei=5070&emc=eta1
>
> The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a 6-8
> qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its own.
> Is anyone going to try it?
>
> I don't own an ovenproof pot that big. Any recommendations for a heavy
> Dutch oven that doesn't have a killer price tag? I'm considering "raw"
> cast iron but would welcome other suggestions.
>
> Thanks,
>
> June

Heh! I haven't seen a 6-quart dutch oven that didn't cost big bucks in
15-20 years! :-(
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
"Maligning an individual says more about you than the one you malign."
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller; blahblahblog Barcelona on Foot
http://jamlady.eboard.com

On Nov 8, 2:44 pm, " > wrote:
> I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...x=1163653200&e...
>
> The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a 6-8
> qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its own.
> Is anyone going to try it?
>

We tried it twice over the weekend. One small loaf of whole wheat and
one big loaf (twice the amts of recipe), white. We used an old enamel
pot which has not been used in years. It used to be white and now it is
looking a bit discolored, but at this point we will keep on using it
until it flakes or until we find a replacement at the Salvation Army.

We will keep on using it because the bread is phenomenal, the best we
have ever made, and exactly as the original article predicted. The
bread coming from our bread machine, though good, is despicable
compared to what this method produces. Anyone wants a bread machine,
free?

Details: the crust can be made so hard your teeth will ache. The big
loaf was just a tad moist inside, probably a larger loaf wants a
slightly longer time at a slightly lower temperature. The inside had
big bubbles and a superior texture, as good as any you can find in any
upscale bakery, and of course much fresher. The breadmaking is quite
easy, very little labor involved.

Clearly the points of this recipe are two: long fermentation of a very
wet dough (we used the electrical mat for growing seedlings indoors
under the bowl to keep the temp around 75F), to properly align the
gluten and produce the perfect texture, and the dutch oven method to
produce a proper crust.

On 13 Nov 2006 09:01:35 -0800, "simy1" > wrote:

>
>
>On Nov 8, 2:44 pm, " > wrote:
>> I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...x=1163653200&e...
>>
>> The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a 6-8
>> qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its own.
>> Is anyone going to try it?

>
>We will keep on using it because the bread is phenomenal, the best we
>have ever made, and exactly as the original article predicted. The
>bread coming from our bread machine, though good, is despicable
>compared to what this method produces. Anyone wants a bread machine,
>free?

>Clearly the points of this recipe are two: long fermentation of a very
>wet dough (we used the electrical mat for growing seedlings indoors
>under the bowl to keep the temp around 75F), to properly align the
>gluten and produce the perfect texture, and the dutch oven method to
>produce a proper crust.

For those of you that are interested, there is a thread on eGullet
about this bread. And now, as of today, Mark Bittman himself is
participating in the thread, and has answered some of the questions
about the amount of flour and the amount of water.

The thread:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=95345

Christine

" > wrote in
ups.com:

> I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...1163653200&en=
> 3e494da80e48db09&ei=5070&emc=eta1
>
> The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a
> 6-8 qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its
> own. Is anyone going to try it?
>
> I don't own an ovenproof pot that big. Any recommendations for a heavy
> Dutch oven that doesn't have a killer price tag? I'm considering "raw"
> cast iron but would welcome other suggestions.

No dutch oven required
http://www.labellecuisine.com/archiv...meal_bread.htm


--

Charles
The significant problems we face cannot be solved
at the same level of thinking we were at when we
created them. Albert Einstein

wrote:
> I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di... 5070&emc=eta1
>
> The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a 6-8
> qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its own.
> Is anyone going to try it?
>
> I don't own an ovenproof pot that big. Any recommendations for a heavy
> Dutch oven that doesn't have a killer price tag? I'm considering "raw"
> cast iron but would welcome other suggestions.
>
> Thanks,
>
> June
>

Those Lodge cast iron dutch ovens are ~ $20 and work well. Ours sees a
lot of use and is well seasoned so it is pretty much non-stick.

On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 15:59:22 GMT, Charles Quinn
> wrote:

" > wrote in
oups.com:
>
>> I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...1163653200&en=
>> 3e494da80e48db09&ei=5070&emc=eta1
>>
>> The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a
>> 6-8 qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its
>> own. Is anyone going to try it?
>>
>> I don't own an ovenproof pot that big. Any recommendations for a heavy
>> Dutch oven that doesn't have a killer price tag? I'm considering "raw"
>> cast iron but would welcome other suggestions.
>
>No dutch oven required
>http://www.labellecuisine.com/archiv...meal_bread.htm


There are certainly lots of breads made without a Dutch oven, but this
oatmeal one requires more efforts than the NYT recipe and is still a
regular loaf, rather than the holey textured, more "artisan" type of
bread.

