Sourdough No Knead Method
The process of making a sourdough leavened no-knead loaf (at least the way I do it) is almost identical to the instant yeast variety. I just substitute 1/4 cup of sourdough starter for the 1/4 tsp. instant yeast.
Of course, working with sourdough can alter things quite a bit depending on how wet you keep your starter and how healthy it is. Some starters are very liquidy and can be poured out of their containers. I keep mine pretty thick. It has to be spooned out of the jar. I go into quite a bit of detail on how I manage my starter in the various related videos.
That said, here’s the most basic recipe that I use quite frequently.
- 1 cup (5 oz.) whole wheat flour
- 2 1/2 cups (11 oz.) white bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups purified water
- 1/4 cup starter
The baking times and all that are the same as the basic no-knead method. So you can easily just watch that video but follow this recipe. I usually bake the bread at 500° for 30 minutes with the lid on and then remove the lid and continue baking for 15 more minutes at 450°.
You might have noticed that there’s a bit of difference between what I say in the video regarding recipe quantities and what’s written. The weights shown are probably more precise, but you should be fine either way as there is a fair amount of leeway in this recipe.
Generally speaking, the wetter your dough the bigger the holes will be, which many people really like. However, a drier dough will make it easier to get the bread to rise while baking, giving you greater “oven spring” and a more spherical loaf versus a pancake. With practice, you’ll get so you can come closer to predicting how your bread will turn out just based on the consistency of the dough when you’re mixing all the ingredients together. You can adjust the amount of water and flour to get the consistency that suits you best.
Many people want to know how to make their bread more sour. Breadtopia reader, Rhine Meyering, enjoys success with this by using just 1/8 cup of sourdough starter and extending the fermentation time by refrigerating the dough. Click this link to his October 7, 2007 post to read what he says. It makes a lot of sense based on my understanding of sourdough baking too.
Also, click the following link to Ariela’s post of November 25th, 2007 where she describes her success with the sourdough no knead method using spelt flour. She includes the actual recipe she uses too – very nice.
| 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! |
March 20th, 2010 update: Beadtopia reader, Beth Adams, emailed this:
I have been a follower and contributer (through the comments sections) to the site for a few years. I just tried something that I wanted to share. I added a tsp. of lavender to the regular sourdough recipe and had great results when using it for sandwiches. Hope you are able to enjoy it!
For more no-knead recipes using sourdough, check out No-Knead Recipe Variations.
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I started a sourdough starter 2 weeks ago and have been feeding it twice dailly or once a day. I realize now that I haven’t been emptying enough of the sourdough before I add flour/water. It didn’t seem to be doubling. I’m keeping it in the microwave at about 80 degrees and using unbleached white flour. I will now do 1:4:4 ratio. Having said that is that ratio 25 grams sourdough to 100 grams of water/flour. My first loaf was too sour and quite dense. My questions are: will it make my starter hardier if I continue to feed it up to a month as in leave it out or can I put it in the fridge at this point and feed weekly? Also when I take it out to make bread, is 24 hrs enough time in advance to give one or two feedingd before I use it (and do I add it when it’s peaked as in high and still bubbly). Would I just take a bit out of the fridge and feed it and leave remainder in fridge and then just add some back in jar in fridge after it’s been fed? Trying to get this right but there are so many websites offering advice and I’ve been reading too many of them with sometimes slightly conflicting advice or maybe just different stategies to get the same results. Thanks for anyone who has the time to respond.
Kasey,
Thanks for the reply.
My house is on the cool (cold) side so I have the starter in the oven with the light on. This seems to be the ideal spot to get a temperature of around 85 degrees for the starter to activate and the really go to work.
I will not refrigerate the starter again until it SOURS.
And I love the bread I make with the starter I have and love the complexity it adds to my bread but it is not SOUR at all. So I am off to another adventure again sourering (is that a word) my sourdough starter.
I LOVe fresh baked bread,
David
David -
One other tip I’ve seen in comments on this site is to use a little less starter (1/8 cup rather than 1/4 cup) and to actually leave your dough in the fridge for an day before you begin the 18 hour room temperature proof. I did this with the loaves I baked yesterday and while I didn’t know a huge difference, it was sour, just the way I like it.
