No-Knead French Bread - 18th Century Breads, Part 7 

This channel is the best thing on the Internet.

Bread: French Oven: Dutch Belgian Baker: *Laughs in Multilingual*

The original recipe calls for barm, which is a liquid yeast byproduct of beer brewing. Since most folks do not have access to a fresh batch barm we substituted the method we show here.

I know this is an older video but just want to say I love your channel. You are a HERO in my book. Thank you for being you!

You should have your own cooking show! I love this stuff. History and food together...Yes!!

But why didn’t he slice the bread...? I so wanted to see the texture on the inside. ☹️

Either yeast will work in this recipe. If you use instant you can just add it to the dry ingredients, but in the episode we are simulating a period barm with the yeast mixed in water and it works well, so that is where I would start.

I've made this recipe 3 times now. The first loaf was exactly to the recipe. It was awesome. The 2nd I added a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar for the yeast to get a lighter bread. It worked well. The 3rd I sprinkled a few sunflower seeds along the inside of the folds. Two of us finished off the whole loaf before it was really even cool enough to handle without oven mitts! I think the 4th will have fewer sunflower seeds but I'll add some finely ground walnuts and, perhaps, some poppy seeds. I'm one of those who really likes some crunchy bits in my bread if I'm going to eat it straight. Hmmm, now that I think about it, I wonder if a few dried currants or cranberries would make it just that much more awesome for dipping in gravy?

I'm 6 years late, but I did "like" this video. More important, I enjoyed it. I have one of your cook books, but I'm still translating it into modern spelling. The typing is sometimes hard to tell apart, but you know that. It is actually fun to translate, it makes me think. It's like a puzzle waiting to be solved, and I love puzzles. (It is "The Universal Cook, Or Lady's Complete Assistant") You give me a great amount of joy. I have no other words to explain how much I like your videos. I love history, I love learning, I like cooking for others, and you combine all of those. Thank you!

The crust looked so epic, i wouldn't want to get rid of it

Channels like this let me remember the world isn’t all bad. This dude is just chillin making bread.

Going back and rewatching all of the bread baking episodes. It is really nice being able to always have fresh bread in times like this as a bit of a morale booster.

I come back to this video every few years when my baking itch kicks. I love it every time

This seems like such a fun channel. subscribed!

i could listen to this guy all day long

Yes, it seems quite odd, but it seems that the crust was usually remove and likely used in other recipes. Similarly even today's "pan de mie" is baked with as little crust as possible. And the answer is yes, the bread is wonderful and the crust is very good. It is the kind of bread you just rip off and eat. Yum.

These recipes are exactly what I've been looking for! Unique, simple, minimalist and with a touch of history! Thank you Townsends for making this channel!

That sound when he broke the baguette in half.

As recent as 25 years ago my mother was baking Irish (soda bread) scone in what we called the 'oven pot' over a turf fire.

John...thanks for sharing this awesome breadmaking technique!!! I love to make bread tooooo but I only bake it at 350 degrees as I find it cooks very evenly in the middle and on the outside!!! Thanks for teaching me how to make your special "Barm"...you Rock!!! May Our Precious Creator of Life Bless you greatly for sharing your heart and your lifegiving skills with Humanity!!!

I'm getting fatter with every episode 😁,and loving it!

You are just marvelous and I do really appreciate your presentation.... times are not what they used to be... so here we are!!!!

Good food is a true blessing which too many people overlook & take for granted. Thank you very much for sharing your recipes with us, I really enjoy them, keep up the good work!😋😃

I just said good night to my dough! Hopefully it'll be bakeable tomorrow! I've never made bread successfully before, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you for all the work you do on this channel, I usually have no interest in cooking but some of what you make just looks so simple and doable. Started with the baked onion. One step at a time!

Glad this information is still available, making things better

I made this as described- instant yeast in warm water. A bit denser than I expected, but tasty. My first time making bread from scratch-I encountered no difficulties. Thanks!

