No Knead Bread Baking Method
On this page, you will find both the short and long version videos of a basic no knead bread baking technique. See these variations of no knead recipe too.
Before we get started, I wanted to share an email I received from Leanna who says more for the benefits of the no knead method than I could ever convey. She says…
Love This Method
I’ve been baking bread for 40 years and this method has turned my bread baking upside down. I even had kneading down to an art. My dough had to feel just right. My ingredients had to be the best. Now I just throw these four items into a bowl and with no effort on my part, I end up with perfection. I take care of a lady with handicaps and bake it for her too. She has a gas oven and mine at home is electric. I have had no problems with this method. I used to have a sourdough starter but several moves ago, I discarded it. Now with your starter I am back in business. I can hardly wait for my first loaf of NK sourdough bread.
6 min. 40 sec.
12 min. long
Ingredients for basic yeasted No Knead Method:
3 cups bread flour (the above video used 1 cup (5 oz.) whole wheat flour and 2 cups (10 1/2 oz.) white bread flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups purified or spring water
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Mix in water until the water is incorporated.
- Cover with plastic and let sit 18 hours.
- Follow video instruction for folding.
- Cover loosely with plastic and rest for 15 minutes.
- Transfer to well floured towel or proofing basket. Cover with towel and let rise about 1 1/2 hours.
- Bake in covered La Cloche or Dutch oven preheated to 500 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Remove cover; reduce heat to 450 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Let cool completely on rack.
- Consume bread, be happy.
| No Knead Revisited – A Three Year Check Up
It’s been over 3 years since the original New York Times no knead bread recipe was published. That’s also about the same time Breadtopia was born. By far the most common difficulty people write or call in about is with the dough being too wet to handle at the end of the long first proofing period and also when it’s time to place the dough into a covered vessel to bake at the end of the second rise. When you run into this, there’s not a whole lot you can do about it other than attempt to follow through on the instructions and ultimately wrest the dough into your heated baker and into the oven. Your “mistake” may turn out better than you expected and if nothing else, you’ll learn from it. The next time around you can do one or a combination of a couple things differently.
The same principle holds true on the second rise. While 1-2 hours is the suggested range, I’m almost always at about 60 to 75 minutes. Another concern we hear a lot is about the dough not rising much during that second short proofing period. I don’t see mine rise much then either and it doesn’t matter so long as you see a good rise during the first several minutes that the dough is in the oven. That’s called oven spring and it’s a very good thing. By keeping your proofing periods on the shorter side, you’re more likely to get good oven spring from the still vigorous yeast or sourdough starter. Of course all of the above is assuming your yeast or sourdough starter is fresh and viable to start with. In summary, most problems can be helped or solved by stiffening the dough a little and/or shortening the rising times. If you’re new to bread baking, don’t think from reading this that it’s difficult or tricky to get great results. Most people find it a breeze and enjoy success right out of the blocks. Others may find it takes a few tries. It’s important to have fun with it and don’t worry about bombing. There’s no significant downside to bread baking but the upside can be fabulous. Enjoy! |
This method of baking is quite forgiving if you alter the ingredients and proportions. One of the great things about a bread recipe that is so easy and involves just one loaf at a time is you don’t feel like you’re risking a lot if your experimenting goes awry.
Try using different flours and/or different proportions of flour and play around with the water measurement a little.
We’d would love to hear from anyone with their experiences using this technique, both successful and otherwise. Please share your experiences below.
Note: Here are some great dough handling tips from Breadtopia reader Mark Liptak. Also, check out these no knead baking techniques by Margaret Ball.
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I have my oblong baker, but do not have an oblong proofing basket or anything that i can proof my bread in that even resembles the shape of my baker. How do I proof it in the shape and then get it into the hot baker?
Hey Gary,
I will send a letter to Santa and tell him to skip me, and spend my gift money on you instead. Sorry about that. I paniced when I saw that lady was using Pyrex and the email that I received warning about it popped into my mind. Just thought I was doing my duty in warning people. I should have checked it out more carefully before forwarding it on this forum.
Good luck with your baking.
