anybody tried this...does it work?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

Is this the No-Knead bread that you bake in a pre-heated dutch oven? Recipe made the rounds online from an article in, what, The New York Times?

I've never made it myself, because there are a few things about it that just don't suit my needs.

1) it tends to get stale and tough rather quickly. This is fine if one recipe's worth will get devoured in the course of one meal, but doesn't work for my situation.

2) You bake it in a REALLY hot oven. This doesn't work for me because I don't want a) to get my kitchen that hot, especially in summer and B ) you need to make sure that the pan you use has the sort of handles that can cope with those temperatures. (some of the older Le Creuset comes with likely-to-melt handles, just fyi)

3) I prefer the flavors of a dough that's risen more slowly. IIRC, some of the comments I've read on line, people have complained about a lack of complexity in the flavor of the bread. (or about a lack of flavor, period.)

HTH!

This is also called 18-hour bread. That's a pretty slow rise. I've made this a number of times and can't imagine anyone thinking it lacks flavor or complexity. Unless you have a really first-rate artisanal bakery near you, it's better than anything you can buy, that is, if you like a crusty, rustic loaf. It has a fabulous crust, and yes, like any bread made without sugar, milk, fats, dough conditioners or preservatives, it will get stale faster than Wonder Bread. The bread is easy to make and, in my opinion, delicious. I use a bit less salt than the original recipe called for, and sometimes substitute whole wheat or rye flour for up to a third of the all-purpose flour in the original. My only complaint is that is that the crumb can be a bit too damp. I've tinkered with the time and temperature a bit and have effected an improvement by lowering the temperature a bit and baking longer.

I've made this. It is SPECTACULAR looking. Similar loaves are selling for $4 and up at an upscale grocery store. I look forward to cooler weather when I can start experimenting with this recipe again.

I also have a one-hour, no-knead recipe that makes a very nice chewy flat loaf, like a ciabatta loaf. It does go stale fast, though.

It's fabulous. My teenage son became adept at making it, experimented with flours from different suppliers, etc. It was invariably excellent - and dramatic in the final stages with all that exciting heat. My six quart Le Creuset did lose its handle. We switched over to an iron dutch oven. The bread never went stale. We ate it as fast as possible.