Crust is best part with melted real butter on it! Yummy.

History & food....they just go together. These are great videos, thank you Sir!!

This is so very fascinating. I am a bread maker and have done bread "successfully" with nothing more than wild yeast. The kind that floats in the air. I make my starter by fresh grinding rye flour, one cup in a large/2 quart jar with one cup spring or distilled water. Loosely cover with cloth to keep out critters. Place near a warm oven, mine is a wood cook stove. But not too close. Leave overnight. Next day repeat, one cup of flour to one cup water. Do this for seven days. See next post prt 2

The kind of bread where each slice is a meal, looks wonderful! Look forward to trying it slathered with a piece of butter.

Manchet bread is something I've heard of in redactions of medieval cookbooks. I believe it was typically the nicer-quality white bread which the nobility would have eaten. (Peasants and poorer townfolk would have eaten bread made wholly or in part from other, cheaper grains, such as rye.) A smallish loaf of bread (possibly a boule (round loaf) like what was made in this episode) would have been split in half into "trenchers" (sort of a medieval "bread bowl," but flatter), and 2 dinner guests would typically share a trencher. The meat juices would soak into the bread, and the trenchers would sometimes be given to the poor after a feast.

This is legitimately one of the best bread recipes I've come across, makes a fantastic cinnamon swirl bread, or you can add oats, seeds, and nuts.

I love this show. Thank you.

Well done, Mr. Townsend. I've been making bread for years and this is spot on.

This is so cool. I'm sad that the RU-vid algorithm is just now showing me this. I've been binge watching all these episodes.

that oven is making me jealous....wish i had the space to build one

When Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat brioche," this is the white flour bread I imagine that the peasants of France could not afford to eat. Rather, they ate course-ground whole grain breads made from rye and barley.

I've baked this bread twice and it has come out great both times. One caution I would add. If you're going to leave it over night, make sure the towel covering the dough is "wet". The first time I tried it, the towel dried out over night and I had a dry skin on the dough the next morning. It didn't however effect the quality of the bread or the crust.

I do not understand how anyone could vote dislike on this.

Made this today! So good! Let it sit for 18 ish hours and it was great! I keep the crust on cause it’s delicious. I made it with the onion soup and butter on the bread. Loved it! It has a slight sour flavor to it!

Yes, No problem, just you can make any simple bread with just flour, water, yeast and a bit salt.

I made this dairy free for my allergic daughter by substituting soy milk and country crock (with calcium) instead of milk and butter. Turned out great! Now she can savor some 18th century flavors and not just the aromas of this great, easy bread!

I can't say enough how much I enjoy these videos and the series. On a side note, I think the Mushroom Ketchup, gives an Umami flavor...that's why it's SO delicious. The crust is the best part of the bread in my opinion. :)

I always am amazed at how many different bread recipes there are. I’ve been baking bread for awhile now and found your video interesting. So easy to do if you have the patience to wait 12 or more hours for the proofing. I made a loaf following your recipe Easter Eve and placed three eggs into the dough (on top) before baking it. The loaf came out quite nicely. Fifteen minutes after removing it from the oven I wrapped the loaf in foil to keep the crust soft. I presented the loaf to friends Easter morning and they were thrilled. We shared a slice with butter on it and sampled the baked egg. Was fun and delicious. Thanks. Love your channel. 👍

The episodes I listened to when he has a mustache sound super relaxing and distinguished, like a Canadian Morgan Freeman.

I love these no knee breads. I do not take of the crust it make the best sandwiches. the crust it the best part. I also like the fact that there is eggs and milk in it. much softer bread inside.

I have to tell you how much i just loveee your channel. thank you for all these original recipes. Its like going back in time with each recipe.

I love your video SO much, it actually made me cry. I love your kind manner and the simple way that you teach. Thank you so much for this, honestly, it made my day.

Да, великолепный хлеб! 👌✌️👍🏼👍🏽👍🏻💪🤝Молодец!

