Bread baking question

Re: The NY Times Bittman recipe for no knead bread.

What would happen if after the first sitting period and before the 2 hour rise I threw a few eggs and a little butter, raisins and cinnamon into the bread? Would it still come out? I would not want to put this in at the beginning as it could spoil. Pls advise.

How would you work those into the dough? Kneading?

I would knead them into the dough. That was my thinking.

I have done something like that. I have added eggs at the start. I thought that the heat would kill anything bad when it cooked. People eat soft eggs all the time and live to get out of the bed the next day. The bread will get hotter than the soft eggs. If you are afraid it, buy pasteurized eggs to use. I have made a wonderful cinnamon and raison bread that I made by spreading it over the bread as I folded it over. I also have made a orange and walnut bread using the fold over thing. It is a great way to make some very rustic bread.
Try using beer instead of water for the liquid. It gives it a nice flavor and the booze bakes out. You can't taste the beer but it gives it a flavor no one can put there finger on. I have also made it with milk and buttermilk and it came out well. You don't get the hight of with water but you get a little tighter bread.

I was thinking of putting cinnamon and kind of putting it in the bread and rolling it over so its like the cinnamon swirl bread.

toria wrote:I would knead them into the dough. That was my thinking.

Not being difficult, but why use a no knead recipe then try to knead all those things in? Why not just start w a normal recipe?

After a 12 hr room temp rise I don't think you can knead those ingredients in properly with so much gluten already developed.

I was thinking of putting cinnamon and kind of putting it in the bread and rolling it over so its like the cinnamon swirl bread.

I think you can do this with the no knead recipe. You could also do a paste with the butter, raisins and cinnamon, smear it on and roll it, but I don't think the eggs will work. They need to be added at the beginning of the mixing, and the butter too if you're aiming for a brioche-like bread. But if you're aiming for brioche with raisins and cinnamon, I'd look for a brioche recipe rather than adapting this one.

Thanks all. I was just wondering because it seems so easy and wondered if it could be adapted.

Toria, if you are looking for easy bread recipes along the lines of no knead bread, check your local library for the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It has a chapter with recipes for enriched breads such as brioche and challah with raisins. I've only made the basic recipe, but it was very easy and I enjoyed the loaves. It turned out similar to ciabatta. DH did not like the bread as much as I did, so I never bought the book.

If you decide to try it and have questions, PM me.

Good idea.

Right now I am making the Bittman version of no knead bread. I did not add eggs or butter to it went with the straight recipe. I will experiment later.

Bread is out of the oven. It looks great. I used the straight recipe. My what an easy way to make bread. Hopefully it will taste good. Fodder for toast (see my other post on toast).