It’s good that you are feeding it every 12 hours. I think more frequent feedings just before baking seem to enhance the flavor for me. I sometimes feed it twice in one evening to really get it going. Best of love in your sour endeavors!
Kasey,
After reading your post I realized why my starter never had the sour flavor I was looking, longing for when I baked.
I had not let the starter actually sour. I revived the starter for 3 or 4 days before I started baking.
When I initially read your email, I took my starter out of the refrig and placed it on the counter. I have been feeding it every 12 hours. I pour off some of the starter each time. I have given all of that away to friends as often as I can. The rest has gone down the drain. I will not refrig the starter again until my starter develops the sour taste I am looking for.
I read that it took you 11 days to develop the sour flavor you wanted. I am willing to wait 11 more days if only I could get the starter to develop the sourdough flavor I long for.
David
I discovered your website about a month ago and was inspired to create my own wild sourdough starter (I used orange juice and whole wheat flour to get it going, then switched to purifed water and all purpose white flour). Wow, that tooks some patience! After 11 days, it was ready to bake.
I made two loaves the first time. Both tasted deliciously sour. Knowing I had a flavor that was working, I broke down and purchased the oblong cloche and proofing basket. The bread already had a wonderful taste, but now it is even more aesthetically pleasing.
The loaf in the rear of my picture proofed in the basket, while the loaf in the front proofed in a glass bread pan. Both baked up beautifully in the cloche. Your video of the basic no knead recipe was invaluable. I’m ready to start trying some variations now. Thank you!
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Hi Erica, you might try not proofing so long. Many on here are having success with a 12 hr 1st proof, then about 1 hour or less 2nd proof. You will more likely get a nice oven spring.
Wil
Hi,
After letting the dough rise for 18 hours, does it smell sour?
Thanks
Bart
Hi folks, a complete bread newbie here. I recently got my own sourdough starter going with Eric’s instructions and was excited to give it a try (it seems dumb to bake my own bread while living in France across from an excellent bakery, but this San Francisco girl has gone three years w/o proper sourdough…)
I used all-purpose rather than bread flour, because I wasn’t confident that the ‘bread’ bag I got was right (seems to have “deactivated leaven” in it??), about 3/4 the flour, and the last 1/4 was rye flour, with rye starter. When it came time to fold the bread after the long proof it was clear that i was dealing with something closer to liquid than dough, though did manage to get it folded (sort of) w/o running off my work board. I baked in this:
http://www.amazon.com/Simax-Quart-Super-Dome-Roaster/dp/B000679HPQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1270756154&sr=8-3
(only pyrex and not so expensive). My oven doesn’t reach 500 F but gets close (470-ish) and since I had read about lowering the temp in glassware, I thought I might be ok.
Anyhow, reading though the comments section I found the perfect description of my end result: “Doorstop.” Super tough crust (crunchy, but just too much, though not burned), slightly underdone interior, flat as a pancake. Tasted just about right, and more sour than I expected from a brand-new starter and countertop (rather than long refrigerator) proof.
My questions are – what could account for the lack of rise, and what should I change first? It seems like less water’s a no-brainer, but I wonder if I also pooped out my yeast with the 18-hour proof? And any advice on baking times/temps with the glass and wussy oven would be welcome too.
Thanks so much to anyone taking the time to read through all this. I’m like a thirsty man in the ocean – surrounded by good bread, but none of it what I’m craving!
=)
Erica
Thanks for all the good tips. After some experimenting with different flour mixtures, here is the perfect German “Graubrot”:
125 gr (4.4 oz) King Arthur bread flour
125 gr (4.4 oz) King Arthur whole wheat
125 gr (4.4 oz) rye flour (Henry’s)
125 gr (4.4 oz) barley flour (Henry’s)
15 gr (2 tsp) sea salt
70 gr (1/4 cup) whole wheat sour dough starter
375 ml (1.6 cups) spring water
Follow the instructions for no-knead sour dough bread.
The dough becomes quite thick but remains tacky. 2 hours proofing time before baking is advised at around 70 degrees.
Preheat oven and water soaked Romertopf to 490 degrees. Place in oven as far away from heating coil as possible (no need if you have hot air oven).
Bake for 35 minutes with lid. Reduce temperature to 450 degrees and remove lid. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Check inside temperature of bread to be at least 200 degrees. Remove and let cool on rack.