Boron

The recipe says "6 - 8 quart" heavy covered pot. The only thing I have
that is that size is my stockpot! Is that really necessary? I'm worried
it's too thin.

My largest covered pyrex casserole is 2.8 liters. It easily holds a 1lb
loaf of store bought bread. Will this work for this recipe?

I hate having to go buy special equipment, my kitchen is so tiny I
barely have room for the basics.



Dawn

Dawn wrote:
> The recipe says "6 - 8 quart" heavy covered pot. The only thing I have
> that is that size is my stockpot! Is that really necessary? I'm worried
> it's too thin.

I do believe it would be too thin. And being taller, would require being
placed lower in the oven, so that would not be as ideal as baking in the
center of the oven.
Le Creuset seems to be the perfect pot to me, but a well seasoned cast
iron dutch oven would work too and be a lot less expensive if you wanted
to buy something.

Charles Quinn wrote:
> " > wrote in
> ups.com:
>
>> I was browsing the NYtimes online and saw this:
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/di...1163653200&en=
>> 3e494da80e48db09&ei=5070&emc=eta1
>>
>> The recipe is for no-knead bread and suggests that you bake it in a
>> 6-8 qt Dutch oven. I guess it's too liquidy to hold its shape on its
>> own. Is anyone going to try it?
>>
>> I don't own an ovenproof pot that big. Any recommendations for a heavy
>> Dutch oven that doesn't have a killer price tag? I'm considering "raw"
>> cast iron but would welcome other suggestions.
>
> No dutch oven required
> http://www.labellecuisine.com/archiv...meal_bread.htm

<LOL> Give it up, Zippy. It's a drastically different loaf
with drastically different flavor, texture and appearance.
Different ingredients. Different techniques involved.

Except for that, Sparky, they're very similar.

No, seriously...

Pastorio

not having a le Creuset enamalled casserole I used a stainless steel
pot, and it worked quite well.
I agree that even beaten up le Creuset-style pots can be hard to find.
So what are the alternatives? I will try a pyrex casserole next.
Peter

Goomba38 wrote:
> Dawn wrote:
> > The recipe says "6 - 8 quart" heavy covered pot. The only thing I have
> > that is that size is my stockpot! Is that really necessary? I'm worried
> > it's too thin.
>
> I do believe it would be too thin. And being taller, would require being
> placed lower in the oven, so that would not be as ideal as baking in the
> center of the oven.
> Le Creuset seems to be the perfect pot to me, but a well seasoned cast
> iron dutch oven would work too and be a lot less expensive if you wanted
> to buy something.

wrote:
> not having a le Creuset enamalled casserole I used a stainless steel
> pot, and it worked quite well.
> I agree that even beaten up le Creuset-style pots can be hard to find.
> So what are the alternatives? I will try a pyrex casserole next.

Cast aluminum cookware is reasonably priced... heavy weight aluminum is
far lighter than cast iron and is much more responsive so makes for
superior bakeware. Cast iron was fine when that's all there was but
now there are so many better cookware materials... I mean like a 1929
Studebaker would be fun to tool about town on a sunny Sunday, but I'd
not want one in 2006 as my everyday commuter automobile.

http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Studebaker

Sheldon

Be careful with the glassware. I've got several pieces of brown Pyrex
glassware that work very well in the oven, but I use them for ordinary
baking, not the no-knead variant that's been discussed recently, where
the baking pan is pre-heated to a high temperature. Hot Pyrex can be
very delicate.

I don't know whether the Pyrex would crack upon the addition of a ball
of room-temperature dough, but the risk is definitely there. And when
the glass does crack from thermal shock, it can be quite spectacular and
quite a mess.

At the very least, you'll want to set the pre-heated Pyrex casserole on
an insulated, padded surface, perhaps a couple of folded (dry) dish
towels, rather than on a cool, hard surface like a countertop.

But if the stainless steel pot worked, why not stick with it?