Marianne
Marianne… sorry for mis-spelling your name earlier….and you owe me $83.00 for all my tossed out and broken Pyrex…. lol
C’mon Christmas…! Santa’s gonna have to bring me my La Cloche and several other goodies….
to Mythbuster Gary an other forum members regarding dangerous Pyrex
thanks Gary for posting that response to my post. You are right, some of these emails that are “warnings” flying around are not always reliable.
I was going to add to my earlier post to tell everyone that I recently bought a new Pyrex dish just to check it out. The label said it was manufactured in the US, so obviously the email I received was not accurate.
Sorry for any panic that I may have caused anyone out there. I should not have been so hasty in passing that email along.
Marianne
A late response to Mariane’s post concerning Pyrex…
http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/pyrex.asp
Evidently, the use of the “new” glass has been going on for quite some time…. And whenever you get those “scary” e-mails, check them out…! Snopes is a good place…
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Urban Legends Reference Pages (snopes.com)
Snopes.com (pronounced /ˈsnoʊps/), officially the Urban Legends Reference Pages, is a web site that is the best-known resource for validating and debunking urban legends, Internet rumors, e-mail forwards, and other such stories of uncertain or questionable origin in American popular culture.[1] Snopes is run by Barbara and David Mikkelson, a California couple who met on the alt.folklore.urban newsgroup. The Mikkelsons also founded the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society, and were credited as the owners of the site until 2005.[2] The site is organized according to topic and includes a message board where stories and pictures of questionable veracity may be posted.
Mythbuster Gary
No, it was the fact that the dough was left in a very warm oven overnight that made it soupy. I had put the dough in the oven with the oven light on to bump up the temp a tiny bit in order to have the dough rise better than on my freezing cold kitchen counter. I meant to turn the light off before going to bed but forgot and you would be surprised how hot that oven was in the morning with just the light burning!
I have not found any ill effect from leaving dough sit too long for the initial rise. You could even put the dough in the fridge for a longer slower fermentation period.
The second rise, when the dough is shaped and left to rest on a floured towel, should never be left too long or you will get into trouble. For instance, the dough will begin to absorb the extra flour and become glued to the towel or brotform, or the dough will over-inflate and collapse when put into the oven. It’s best to anticipate a little bit of rise left in the dough to pop in the oven – what people are calling ‘oven spring’. An over-risen loaf will result in a flatter loaf in the end.
Sometimes the dough will look really wet and sticky when it is fully risen but if you put a sprinkle of flour over the top and fold it over itself a few times it will be fine. You can tell when the dough is initially mixed how wet the dough will be and that is the time to adjust by adding more flour or water. It is easier to add more flour than more water at this point BTW as adding a tiny bit of water after mixing seems to really make an impact on the dough. You will get the feel for what works for you.
I use slightly less water in the ‘plain’ dough than a dough containing chopped grains.
April – thank you for your help. It has been extremely helpful.
I made both the basic no knead recipe today as well as the parmesan/olive and they both turned out wonderfully well. I used an old pilliow case by the way and it was perfect.
One question of clarification though … in your note abbove are you saying that the longer the dough rises, the “soupier” it gets? In other words, if it continues to rise beyond a certain point it will be wetter and stickier.
Cheers.
Gord
Gordon
Glad it is turning out alright. I think the dough does have a tendency to seem ‘glossier’ somehow when it sits long, but once the dough is folded and formed it seems to be pretty much the same texture of the shorter ferment.
Temperature on the other hand, will have a profound effect on the time it takes for the dough to ferment. This fall I have already had to boost the bread by putting it in the oven with the light turned on for a few hours to speed up the rise after a cool night. Once I left the light on over night and the dough was soupy by morning. I haven’t made that mistake again!
By the way, I use oblong baskets because I have oval bakers. You will need to shape YOUR dough to match whatever shaped pan you are using to bake.
Lynne
I have found that flour is variable by brand and also from season to season due to humidity and who knows what else. I would recommend, due to environmental factors, that you simply weigh up the measured quantities and write them down. You would then have a baseline to work from. This is what I did and it only took a few minutes. Its not an exact science as I often have to adjust or ‘tweak’ proportions even though I weigh both the flour and water.
With that said, according to traditionaloven.com, 3.75C of WW flour yields 15.87oz and 3.5C AP flour yields 15.43oz.
http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/flour_volume_weight.html#
could u please tell me what 3 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour is in ounces by weight?
and what is 3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour in ounces by weight?
