Think you can’t make bread easily? Think again.

GrateEggspectations · March 30

After a spate of scoldings for posting in the Chef-ing Dr thread (😉), I thought I’d share what my familial unit has considered a longstanding gem in this standalone thread.

My wife has always been a good baker, but one of her gold standards for hosting or taking to get togethers has always been her no-knead stecca bread. After 15 years or so making it, we have never known it to fail and tonight, when we hosted some neighbours, she even broke some of the rules and was able to shorten the rise and make it in about six hours from start to finish, with no ill-effects. Served with a freshly-prepared charcuterie board and served on an end grain board made by my uncle (see the heart on the board in pic #1. It’s also signed on the right, but was not captured in the photo).

Every time she makes stecca, it is greeted with compliments and she is asked for the recipe. To us, it’s always been a hallmark of happy gatherings. Never made it on the Egg that I recall, but I should try.

It is absolutely worth trying, IMO. It seems the recipe is available here: https://www.ameliaisnotachef.com/recipes/jim-laheys-stecca

Served with libations (not pictured), of course.

lkapigian · March 30

Nice board

JohnInCarolina · March 30

I’d hit it.

lousubcap · March 30

Great recovery thread right there

Impressive spread.

Canugghead · March 30

never mind

JohnInCarolina · March 30

Canugghead said:

never mind

#Canadians

Ybabpmuts · March 30

GrateEggspectations said:

After a spate of scoldings for posting in the Chef-ing Dr thread (😉), I thought I’d share what my familial unit has considered a longstanding gem in this standalone thread.

My wife has always been a good baker, but one of her gold standards for hosting or taking to get togethers has always been her no-knead stecca bread. After 15 years or so making it, we have never known it to fail and tonight, when we hosted some neighbours, she even broke some of the rules and was able to shorten the rise and make it in about six hours from start to finish, with no ill-effects. Served with a freshly-prepared charcuterie board and served on an end grain board made by my uncle (see the heart on the board in pic #1. It’s also signed on the right, but was not captured in the photo).

Every time she makes stecca, it is greeted with compliments and she is asked for the recipe. To us, it’s always been a hallmark of happy gatherings. Never made it on the Egg that I recall, but I should try.

It is absolutely worth trying, IMO. It seems the recipe is available here: https://www.ameliaisnotachef.com/recipes/jim-laheys-stecca

Served with libations (not pictured), of course.

Holy snapping ****!

Ybabpmuts · March 30

Sheesh .. a$$holes. Is this not 2024?

Stormbringer · March 30

That's some lovely looking bread, nice one. And that board ... wow.

I've made bread in the Egg a few times, what I normally do is time the bake so that the bread can be put in after cooking something else, thus using the latent heat of the Egg. It helps that I use a minimal knead method, so the timing of putting the dough in to bake isn't that critical. From reading the recipe in your post I think using latent heat could work for you too.

johnmitchell · March 30

Beautiful!!!

GrateEggspectations · March 30

Thanks, all.

@Stormbringer
Thanks for the tip. What does that process look like? Like if you’ve just roasted chicken at 400, you should down the vents, and after the fire dies down, you throw your dough in for the bake? I have made other breads on the Egg several times, but I have found the bottom has often burned before the top is ready.

ColbyLang · March 30

Great looking loaves. I’d smash that entire set up with the cured meats, cheese and fruit

Stormbringer · March 30

GrateEggspectations said:

Thanks, all.

@Stormbringer
Thanks for the tip. What does that process look like? Like if you’ve just roasted chicken at 400, you should down the vents, and after the fire dies down, you throw your dough in for the bake? I have made other breads on the Egg several times, but I have found the bottom has often burned before the top is ready.

I bake at 430-440F in the Egg. After I've cooked something, I just get the Egg to that temp (PS in), let it stabilise and put in the dough. I normally use a loaf tin when doing this so I can bake it straight away. It can work with a Dutch oven, I just put that into the Egg to warm up for 30 mins as the Egg is getting to temperature and then add in the dough. I wrote about it in this blog post: https://thecooksdigest.co.uk/2017/08/18/crusty-artisan-bread/

GrateEggspectations · March 31

Stormbringer said:

GrateEggspectations said:

Thanks, all.

@Stormbringer
Thanks for the tip. What does that process look like? Like if you’ve just roasted chicken at 400, you should down the vents, and after the fire dies down, you throw your dough in for the bake? I have made other breads on the Egg several times, but I have found the bottom has often burned before the top is ready.

I bake at 430-440F in the Egg. After I've cooked something, I just get the Egg to that temp (PS in), let it stabilise and put in the dough. I normally use a loaf tin when doing this so I can bake it straight away. It can work with a Dutch oven, I just put that into the Egg to warm up for 30 mins as the Egg is getting to temperature and then add in the dough. I wrote about it in this blog post: https://thecooksdigest.co.uk/2017/08/18/crusty-artisan-bread/

That’s a great write up. The bread looks great. Will have to try. Thanks.

Stormbringer · March 31

GrateEggspectations said:

Stormbringer said:

GrateEggspectations said:

Thanks, all.

@Stormbringer
Thanks for the tip. What does that process look like? Like if you’ve just roasted chicken at 400, you should down the vents, and after the fire dies down, you throw your dough in for the bake? I have made other breads on the Egg several times, but I have found the bottom has often burned before the top is ready.

I bake at 430-440F in the Egg. After I've cooked something, I just get the Egg to that temp (PS in), let it stabilise and put in the dough. I normally use a loaf tin when doing this so I can bake it straight away. It can work with a Dutch oven, I just put that into the Egg to warm up for 30 mins as the Egg is getting to temperature and then add in the dough. I wrote about it in this blog post: https://thecooksdigest.co.uk/2017/08/18/crusty-artisan-bread/

That’s a great write up. The bread looks great. Will have to try. Thanks.

The best results I have are from inverting the DO. https://thecooksdigest.co.uk/2017/10/20/inverted-dutch-oven-bread/

GrateEggspectations · March 31

@Stormbringer

I’m cursing the fact that my DO lid is not flat.

Corv · April 1

You can get a Challenger bread pan, https://challengerbreadware.com/ and it's capacious and works very well indeed.

xfire_ATX · April 1

Yesterdays Bread

Think you can’t make bread easily? Think again.

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