Guten Appetit! Tastes great just with a little butter!
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Thanks for the tips everyone! I’ll definitely look for a la cloche – I hope I can find one locally to avoid shipping costs. I’ve never even heard of oven liners, I may try that next if this doesn’t work.
I’ll try adjusting the oven temperature, that seems like an easy solution.
Yes, my bread looked “done” after 30 minutes with the lid on. Hoping it will do better tomorrow with lower temperatures!
Lara, if you are like me, you might not be able to go out and buy all the equipment you “need” at once. I used the corningware as it was suggested in the video, but I now preheat at 475, bake lid-on for 25 mins, reduce heat to just below 425 for 15 mins and then out of the oven and out of the casserole to cool (N.B. my oven runs a smidge on the hot side). The bottom of the loaf is still dark (I switched from olive oil to lard to minimize both this and a nasty clean-up job, but this tactic may not appeal to everyone), but the whole upper crust is fine and the crumb and taste is as it should be. I think possibly the corningware’s glaze might create a contact-heat hotspot; maybe I will experiment sometime with my cast-iron dutch oven with a make-shift lid to see what the difference is, but after finally nailing down this recipe I am looking forward to baking a different loaf.
Hello- I have found a couple of things that help me with the problem of burnt crusts- I use an oven liner ( I found a black one that goes up to 550 ) cut it in half so I have 2 of them. I put it in the bottom of the baker & put the bread on the parchment sling on top, if that doesn’t work try placing your rack up a notch & put a cookie tray on the bottom rack to deflect heat. Works for me. I take mine out at 200-206 degrees. Good Luck!
Yes!!
Did it look “done” when you looked at it when you took the lid off? In other words was it golden-brown? Some others here can probably provide a lot better information, but did you make sure to reduce the oven temp when you took the lid off? Was there convection running on the oven? You might want to get an oven thermometer so you can see if your oven temp is similar to the setting on the knob. It just seems like there was too much heat, which would explain the burnt crust and gummy inside. I can’t recall what the internal temp is supposed to be on this recipe, but if you would have let it reach the correct internal temp it would’ve been completely crisped on the outside! If you read some of the other posts below yours you will see that people usually make adjustments when using glassware/corningware. These people are probably better suited to say what happened to your loaf.. I say get the La Cloche, you can’t go wrong!!
I just made my first sourdough loaf!
It seemed to go perfectly until I took the lid off while it was baking. It looked great when I took off the lid; I set the timer for 15 minutes, peeked in at 10 minutes and the crust was blackening.
So I took it out then, and while the kids love it, I am finding it to be pretty gummy inside.
I am using corningware with a glass lid. Do you think that if i used a la cloche (which is on my list to buy!) that my problem would be solved?
Are you having shaping or baking difficulties? I have made this several times and have the following comments: by weighing all the ingredients and calculating the Bakers Percentage, I found this dough to have 76% hydration, which a loaf about as a Ciabatta. I have altered the recipe by reducing the water from 340g to 293g to make an average Sourdough Loaf of 66% hydration, although you could shape it at 70% hydration. Also, I found that baking in covered corningware required adjustment of temperature and time; possibly the clear glass lid magnifies the heat just like a window of a locked car in summer. Final appearance, crumb, oven-rise and taste were good with these amendments.
I’ve been using recipes in Jim Lahey’s My Bread book and decided to try something new today with two batches of his basic recipe: My version of the Cheese Bread and a new bread altogether called Green Zatar (Zataar or Zatahr) Bread. The latter was the more interesting to make and the recipe is pretty straight forward:
325 g. bread flour
75 g. green zatar (a middle eastern spice, will discuss later)
2 large tablespoons of sourdough starter (say 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 sea salt
300 g. water
I might as well get the Cheese Bread recipe out of the way, as well, it is:
400 g. bread flour
300 g water
1 1/2 sea salt
2 large tsp of sourdough starter
4 0z firm to semi-firm cheese cut into cubes about 3/4″ square (please just cut the cheese, don’t measure it, no need to be that precise);
[If you are familiar with this text, which Eric has links to, you will note that Lahey's basic formula is 400 g. bread flour, 300 g. water, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp active yeast. I do not use commercial yeast in my bread and opt for the sourdough starter which I made using Eric's basic formula with pineapple juice, I think maybe Peter Rinehart actually developed that formula.]