April – thank you.
Believe it or not, I just took the dutch oven out of the oven and the bread looks terrific! I am amazed.
Still, I know it was too moist so I am going to cut down a tiny bit on the amount of water I add in. And I am going to try 12 hours instead of 16 or the recommended 18.
It is funny, but when I looked at the dough at the 12 hour mark it looked like it was ready. I think letting it go and rise for another 4 hours somehow made it too moist. Is that possible????? Would letting it rise too much make it “wetter”.
I also like your idea of using a floured towell inside an oblong basket. I have a bunch of proper stuff on order but until the baskets etc arrive, I’ll try your towel method.
Anyway, I am bound and determined to get it right. And given that what I initially thought was going to be an absolute flop … actually looks great … I think I am on the right track.
Again, thanks a bunch.
Gord
Hi Gordon
Your story is so painful I have to chime in.
#1 the dough is supposed to be somewhat wet and sticky. It should not be soupy. You may have to adjust your proportions due to brand of flour, humidity, etc. You will know what works for you after a few tries.
#2 I don’t know why so many people attempt to dump this dough onto a board. makes no sense to me at all! Just dust a little flour over the top of the dough and fold it over a few times with a rubber spatula right in the bowl. It does not have to ferment 18 hours either. I bake mine after only about 12 hours most of the time and if its really cold I will put the bowl of dough in the oven overnight (warmed to 100 then turned off.)
#3 What’s up with the plastic wrap lined bowl? The dough will stick permanently to plastic wrap no matter what you do and you risk hitting it to the burning hot pan in the process of turning it out. Put the dough to rise in a well floured brotform or floured non-terry towel. If you don’t have one use an old pillowcase. I put a floured towel into an oblong basket and drop the formed dough ball onto it. Then plop the dough into the hot pot after the rise. I only let it go about 45 min to avoid the dough sticking especially if its a wetter dough.
#4 As a general rule, the wetter the dough, the flatter the loaf. But also the bigger the holes. There is a happy medium, though!
Good luck!
Help please!
I’ve just started the no-knead process but my first two attempts have been “flops”.
The first time I used the Kim Lahey recipe that called for 1 5/8th cups of water. When I let the dough rise for 18 hours and turned it out, there was considerable “water” underneath the dough. It was a mess – but I sopped up the “water”, added a bit of flour to make it “managable” and let it rise the second time. The I baked it but it was “low” (didn’t rise) … and was difficlut to put in the hot dutch oven becasue it was so wet and sticky. Still it tasted okay.
Then my good fortune. I found this site and Eric’s brilliant video.
So, I used Eric’s recipe which calls for slightly less water and thought that would do the trick.
I measured my proportions diligently (though I don’t have a scale) but after 16 hours (not the required 18) my dough had more than risen twice in size and was bubbling away like crazy.
So, I figured the initial rise was far enough along. When i turned it out onto the floured surface, it was still very very moist, though at least there was no residual “water” this time.
And there seemed to be much more dough than what Eric seems to have in his video.
Anyway, I put it into a bowl lined with floured plastic wrap and let it rise the second time. Which it did nicely. But when it was time to put it into the heated ductch oven, it stuck to everything in the bowl. So, I shifted the dutch oven around to spread out the dough and it is baking as I speak.
Please somebody, please tell me what I am doing wrong. I can make great bread the traditional kneading way …. so why I am failing at the “no knead” method?
More importantly, I guess, why is my dough rising so high and why is it so so moist and sticking to everything after both the initial rise and the second rise.
Any and all words of wisdom would be appreciated.
Thanks ever so much.
Gord
Cinnamon Raisin No Knead Sourdough. Turned out fantastic!
[img]IMG_0236(Small).jpg[/img]
Hello Mamaspice,
About using Pyrex for your bread. If you are using the old Pyrex, it should be OK. I got a scarey email the other day regarding using the newer Pyrex brand. Someone had used their newer Pyrex to make a roast and it shattered into hundreds of shards of glass in the oven.
Apparently the name Pyrex has been sold to a company that is cutting corners on quality. I have cut and pasted the wording from the email that I received below. If you are interested in finding out more you may want to google it yourself. Would hate to see you get hurt. Good luck with your bread. Sounds like you are quite determined. Here is part of the wording from the email warning about Pyrex:
A long, long time ago in a country we all know and love was a
company named Corning . They made Pryex dishes. The material they used is
called borosilicate glass. This stuf f is indestructible.