Bob
==================================
In article .com>,
says...
> not having a le Creuset enamalled casserole I used a stainless steel
> pot, and it worked quite well.
> I agree that even beaten up le Creuset-style pots can be hard to find.
> So what are the alternatives? I will try a pyrex casserole next.
> Peter
>
> Goomba38 wrote:
> > Dawn wrote:
> > > The recipe says "6 - 8 quart" heavy covered pot. The only thing I have
> > > that is that size is my stockpot! Is that really necessary? I'm worried
> > > it's too thin.
> >
> > I do believe it would be too thin. And being taller, would require being
> > placed lower in the oven, so that would not be as ideal as baking in the
> > center of the oven.
> > Le Creuset seems to be the perfect pot to me, but a well seasoned cast
> > iron dutch oven would work too and be a lot less expensive if you wanted
> > to buy something.
>

Sheldon,
the merits of cast iron vs. other materials is probably not appropriate
in this thread, but raw cast iron skillets are hard to beat for many
uses (like high temp searing), especially now that the safety of
non-stick surfaces have been called into question.
But enamelled cast iron--I don't think these casseroles can be beat.
which is why large sized le Creusets still sells new for over a hundred
bucks.

cheers.


Sheldon wrote:
> wrote:
> > not having a le Creuset enamalled casserole I used a stainless steel
> > pot, and it worked quite well.
> > I agree that even beaten up le Creuset-style pots can be hard to find.
> > So what are the alternatives? I will try a pyrex casserole next.
>
> Cast aluminum cookware is reasonably priced... heavy weight aluminum is
> far lighter than cast iron and is much more responsive so makes for
> superior bakeware. Cast iron was fine when that's all there was but
> now there are so many better cookware materials... I mean like a 1929
> Studebaker would be fun to tool about town on a sunny Sunday, but I'd
> not want one in 2006 as my everyday commuter automobile.
>
> http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Studebaker
>
> Sheldon

Bob.
"why not stick with it?" call me curious. there's got to be one best
vessel for this bread thing.
I will slowly work my way through: enamelled cast iron, a clay tajine
with cover and one of those clay slow cooker gizmos you normally soak
in water first.

I am indeed nervous trying Pyrex. But then, hey, I got it fvor $3 at a
thrift shop and if it blows I'm only wasting 3 cups of flour and about
20 hours of doing nothing. So no great loss.

I've been curious too about what makes Pyrex explode. This summer I was
roasting a leg of lamb in a rectangular casserole and it cracked.
(After rinsing the roast, I alerted all guests and offered the option
of not eating the lamb. But my father, a physician, assured us there
was actually no risk of lacerating one's stomach walls even if one
ingested a glass shard)
Is there a temperature limit for Pyrex?? (might start a new thread on
that. May I borrow your comments below?)

Peter


yetanotherBob wrote:
> Be careful with the glassware. I've got several pieces of brown Pyrex
> glassware that work very well in the oven, but I use them for ordinary
> baking, not the no-knead variant that's been discussed recently, where
> the baking pan is pre-heated to a high temperature. Hot Pyrex can be
> very delicate.
>
> I don't know whether the Pyrex would crack upon the addition of a ball
> of room-temperature dough, but the risk is definitely there. And when
> the glass does crack from thermal shock, it can be quite spectacular and
> quite a mess.
>
> At the very least, you'll want to set the pre-heated Pyrex casserole on
> an insulated, padded surface, perhaps a couple of folded (dry) dish
> towels, rather than on a cool, hard surface like a countertop.
>
> But if the stainless steel pot worked, why not stick with it?
>
> Bob
> ==================================
> In article .com>,
> says...
> > not having a le Creuset enamalled casserole I used a stainless steel
> > pot, and it worked quite well.
> > I agree that even beaten up le Creuset-style pots can be hard to find.
> > So what are the alternatives? I will try a pyrex casserole next.
> > Peter
> >
> > Goomba38 wrote:
> > > Dawn wrote:
> > > > The recipe says "6 - 8 quart" heavy covered pot. The only thing I have
> > > > that is that size is my stockpot! Is that really necessary? I'm worried
> > > > it's too thin.
> > >
> > > I do believe it would be too thin. And being taller, would require being
> > > placed lower in the oven, so that would not be as ideal as baking in the
> > > center of the oven.
> > > Le Creuset seems to be the perfect pot to me, but a well seasoned cast
> > > iron dutch oven would work too and be a lot less expensive if you wanted
> > > to buy something.
> >

Please feel free to borrow whatever of my comments you may wish to
recycle. I am neither running nor considering a run for any political
office, so no problem.