Where have I been??? I just found this tonight, wow, I'm hooked. I love baking and as a kid, we had no indoor plumbing. When the electricity was out, which was often, we cooked on an old cast iron wood stove in the kitchen. I miss cooking over fire. Amazing, I will be ordering lots of stuff off this site. love that guy and his hat. he's perfect for this

what you are missing is the misting or the oven for the french bread. the misting of the oven makes the crust. it is the most loving part and most delicious part

I am disabled and can not do much. And I could easily skip the business part of this channel. I am from northern Europe, with connection to US and of very old northern Swedish culture, so I like the information part of this channel. It is really stunning and educational. It is great inspiration. I was born 1966 and was very lucky to experience the real and living culture dating from at least 18’th century. The kitchen I worked in as teenager (I am born 1966) was from 18’th century, real, instructed from generations, not reconstructed.

I just love your videos! Thank you John! I plan to buy some goodies from your store as soon as my budget allows!

I have the feeling that if you scattered some diced onion and some of that home made cheese you showed on the top of the dough before you did the folds the end product would be down right savory.

Another great video!! Thanks for making these. I look forward to them every week.

Oleo refers to oleomargarine. In other words, Oleo is just a reference to margarine. While it was invented in 1869, it became widely used during WWII as a butter substitute when butter was very scarce.

I didn't know there was such professional and crisp camerawork in the 18th century

I absolutely loved this video I just came across your videos, thank you so much for sharing it with us , I will be making your recipe you made it look so easy and your kindness shows , you can always tell a good person when you see one ! I watched a few other videos from others but yours was Awesome to watch and fun I bet the bread is fantastic like you ! And I absolutely love the kitchen and clothes I want them:) haha ...God bless my friend Mrs.Ricki Wolfe

I've been baking no-knead bread in my dutch oven for quite some time...it's delicious.

also a good substitute is a pyrex bowl. i used a upside down ceramic cookie sheet which i preheated along with the glass bowl, then i make a round loaf and cut it then simply put it on the cookie sheet and carefully set the bowl over the top. this way you could watch the loaf. also the crust is my favorite part. always bake bread covered, its a good substitute for steam baking which always produces great crust.

Great job on this video. Especially your dedication to your theme and superb editing. I would have loved to have seen that bread cut in half though!

Feed starter, two posts back recipe, each time you take one cup add one cup rye flour to one cup spring or distilled water. Only stir with wood spoon. Starter should be soupy. Keep cool. Bring to room temp before using and to revive active wild yeasts. Sometimes all day. Watch in warm temps or it will be a bubbled over mess. Keep a tight lid on jar while in fridge. I use the rye only for the starter for its ability to make a delicious sourdough bread and I use whatever flour to complete the loaf

An interesting video but it would have been nice to see the inside of the loaf.

This is one of the most positive and surprisingly entertaining channels on the entire YT. Great work!

I love these insights into 18th century culinary fair. I do believe I was born in the wrong century. Thank you so much.

I made the bread French Bread not knead. It came out great but less salt. Although I Ioved it! Thank you J Townsends. I love what you're doing. Keep it going because history means everything. Dave

These videos make me want to go out of my way just to make these foods as authentically as possible. Great videos, man.

The apron is our "tradesman's apron" you can find it on our website. It is in the Mens clothing,18th century catagory. You can do a search for apron or Tradesman's and find it. Thanks!

Combined with eggs, milk and whole grain flour it is a complete meal (protein, fat, fiber) just by itself.

i keep coming back to this channel

Love this channel good source for American history.

Take one cup of starter and put in mixing bowl. Add one cup flour with two tsp. Salt and 2 cups water. Mix with wood spoon. Never use metal utensil to stir sour dough or starter. Add enough flour till you have kneadable dough, but not dry. Sticky is best. Place dough into a greased loaf pan or floured/cornmeal bowl. Cover with cloth let rise over night or all day then proceed as jas shows for baking. I sprinkle flour on top and slice before baking. Happy eating~

I love your videos! I cant help but watch them whenever a new one comes out! Keep up the amazing work! Also, its funny. I am on a diet so watching this video called "No Knead Bread " made me feel guilty. No need bread, I'm on a diet haha!