Mix the sourdough starter into 1/2 of the water and mix it up so that it is not sitting in two big lumps, just break it up a bit; then mix the flour, salt, and 1/2 the water into the flour and after mixed well, pour in the sourdough starter mix and continue stirring [note: the Beligian whip or whatever it is called is a really handy tool for this purpose, it beats using a large spoon for ease of use and cleanliness.] Regardless of whether you use commercial yeast or sourdough starter let the dough mix sit on your counter for between 12 and 20 hours [Lahey = 18 hours], but I have used the fermented dough, which will be a tad on the wet side, at both 12 and even 22 hours [e.g. the cheese bread I did today]. Note: I got the best rise by putting it in an warmed oven–about 100 degrees and let it sit until the oven cooled and left the dough to rise in the oven for the remaining time. Also, you will definitely get more rise if the dough is in a warm place, say 75 to 80, than in a cool place. I keep my home around 67 degrees so it took a little longer to rise and ferment, just be patient if you have a cooler home. Also I know one baker who wraps his fermenting dough in a heating pad turned on low to keep a warmer temp and then covers the bowl and pad with a towel.
Next,
Put about a 1/3 cup of flour on your work area and spread it around because the dough is going to be wet and sticky when scraped from the bowl. Scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Set the bowl and scraper in the sink, you will not use it again. Sprinkle some flour or bran over the dough and pull shape into a circle. Pull the dough from the 10 o’clock position and fold it back toward the center of the circle; next do the 1 o’clock position and finally the 12:00 o’clock position; do the same thing on the bottom of the circle nearest to you and then pull the right side out and fold it into the center; next pull the left side out and fold it over the dough flap you just pulled over from the right. Knead down a couple of times and feel if the dough is still wet; I usually just pick up the dough ball and roll it over the flour on the board with my palms and if I feel a lot of wetness, I’ll give a very slight dusting of flour or bran. If you have a grain mill, think about buying a pound or two of toasted wheat bran and running it through the mill–the resultant flour is nutty tasting and delicious and, it’s whole grain, too! The idea on adding the flour is not to put a lot of flour on the dough ball, just enough so that it’s not sticking to you or your work surface.
Okay, for the Cheese bread, after I lessened the wetness, I again spread the dough out into a circle, be gentle on the dough because you do not want to degas it. I then put the cheese chunks over the surface of the dough as many as I could easily accommodate and folded it over itself a couple of times and then added more cheese chunks by just feeling on dough “pillow” where there seemed to be an absence of chunks and just incorporated them into the dough. I finished by just pulling on the dough and folding iit into the center of the ball and then gently shaping it into an elongated loaf, i.e. an oval which went into the proofing basket which was sprinkled with the bran, cornmeal or flour. Let it rest for two hours–Don’t rush this step. Give it all of the time to rest and expand. 30 minutes before your time is up, preheat your oven to 475. A beginner’ s note: I kept discovering that my earlier breads were almost scorching on the bottom or the weren’t cooking properly so I invested in a thermometer for the oven and discovered my oven was cooking 15 degrees hotter than the digital thermometer on the oven. Now my breads are looking much better. So don’t blame yourself that you’ve done something wrong—check your oven temp if you are just beginning to bake bread.
Cook the cheese bread for 30 minutes with the lid on, 15 to 30 with the lid off. If it looks like its browning in 5 or 10 minutes—check it with your handy dandy instant read thermometer which Eric can sell— I use the instant read insertion probe which is really handy. If it reads over 200 it’s done. Don’t be alarmed if it even reads 230, just pull it out and put it on a cooling rack. Be certain to let this loaf, cheese, sit for at least an hour because it’ still cooking when you take it out of the Le Clouche, or whatever you are using. The cheese is still runny inside the loaf and needs time to finish cooking and cool. Also, if you are using an herbed cheese which I did, Chedder-basil, this extra time is needed by the bread to infuse the bread with the subtle nuances of the herb. You’ll be very happy you waited.