But like everything else, the Bottom Liners had a great idea: sell the
technology to another company. The Chinese discovered that using soda lime
glass was almost as good as borosilicate glass and a lot cheaper. Today,
Wal-Mart is the largest distributor of Pryex products. Corning not only
sold the technology to a company called World Kitchen, they also sold the
rights to the original Pyrex logo. Seamless. The consumer will never know.
Now it seems people are getting hurt using soda lime Pyrex. We
were lucky because the dish broke while the oven was closed and the damage
was limited to the oven cavity. Others have been less fortunate. Some
dishes explode when they are lifted from the heating rack in the oven with
devastating results. Some people are heavily scarred. World Kitchen is in
denial. They say that the dishes are another brand, not theirs. Contrary
to their denials the victims usually have more than one of these dishes and
the Pryex logo is clearly visible…..It goes on to say that when you read the warranty wording it lists and extensive number of exceptions which would make the warranty lapse…in other words they have really covered their b—ts.
there are many emails circulating today causing panic among consumers and some of them are true, some are not. Whether it is legit or not, I’d be investing in something that won’t shatter. Even one of those small sized cheap speckled little enamel roasting pans.
Good luck!
Marianne
Wow – your video is VERY informative! I have been on a bread making mission for several months and find the bread machine dough to be lacking in complexity. I have perfected a honey oat loaf using the machine dough cycle and my own shaping and baking, but artisan was the way I REALLY wanted to go. Looking at your clay pot method got me to thinking of what I could use in my own cabinets without an investment. What I ended up with was a pyrex pie plate as my base and covered with a 4 qt pyrex mixing bowl. Used a liberal dose of cornmeal and had no problems with sticking. The bread actually “sang” while cooling!! My first run was with my Bread Machine yeast and it did not set up to my liking. Now that I have the standard instant yeast the bubbles just won’t stop. Looking forward to experimenting with the sourdough variation and the lager beer. Bon Apetite!
[img]nokneadbread.jpg[/img]
That’s one of the downsides to the cold start. Yes, using parchment paper would prevent this.
Made the basic NKB, this time starting with a cold oven. The bread stuck to the pan like a magnet. Had to pry it out, leaving the bottom crust behind. Would using parchment paper prevent this?
Hi Ugnius, looks great! Where’s the butter? Keep baking and experimenting and you will find what works for you and your taste. Beware though, you will have good bake days and bad. Just like hair, for those that have iit, some days (or nights) your dough will have a mind of it’s own. But, what makes NKB fun is it’s baker friendly attitude. You will have more successes than flops.
Good Luck
So I started experimenting with baking bread last week, and since I had absolutely no clue what to do I just followed the 1st recipe from the internet. I want to concentrate on making 100% whole wheat bread. So 1st attempt was ok, tastes wise, but it didnt rise much at all. Then I did a little bit more research (but def not enough) and made it again. Result was not good, atleast thats what I think, although several people liked it. And now finally I decided to do enough research and came across no-knead bread making, and followed this recipe, and I used 100% whole wheat flour. The result is great, abviously it didnt rise as much as white flour bread would but still I am extremely happy with a result. And because of work I let it sit for about 24 hours, I am not sure if that made any difference, but the dough looked great , nice and stringy and it doubled in size. Also I baked in a carasole dish, but I am looking to get the right dish and tools to bake. but here is the picture, and the taste is great, I couldnt be more satisfied considering this is my 1st try making no-knead bread. Also its 100% whole wheat bread, fresh and healthy. Cannot wait to make more whole wheat breads using this recipe and adding differnt ingredients and toppings.
[img]1c.JPG[/img]
There is a new book out from the guy who created the no knead method. It is “my bread” by Jim Lahey from the Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC. It is a very nice book and has many variations on the no knead method.
Hi,
I’ve made a few loaves now and decided to buy the oblong proofing basket and La Cloche baker.
Man is this stuff good! I really like the easy to eat nature of the longer loaves and the basket is so much easier to work with than the towel method. I’m using 2/3 KAF Unbleached Bread and 1/3 White Whole Wheat.