Below its melting point, there's generally no problem with Pyrex, as
long as it is heated *evenly* and *gradually*. Any sort of localized or
sudden thermal shock, up or down, could result in fracture of the
glassware. In my experience, the thicker the vessel is, the greater the
risk of this kind of failure.

With all due respect to your father, he may have been going out on a
limb (or just trying to calm the situation) with his unequivocal
statement that there was no danger if a shard of glass were ingested.
If the risk were limited to lacerating one's stomach walls, I might
agree, but considering the risk to all the other involved tissues, above
and below the stomach, and I would definitely beg to differ.

Bob
===========================
In article . com>,
says...
> Bob.
> "why not stick with it?" call me curious. there's got to be one best
> vessel for this bread thing.
> I will slowly work my way through: enamelled cast iron, a clay tajine
> with cover and one of those clay slow cooker gizmos you normally soak
> in water first.
>
> I am indeed nervous trying Pyrex. But then, hey, I got it fvor $3 at a
> thrift shop and if it blows I'm only wasting 3 cups of flour and about
> 20 hours of doing nothing. So no great loss.
>
> I've been curious too about what makes Pyrex explode. This summer I was
> roasting a leg of lamb in a rectangular casserole and it cracked.
> (After rinsing the roast, I alerted all guests and offered the option
> of not eating the lamb. But my father, a physician, assured us there
> was actually no risk of lacerating one's stomach walls even if one
> ingested a glass shard)
> Is there a temperature limit for Pyrex?? (might start a new thread on
> that. May I borrow your comments below?)
>
> Peter
>
>
> yetanotherBob wrote:
> > Be careful with the glassware. I've got several pieces of brown Pyrex
> > glassware that work very well in the oven, but I use them for ordinary
> > baking, not the no-knead variant that's been discussed recently, where
> > the baking pan is pre-heated to a high temperature. Hot Pyrex can be
> > very delicate.
> >
> > I don't know whether the Pyrex would crack upon the addition of a ball
> > of room-temperature dough, but the risk is definitely there. And when
> > the glass does crack from thermal shock, it can be quite spectacular and
> > quite a mess.
> >
> > At the very least, you'll want to set the pre-heated Pyrex casserole on
> > an insulated, padded surface, perhaps a couple of folded (dry) dish
> > towels, rather than on a cool, hard surface like a countertop.
> >
> > But if the stainless steel pot worked, why not stick with it?
> >
> > Bob
> > ==================================
> > In article .com>,
> > says...
> > > not having a le Creuset enamalled casserole I used a stainless steel
> > > pot, and it worked quite well.
> > > I agree that even beaten up le Creuset-style pots can be hard to find.
> > > So what are the alternatives? I will try a pyrex casserole next.
> > > Peter

pstock wrote:
> Bob.
> "why not stick with it?" call me curious. there's got to be one best
> vessel for this bread thing.

Why would that be? I've done it in cast iron, glass,
enamelled cast, porous ceramic loaf pan, Romertopf,
yesterday - sandwiched stainless steel...

Has worked in every case.

I take them out of the oven and set them on the coils of my
electric range to cool. Every one.

> I will slowly work my way through: enamelled cast iron, a clay tajine
> with cover and one of those clay slow cooker gizmos you normally soak
> in water first.

I've done all them with grand results.

> I am indeed nervous trying Pyrex. But then, hey, I got it fvor $3 at a
> thrift shop and if it blows I'm only wasting 3 cups of flour and about
> 20 hours of doing nothing. So no great loss.
>
> I've been curious too about what makes Pyrex explode.

Extremely uneven heating to fairly high temps. I use several
different visions pots and casseroles routinely. The bottoms
are tempered, lids often aren't. I have added cold water to
boiling water in the Pyrex pots with no ill effect. I've
boiled them dry when I used one as a humidifier on the
stove, and none has ever broken. Just forgot that I had left
the electric coil on. No breakage and no melting. Apparently
no damage to the temper.

> This summer I was
> roasting a leg of lamb in a rectangular casserole and it cracked.
> (After rinsing the roast, I alerted all guests and offered the option
> of not eating the lamb. But my father, a physician, assured us there
> was actually no risk of lacerating one's stomach walls even if one
> ingested a glass shard)

Not precisely correct. But beyond that, there are lots of
other tender tissues before and after the stomach.

> Is there a temperature limit for Pyrex??

Dunno, but if there is, I've never reached it. Even when
boiling a 5L pot dry on a few occasions.

Pastorio