Okay, the Green Zatar bread is nothing but Cool. I love this bread and got great reviews from my friends (whom I seem to have developed a lot of since I started baking bread and they all live close to the house and seem to know exactly when to show up when the bread is finished. Interesting.) Anyway, I was introduced to Green Zatar by a petroleum engineering student from Saudi Arabia who was spending his senior year in my home in the hope of learning to speak English better, especially as it related to law and business. One day he presented me at breakfast time with a clear bag of green powdery looking stuff that had sesame seeds and other things which I couldn’t identify and said sprinkle this on your English muffin explaining that it was an herb mix widely used in the middle east and besides a good taste had the added attribute of being very good for your health. Of the nearly two hundred middle east students I met, they all confirmed this students statement about being quite good for your health and that it was eaten daily in the mid-east. The difference is that they eat it on Pita bread sprinkled with cheese, zatar onion and tomato then sprinkled with olive oil and then toasted for about three minutes under the broiler. Well, my daughter who had dated a Berkley law student from Beirut confirmed that her friend’s mother served zatar daily in her home in Houston. The green is made up of wild thyme, hyssop and other herbs. Get the best green zatar you can buy in a middle east market or on-line if you decide to make the Green Zatar Bread. All I did was to substitute 75 g. of bread flour for 75 g. of the zatar and mixed and fermented and dusted and baked just like I described in the cheese bread recipe. I think what I might change is to go ahead and use 400 g of flour and add 75 g. to the flour mix and bump the water by 1/4 cup to hydrate the dried herbs. The bread is quite aromatic and is a blend of the green herbs, thyme, etc. But, Zatar also has salt and it definitely is a salty flavor something about half of a salted soft pretzel and the mix of flavors is really quite good, especially if you like stronger flours, such as rye. The dough looks like fermenting buckwheat due to its color and has a most definite green gray cast. As cooked, it had a very chewy, moist crumb with a sourdough finish which I think totally compliments the taste of the Zatar. If you are in doubt about this bread, you can preview it by obtaining a small 4 oz. pkg and toasting an English muffin and sprinkling about a 1 1/2 tsp of zatar over the buttered or olive oil muffin. I bought a 2 pounds of the zatar to keep my neighbors and I happy in the months to come. If you have friends from the Middle East or an exchange student, I guarantee this bread will put smiles on their face. Enjoy. Happy Flour trails. Bernie Piel
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Hi Inge,
There is a great raisin bread recipe in Peter Reinhart’s Crust and Crumb book. It’s like the familiar SunMaid raisin bread (but a little better
) that’s a sweeter white bread and has a cinnamon swirl. The other thing you can do is add raisins and pecans to the no-knead recipe here. It’s excellent, and offers a little nutritional content too. Both ways are excellent!
Oops, I forgot to include the youtube presentation on how to make homemade butter. It looks so easy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oropJD0CUxI
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Since baking my first loaf of bread last week my creative juices are inspired to also make my own butter. Baking bread and making my own butter sounds like a perfect fun project to do with my grandchildren.
Inge
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Last night I baked two no knead sour dough loaves and they came out looking and tasting marvelous. Today I’m delivering one of the loaves to a daughter and her family who live close to me. I’m having so much fun baking bread and the videos HELP a lot. This year every friend and family member who live close by are getting loaves of bread as gifts. LOL. Anyone have a really good raisin bread recipe? I love good raisin bread.
Inge
Well, this certainly has been an adventure making the no kneed sourdough bread.
Last evening I mixed together the ingredients for the bread. I formed the dough into a workable ball and placed the dough in a proofing bowl to rise. I covered the dough in a plastic bag. When I got up this morning the dough was working away and in wonderful shape.
I left for a French class at the local college and returned home around noon to the most wonderful dough.
I turned the dough out and “flattened” (not the correct word) it like in the video, folded the dough as demonstrated and placed the dough in a baking pan covered in plastic bag to “rise” again. I do not own a baking stone or a clay pot.
9 hours later I am still waiting for the dough to rise enough to bake. My house is actually colder than most at around 65 degrees so I am sure that has something to do with the slow rising time.
I have placed the dough in the refrig. for the evening and will take the dough out of the refrig. in the AM and let the rising continue.
I understand that the longer the bread proofs the more developed the flavor should be. I, however, never thought that I would or could wait 24 to 36 hours between mixing the dough and baking bread.