Thanks for your site and all the great information and products.
Happy baking!
[img]NoKneadCloseUp.JPG[/img]
I made the bread in the heated cloche, according to directions. The only difference was it had a little higher rise. The crust was fantastic both ways.
I think I’ll stick with the cold oven method. I don’t know if it would make a difference if I wasn’t using the clay baker.
April, my first no knead bread was from the King Arthur’s web site, and I have been making it at least once a weak. It is the No-Knead Harvest Bread which is baked in a cold oven. I thought I would try theses no knead breads and see if I got the same results. It’s 35 min. from the time you put it in, and 10 with the lid off. Thats how I did it in the oblong pan. If I make it in my round baker I bake it 45 min, remove the lid and bake another 10 min. I’m very happy with the results, but I’m going to try this bread in a heated pan, but have to find a oblong proofing basket. I’ll post here when I try it.
I’m ready for a lesson Marge!
How does the cold method work? Do you time 35 minutes from the time you turn on the oven or from when the oven reaches temperature? I can’t imagine the bread would bake properly during the preheat stage.
I bake at in a hot clay baker at 485 for 30 min plus 12 min without the lid with the oven turned off or 8-9 minutes with the oven still on.
The bread was fantastic! I used the 7 grain instead of the oats. I baked it at 450 deg. for 35 min. and took the cover off and baked it another 10 min. I had 3 pieces before supper. My husband thought it was great too. As I said I’d been making the bread from KA sight in a cold oven with great results. I’ll try it in a heated cloche and see if there’s a difference. If not, I’ll continue to make it in a cold oven, (less work).
April and Ruth!!
Thank you for your ideas. I have been making the No Knead Harvest bread from the King Arthur sight, and putting the dough in my Pampered Chef loaf pan, (stoneware) and covering it with another one. I put it in a cold oven and I am very happy with the results. Today I just put the dough in my new La Cloche after the initial rise, waited 2 hrs. and baked it in a cold oven. (It’s baking now) I’ll let you know how it turned out.
Marge,
I use both a brotform and a shallow bread basket with an old fashioned flour sack towel as I usually bake two oblong loaves at once. I would suggest any non-terry cotton kitchen towel or even an old pillowcase would probably work. Sift generous amount of flour over it before placing dough ball on and don’t let the proof go too long or the dough is more likely to get stuck.
The shape of the basket is important, too. My brotform is tall and makes a taller loaf than my other basket, which produces a wider, squatter loaf with identical dough and method.
I like to use a basket with the floured towel, because I think it helps the dough breathe, but any bowl, box or container would work, too. Choose something that shapes the dough to the correct proportion of your baker and it should be fine.
You could even make a parchment ‘sling’ between two stacks of books and set dough and paper together into the hot baker.
Avoid cold method as it defeats the entire point of having purchased the baker in the first place! Trust me that you will love your baker and find it is worth every penny.
Marge, I use an oblong bread basket and line it with a floured linen cloth.
Happy baking!
Thanks for all your advice, April!
I didn’t use parchment (yeah, I drive a hybrid, why would I use unnecessary parchment. *lol*). My bread has been turning out beautiful! I did have to adjust the temp to get a good crust, but I think my oven is off. I have had no problems at all with sticking. We have tasty and beautiful bread in my house now!
Everyone here is great!
Just received my oblong La Cloche, and was wondering what else can be used, instead of a $17.00 proofing basket. Having just spent $51 for the pan,(including shipping) I thought someone here might have an idea on what else could be used. As for now, I guess I’ll just use the cold oven method.
Sam, move it up a notch and then place a sheet of aluminium foil under. you wont scorch the bottom and the top would be cooked too!
Sam,
I would try moving your stone from the bottom of your oven to a higher rack. That may do the trick.
sam,try parchment paper thats what i use..
Hi all,
thanks for the reciepe, it saves a lot of effort compared to the “traditional” methods for sourdough bread and the result is very similar.
I have a small problem though. i use a baking stone at the bottom of my oven, i put some flour on it and put the bread right on it. then i add 4 ice cubes in the oven to keep it moist. However my bread always gets burnt at the bottom (oven is preheated at 225oC). i tried to bake it less time (in which case the bread does not get burnt at the bottom but is not baked enough at the top) or to use a baking sheet, which did not help.
does anyone have a solution?