The crust turns out very hard, if you keep it make sure you cover the bread after it comes out of the oven so that the steam softens it up unless you're into hard crust.

Townsend , Get the movie with Robert Ruark on safari , he describes and show the bread made by the camocook,,also the book Horn of tye Hunter describes the safari camp kitchen in the 1950s, and the cook had a old steel box that he used as dutch oven. He had done the stuff withthe dutch oven for 40 years at the time, probably learnt it from older generations , he could whip up so very much with the dutch oven and pots over a fire, Ruark was in awe over that and best food he got .

Stumbled across this while I have a no-knead loaf rising in the oven! I may try this recipe next time I have eggs.

You have one of the best channels on RU-vid! Thanks for the great videos.

Same as a big biscuit. Love this channel

I made a New York Times version of no-knead bread in a lidded 3 quart stainless steel pot lined with parchment paper. Oven temp: 425 F. It came out perfect.

Unfortified doughs should be baked in this fashion in a preheated dutch oven @ 500-degree (F) for 30 minutes (lid on) plus 15 minutes (lid off). Fortified doughs (those using milk and egg), I suggest 450-degrees (F). Internal temperature should reach 190 degrees. Be sure to allow the bread to cool before slicing to allow the crumb structure to fully develop.

This guy should open a restaurant. Seriously.

Love your channel and your manner. Goodjob

Great videos! It would be really cool, if you would describe the taste of the bread and compare it to other (modern) breads, and if you would slice it , that we can see how it looks from the inside.

i am a young native indian boy and i think you should make bannock! i have a great recipe if you need one!

been making this on thanksgiving and Christmas people love it.

Fascinating! I want to know more about old recipes. I find the american expression 'heaping tablespoon' amusing. We in England say 'heaped taplespoon', which makes more sense when you think about it.

Best and amazing quality content on this channel. I sincerely enjoy your videos and have been watching them the past 2 days only.

Thank you so much for very well done video...

That’s the only bread I make, I just adapted the recipe say for cinnamon raisin or rosemary, chives garlic and cheese.

I love bread and this looks delicious!

Thank you soo much.for your receipe bread,I'm realy love it.

Love your videos. I followed the instructions, the bread came out great. However, I had to bake the bread for around 45 minutes total, 15 more than you suggested, on a normal oven, and it wasn't as brown as yours. Cheers!

I make no knead bread all the time. I let my Kitchen Aid with dough hook to beat it up. I may knead it a few times after I dump it out of the mixing bowl but that’s it. That’s a rich sticky dough you made. I make Kaiser rolls all the time. I could also use my recipe to make bread. It is just flour, water, sugar, salt and oil. It is a lean bread but makes excellent rolls or bread.

I make this bread every weekend, but I use 4 cups of sifted flour, 1 teaspoon of yeast 1and half teaspoon of salt and 2 cups of 110c of water.

So I’ve only tried one recipe thus far from the show. That one recipe, the simple apple pie! Boy was that pie ever so simple too, and super tasty. Only thing I changed was adding a sprinkling of cinnamon over the apples as well as some vanilla extract to the crust. This will be my second, making a starter tonight. Tomorrow will be bread as well as the pork napoleon as described on this channel as well (a Conner prairie episode with Mrs Beck I want to say). Anyways thank you for helping bring the past alive here in the 21century.

My great-aunt used a covered skillet to make egg-bread on the stove. Nothing better with dinner (what people nowadays call lunch).

Love to watch

Great video and info on the making of bread.

My father use to tell me that when he was there during WWII the French use to make a bread that the outer crust was so hard you could not bite into it. So you would cut it and eat the inner part. But use the crust in soups like onion soup.

I'm going to make this, but why would you scrape off that killer crust?