No Need to Knead: Handmade Italian Breads in 90 Minutes

by Suzanne Dunaway

In No Need to Knead, acclaimed professional baker Suzanne Dunaway reveals her truly revolutionary technique for baking unforgettable Italian breads that require no fussy steps, no special equipment, and no anxiety. Here are the Focaccia, Filoncino, Ciabatta, and Pane Rustico of your dreams. Dunaway also provides recipes for breads from around the world: traditional breads (like the best ever Sourdough Biscuits and Skillet Corn Bread), sweet loaves...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786864273
• ISBN13: 9780786864270
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Hyperion Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.3" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up

Customer Reviews

Real Good Bread--Real Easy!

The breads turn out just like author Suzanne Dunaway says they will. Focaccia was an outstanding success--enjoyed by family, friends and neighbors. Ciabatta--without a doubt one of the best breads I've ever made.I've been working my way through the book recipe by recipe--have not had a single disappointment yet. The dough handles just as Suzanne describes it. The proof is in the outstanding breads you can produce.This conversational book "talks to me"--puts me at ease. It makes bread making "user friendly". I've recommended No Need to Knead to relatives, friends, even a Williams Sonoma Store Manager who used to own a specialty bakery and who now does not have the time to give to elaborate bread making--yet she still wants that old world quality and excellence.Over the years, I've baked over 2000 loaves of bread made from scratch as well as a hundred or so loaves with bread machines. I have a working familiarity with books including Beard on Bread, Lora Brody, Jacques Pepin, Bernard Clayton, Julia Childs among others. Suzanne Dunaway's book is one I recommend to all: the simplest to follow. It's a no brainer to make outstanding bread following her methods.

Bread Success

I've been looking for a book on bread making that would teach me how to make "European style" breads--big, rustic loaves with a chewy crust and a "hole-y" and slightly damp crumb. I had heard that one secret was to use a very wet dough, but had not seen a cookbook that used this technique. As I read the introduction to "No Need to Knead," I saw that author Suzanne Dunaway's recipes were just what I was looking for!I've made several recipes so far and am delighted with the book. The focaccia is the best I've ever made and as good as those I've had in Italy. And it truly takes only 90 minutes to make! The first time I made it, I had a hard time keeping my husband from nibbling it all away before serving it for dinner! Now I'll try mastering the other "daily breads." One of the best things about the book is the author's approach that takes some of the mystery out of bread making. She tells us that bread dough is forgiving and that bread is NOT difficult to make. I'm particularly happy to give up kneading dough--which I was never good at anyway. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to make good bread but who may have been put off by thinking it was too difficult. The recipes are excellent, and the author's writing style is friendly and conversational. Her illustrations are charming. I finished reading the book and wished that I could meet the author in person.

I Smell Bread!

I love this book for many reasons. Many of my books on breadmaking tire me out before I get through the intro. While the writers extoll the virtues of baking your own bread at home, they then lead the reader through a complicated series of chefs, levains, & other types of starters that take DAYS, sometimes even WEEKS to bubble & fizz enough to allow you to begin making your first loaf. Enough! It's exhausting just reading about it.Suzanne's book is upbeat, clear, & definitely makes you want to get started making your first loaf NOW! Best of all, with her recipes you can. I have tried several of the breads, including the fougasse & the ciabatta. Yummy, absolutely yummy, & incredibly easy. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the author guides you along in a supportive, 'you can do it' kind of way. Her love for bread is totally there & she so very generously shares the recipes that have worked for her & her lucky customers at Buona Forchetta. Many of my cookbooks gather dust because, while they seemed interesting in the bookstore, they don't prove to be very practical for the home kitchen. Suzanne's book is on my kitchen counter, opened to the basic foccaccia recipe, & covered with a fine coat of flour. And my house is filled with the wonderful smell of bread baking in my oven!

If you bake, you Need this book

I have baked bread for over 30 years in my home kitchen, and, while I enjoy reading new bread cookbooks from the library, I seldom buy one as my Fannie Farmer does quite well.This book is an exception. I make bread every day with these recipes, and yesterday introduced my 3 yr old granddaughter to the fine art of bread making ... she made the bread from start to finish (1/2 of the child's loaf recipe) by herself. (I use Pyrex measuring cups as mixing bowls so she has something to hold on to. For this 1/2 recipe, I used the 4 quart size.) She brushed the ready-to-bake loaf with rosemary oil and sprinkled rosemary on top; then I placed the small frying pan in the oven. When the bread was finished, she was excited and happy with her handiwork. It was a delight to watch her smell it, lift it, thump it, and bag it once it had cooled.Life doesn't get better than this.