Brenda,
Yup, roosters on top! I don’t see the benefit of using parchment, unless you have something against a brotform or flour towel. I sooner save the money and a tree and skip it. I have never had a problem with sticking and I have never had the need to even wash the roaster. I dump out the burnt flour before putting it in the oven to preheat. That’s it!
I love my two oblong roasters because I can make oval loaves which seem to last longer than a round loaf, are simpler to cut and make a better size slice.
Thanks April!
Mine is like yours (roosters on top?) glazed bottom, nonglazed lid.
Since yours is working well, I’m going to give it a try. What’s to lose!
A friend that has a la cloche suggested I try parchment in the bottom. Since I’m already a parchment freak, I’m going to do that.
Thank you for your time and knowledge.
Brenda,
My light grey roaster is a Sassafras and is glazed on the bottom but not the lid. It has been working well for a year or more. I do not own any non-glazed clay bakers to do a comparison test. I figure its the best of both, trapping some steam moisture but letting some dissipate. My dark red roaster is also glazed on bottom only and can produce a darker crust. I think color is more a factor than half glazed interior.
You might want to try a terra cotta saucer and pot from the garden center. It is a cheap alternative and I did this a few times with success.
Hi Mark,
You can try an unglazed ceramic baker. The semi porous clay wicks away some moisture from the dough and creates a crispier crust. Many people find they work a lot better than glass or cast iron.
Hi Shabnam,
I would definitely forget about the 18 hours most of the time in New Delhi. You can go by the look but I probably wouldn’t go more than 10 hours on the first rise and an hour on the second.
Good luck.
I live in New Delhi, India. At this time(today is cooler) the room temperature is 32C/88F. Should I look at leaving the floor to rise for 18 hrs? Or shall I just go by the look. I am trying the NKB for the first time.
I have a question… mainly to April, but anyone can answer if you know…
I have a sassafras oval roaster (glazed in the bottom- likely like yours). How does that effect the bread?
I really don’t want to invest in a la cloche.
Hi all,
I’ve been making the no-knead with increasing success, yet I’ve recently been unable to achieve a good, solid crispy crust. The crusts are coming out very brown, but thin and lose their crispiness within an hour or two after our first taste. The crumb is good, the oven spring could be better. I’m baking in a white corningware pot with a glass lid, 30 min.s on, 10-15 min.s off. Any insights out there?
First time I’ve ever posted to a blog, but I just had to do this and include a picture! Used to make all our bread the old-fashioned, hard-work way when my sons were small (they are 22 and 29 now). Got to be too time-consuming, so it gradually went the way of the dodo bird. Found this video and followed it generally — after reading the tips at http://users.california.com/~parvin/no-kneadbread.html — and making my own adjustments. I used equal parts KA unbleached bread and KA whole wheat flours. Had to leave the first proof go a little too long due to work, so it was closer to 21 hours. Don’t have all the lovely fancy proofing baskets, pizza peels, scrapers and such, but I improvised with parchment paper, a rubber spat and a 5 qt. cast iron “covered casserole” from Paul Deen, which is oval and produced more batard-ish shape. Not much “oven spring” as you can see, but I think it was due to the flattening effect of an 8-inch fall into the pot, which is tall and narrow, and a bit of over-proofing.
It smelled so good we couldn’t wait for it to cool (we never could in the old days either — the first loaf out of the oven was always gone within minutes). My oven seems to have been too hot as there was some scorching on the bottom & the crust was a bit hard in places (the dog loved those bottom crusts) but the flavor was excellent and the smell & texture were heavenly.
I’ll be working on using 100% whole wheat and sourdough next, as well as improving my technique, but I must say, I am in love with bread baking again after a long absence. Thanks sooooo much.
TheVoyce,
The only bread I had the same problem with was the parm-olive variation. I just made it for the second time, adding slightly more flour when mixing it up, probably less than 1/4 cup. Before putting on my cutting board for round two, I put a ridiculous amount of flour down and sprinkled a good amount on top before pressing it out. It was much more manageable for this process. It was still just as moist and chewy when all was said and done. So, the moral of the story is, don’t be afraid to use more flour! Good luck!