I am not in the least bit disappointed and am looking forward to tasting this bread. The process is simple but the waiting —- time —– is ——— long ————————————————————
I will have to adjust my thinking about baking bread. It is not an afternoon adventure any longer.
Hi Jackie,
That might help a little. What might help more is prolonging the long proofing time by doing an overnight proof in the fridge and then resuming the proof at room temp the next day.
My sourdough was great except well it wasn’t sour. Do I need to age my starter longer?
Carolyn,
Nevermind my last question about the ampersand. Must be some sort of hypertext conversion. It wasn’t bread related I’m sure. Don’t want to waste any more precious space on this forum. thank, Marianne
Carolyn F.
Hi Carolyn, Once again thanks for the guidance. Always a blessing to learn from someone elses experience.
BTW, what does & mean??? I realy have a lot more to learn about this bread baking
Marianne
Hi Marianne,
When I first tried this, I’d read that the loaves just needed to be “set” so they would hold their shape & not yet brown. I just worked it out by guess & by golly to be ten minutes. (I bake half-size loaves.) Checking the internal temp. I think it’s usually 10 deg. lower than when fully done. But this isn’t science, just my experience. If the loaf starts browning too much during the re-heating, I just put a piece of foil over the top.
Carolyn
Carolyn, If I can ask just one more question about freezing and reheating the loaves.
I’m worried about pulling them out not fully baked.
I make the traditional kneaded loaves, so maybe I am not posting these questions and comments in the right part of this forum.
In the case of baguettes I would be pulling them out after 15 minutes with my oven. Do you use a specific internal temperature as a guideline, or strictly by adjusting the baking time. I guess it’s just trial and error.
Thanks
Marianne
Carolyn F.
thanks Carolyn for the tip on how to deal with frozen loaves. I will write this advice down and use it. I am practising like crazy with these wonderful recipes that Eric has demonstrated, and we can’t eat them fast enough. I find myself giving them to the neighbours and bringing them to family dinners just to use them up so that I can bake some more.
Thanks to Eric and everyone on this forum I am finding a new and wonderful hobby. I love reading all the advice and suggestions.
Marianne
Hi Marianne,
I always bake more than we can use at one time. My solution is to take the loaves out of the oven about 10 minutes early. When they’ve cooled completely I wrap in plastic wrap, then put into a freezer bag and freeze for later. This is my version of Brown & Serve. To use them I thaw in the fridge for about 4-6 hours, then heat at 375-400 for about 20 minutes.
Try a loaf at home some time and adjust as needed. I hope this helps.
Carolyn F.
You “daily fresh loaf” purists are going to vote me off this forum but I have to ask. Does anyone have some advice on freezing and then thawing these loaves.
At our family gatherings we combine efforts and everyone contributes. I would love to introduce the extended family to some of these wonderful recipes, but too many people to bake for the day of the celbration. Any suggestions on baking ahead would be much appreciated.
Marianne
This sourdough NKB turned out FAN-tastic! I am blessed to have a fully-equipped kitchen at my day job office, so I tested out my first sourdough NKB there. Crispy, crackly crust – moist, springy crumb – complex, satisfying sourness – it has it all! I used the breadtopia sourdough starter after 2 days of reviving. I also used the oblong proofing basket with wheat germ. I baked the loaf in a romertopf clay baker. The only thing I forgot to do was cut lines in the top, as you can see where it split open, but this didn’t affect the quality of the loaf. This is a great confidence-building method!
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Awesome! Looks like job security to me.
I have been making the NKB for a few years. I have used the enameled and non-enameled pots with success. It doesn’t really matter. I do the last rise with the dough resting on parchment paper. I now longer have any problems getting it into the baking container.
Wil,
.
You’re right. the only way I will find out is to try it. What’s the worst that can happen?…door stop, as Eric always says. If that happens, I’ll dry them and paint them up like they do rocks, and put them in a yard sale
You are so right. different results at different times. Thanks for the comments. Happy Bread making!
Marianne,
The only other suggestion I would have is to experiment. Other than your yeast or starter vigor, I feel an important component of what you are asking is “Time”. Some recipes, such as Bagels get handled a lot and still rise nicely. After a long period of proofing combined with continued handling or knocking down, eventually you will degass and the yeast just will not have anymore food left to give you additional rise. Additionally, what works one day may not work another. Wil
Wil,
thanks for the quick reply . I am going to print out your suggestion and keep it handy. I should have mentioned that I don’t use a no knead method, I enjoy the “hands on” process although I must admit that I use my stand mixer to do most of the work.
