Simply No-Knead Breadmaking - a first recipe

"I would imagine that no one with any formal business training would have taken the risks and done the things that we have done but sometimes with perseverance and luck on your side things can turn out to be a lot of fun as well as an interesting challenge." Carol Bates

This is a first recipe post. It's the next book in my bookshelves - well it's not really a book - more of a booklet and one promoting particular products at that. But I keep it - mostly for one particular recipe, but also as something to turn to if I really do want to make some bread - or pizza dough. Something I don't do very much these days as David makes his magnificent sour dough, Coles has wonderful baguettes, and so I don't really need to make bread myself.

I can't find a date on this particular book but it would have been late last century I think. We were introduced to the concept of no-knead bread making by a friend who used to turn up to parties with wonderful home-baked bread. When we went to stay with mutual friends at the friends' beach house he gave us a demonstration and so I got all enthused, rushed off to the the shop that existed then in Park Orchards - near where we lived - bought this book and some flour, and started making the occasional loaf.

That was back then. So when I got to this particular book I wondered whether they still existed as a business. And they do but differently I think.

Back then they were franchisees and had half a dozen shops around the country, including the one near me, which sold their products and gave classes. They still do the classes at their shop in Seaford, which is a long way from me, but their franchises seem to have disappeared. So these days I think their emphasis is on selling the products they either make or buy in. They did buy a milling business way back then, so I can only assume they still own it. They have several outlets in Melbourne - smaller stores and health food shops mostly. The list is on the website. But actually I don't think you really need to have their own particular flour. Although you do need to use proper baker's flour.

"I cannot emphasise enough the need to use the correct flour. It plays a major part in many of the faults commonly found in bread making." Carol Bates

It was a small company with big dreams perhaps, back then and its still a small company - just a husband and wife basically operating from their home I think. Nowadays it is maybe smaller, or maybe just different. They've certainly moved with the times with their products and recipes - sour dough, spelt, kamut flour - now what is that? So all power to them. They are a team which is admirable. I'm sure I could never have worked with my husband and I don't think I would be alone in saying that.

"I have the dreams Ken turns them int reality., if it was left up to me I would still be baking bread and thinking about opening a shop and teaching." Carol Bates

Getting out this book and reading the first few pages, made me realise that it's not just the first recipe that's important, it's the preamble too. Indeed the preamble may be even more important, as many cook books have pages and pages of stuff before you get to the recipes. Sometimes it's very brief - Donna Hay hardly says anything at all - just a few marketing kind of words. Sometimes it's very lengthy and either learned, practical or anecdotal - think Claudia Roden, Elizabeth David, Robert Carrier. Sometimes the preamble is what sucks you in because it is so well written or because it is so useful. Sometimes it is frankly boring, which might make it difficult to go on. Maybe Donna Hay has no faith in her writing skills. In this case it is not amazingly well written but it is practical. There's an anecdotal story of how the company came to be, a list of products, a list of equipment, general hints and tips - and then we are into what she calls a practice loaf - one to test out your oven, which she calls One White Loaf in a 700gram Tin and which you can find on their website but now called Basic White Bread Loaf.

I tried this and it worked, so I felt encouraged to try more things. And I have made several things from the book. And you really do not have to spend hours kneading. In fact, no kneading at all. I notice from their website by the way, that another way they have moved with the times is to give recipes that use a bread making machine and even some that use a thermomix.

It was important for them to get that first recipe right. It was presented as a test, so you had a go. Imagine - if it hadn't worked then you would have given up right then and not checked out the rest of the book. Well I wouldn't have anyway.

But I persevered and found Foccacia, which I still make every now and then to go with soup. It is very yummy. I passed it on to my children and I think my daughter-in-law makes it too.

So - interesting to see that they are still hanging in there. A moderate success then you would think. A plain little book with relatively plain little recipes. A useful, basic book with a particular focus, and a marketing drive, and for all of those reasons it works.