Amy
Excellent! I have made this twice and my dough comes out very wet and sticky. I have to use the rubber dough tool to flatten, fold and lift it into the bowl after the 15 mins. On the 2nd rise I used the wax paper in the bowl as suggested by other comments and it’s still very wet and a mess, when I put it in the 500 degree pot. I would love to know how to correct the problem. If I add more flour during the fold process I am afraid it will make the bread tough. Regardless of these problems, it’s excellent, so I can only yes how much better it will be once I get the process correct. Any suggestion?
How come when I make this no knead bread turns out looking good yet seems heavy and Dense?
Thank you,
George Cardona
Ont. Canada
I am using no knead bread recipe with regular rectangle 2″ high baking pot with no lid and the bread is tasty with regular crust. Last night I baked the dough which I made more liquid by using 80% hydration. The oven temperature was 518 F and I baked it at that temperature for 5 min, and then turned it down to 356 F. In the first 10 minutes the dough had amazing oven spring which I’ve never seen before and soon after it collapsed on 2.75″ height. Do you have any idea what caused this? Should I bake with first temperature for longer perioud and to see if structure stays solid? I’ve never had oven spring this big with a drier dough with 70% hydration.
I started using the no knead process from this site: http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/search/label/Breads, because I was looking for a Ciabatta recipe. Since then I found this site and learned a whole lot more… I still use the Ciabatta recipe with many variations. I have made 1/2 spelt 1/2bread flour, 1cup whole grain rye, 1cup spelt, and the balance bread flour, I have used sourdough starter (1/4 cup) or 1/4tsp yeast, both of which I mix in the water first (learned that here). This recipe does not use a baking vessel but bakes free form on a cookie sheet. I have tried using Romertopf had some scorching problems and hard crust… tried it again today with 450 degree oven and left cover on for 30 minutes then turned oven off and left bread in for another 15 minutes the crust was great this time.
There are so many variations that are possible and they all seem to work, making great bread.
Eric keep up the good work, this is a great site! My next venture is the 100% spelt sourdough, now that I was able to get a good Starter going. I could not get your starter working… but had success with the starter method at: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/startermyway.html
Just wanted to give my 2cents.
Alex
Three weeks (or more?) since I baked a batch of no-knead and/or posted.
Last batch, inspired by the biga(sp?) posts, I saved 2oz of dough in a glass jar. A couple weeks ago I discovered it in the fridge and did an examination – a bit gray on the outside but fine otherwise… I peeled most the gray dough off and put it back in the fridge.
Today I decided it was time to try another batch… I have bulk steel cut oats around and some wheat germ, so I thought a mod on the recipe the site moderator here once posted (which I couldn’t find here but did come up on ifood) would be interesting to try.
I refreshed my 2oz of biga/almost-sourdough with 3 tablespoons all purpose white flour and 2 tablespoons water. By weight, if I remember right, this is a fifty-fifty ratio, which I mixed with a fork into the 2oz of usual nkb dough .66 water to flour dough from 3 weeks ago.
This new mix was very active in less than 6 hours. I call the retained dough from the last batch almost sourdough because you can smell that bacterial / fermenting sourdough scent and from what I’ve read, buying sourdough starters is goofy because due to exposure to your local air any authentic yeast eventually dies out… so go ahead and make your own. (If anyone has other theories would like to know)
I ended up with 4oz of biga + refresher starter. I knew I wanted 2oz dough from this fresh batch to retain for future use, so I did the math and figured I needed 23oz of the regular nk dough + 4oz starter – 2oz to save =25 original nk recipe. I didn’t do all the baking ratio math ( I think my new refreshed started is probably wetter than the original .66 ratio of water to flour) but basically ended up with around 9.2 water and the rest dry.
Mixed my refreshed starter into the water + 1/8 teaspoon yeast about 6 hours after reconstitution, then weighed out oats + wheat germ, then flour. Mixed all at around 8pm. Got home at 1am tonight and decided everything was going more than fine (it’s warm in the apt) so put the dough in the fridge).
Tomorrow I will put dough out and let come back to room temp, check for proofing, then deflate and shape as normal. Next batch I won’t bother with the fresh yeast and see what happens; suspect I have a viable biga/sourdough and if I plan 18 hours all will be well.
Update tomorrow!
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