I have often wondered if it would be OK to cut the dough into separate pieces right after working it, and when it is set up to rest. That way there would be less handling involved hence less de-gassing. Does anyone have any thoughts on that? Is that a no-no for any reason.
Hi Marianne,
I have done this many times including actually making rolls. Follow Eric’s instructions up to the folding and standing (after your 12 or 18 hr proof). After folding, shaping either a boule or even a batard, let it set the 15 minutes. Use this time to prepare a peel or cookie pan or even your counter with a piece of parchment. Then cut the dough in 2, 3 or 4 equal parts. If batards, just transfer the pieces to the parchment, lightly flour or spray the top of the dough and cover with a piece of wrap or plastic bag. Proof as you normally would, a hour or so. If making little boules, take each piece of dough in your hands and gently pull the skin from the top of the ball down and tuck it under the bottom, just do this rotating the ball around once. Put each shaped ball on the parchment. You will end up with 3 or 4 nice little loves of bread. After proofing, I carefully transfer and arrange the little loves on to a 450d preheated round la cloche. You can also use a baking stone. I use the same oven temps as I do a large loaf. I do check the internal bread temp after 20 mins instead of waiting 30. Ovens are different so you will have to find what works best for you. Hope this helps. Give it a go.
Wil
I’m wondering if somebody could give me some guidance on this.
In shaping I would like to try making small loaves that would feed 4 people at one sitting. I would make a round loaf and cut it into 4 wedges to have with a meal instead of rolls. My question is, after the rise when it comes to shaping you aren’t supposed to knock the dough down too much, but dividing it up will do that. So how long should it sit, after shaping these small round loaves, and how do I adjust the baking time/temp? I have an instant read therm. so I take it that once they reach 190-200 inside they are done.
Hi Sara-Anne — Out of necessity while visiting, I baked my sourdough NKB in plain old loaf pans with NO LIDS, & I was perfectly happy with the results, including the crust. Try it & see what you think. I’m now using cheap foil loaf pans (parchment lined) to bake several loaves at a time. I do the second rise right in the pans & then stick them in a pre-heated oven. 450 works for me.
Baked wonderful first KNB this weekend. Followed instructions, it had to proof 12 hours longer in fridge due unforseen issues – this onloy improved flavour. Used Le Creuset Dutch Oven to bake which was great. However, I need a few cheaper options as I bake 4 at a time. Could I use the black caste iron pots (no enamel)? Does anyone have suggestions as to what I can use to make a rectangular loaf for sandwiches that withstands 500 and has a lid? Could I use commercial bread baking pans and ten with heavy foil to get the crust?
Hey All–I made a beautiful loaf of KNB today! Thanks for the helpful comments and hints. Watching the video was also very helpful. This sourdough KNB is joining the regular lineup at my house!
Katherine
MJ
you could adjust the temp of the oven down. I had to bake my bread at 475/ 450 in our old oven-
I ‘ve had to try a couple differet thigs for the bottoms of my loaves- I raise the rack up and I put a liner similar to a sil pat but it can go up to 500 in the bottom of my La Cloche and bake the bread right on top. The combination of those 2 things has really helped my bread on the bottom.
hth – Margie
Although I followed all directions, the bottom of my sourdough-ww no-knead bread is black, and the edges of the splits on the top are burned, too. I used a Tramontina dutch oven. Any suggestions for my next attempt?
Thanks Eric for introducing me to this meathod of baking bread. Attached is my first effort. In a few weeks of experimenting I will be a pro. It is simplicity at its best. I went out a couple of days ago and purchased an antique Dutch oven at an estate sale for $10.00. My starter is a 4 or 5 year old batch my neice carried back to the states from Alaska. I keep two batches of it going, one I have been feeding with rye flour which I used in this loaf. The rye flour does something for bread flavor. Great meathod. Thanks again
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Cool is better – I use Eric’s recipe & method but have learned to bend it a tad to suit my timing and “needs” (or lack there of), I mix it up when I have a moment or feel that we need a new loaf tomorrow. So – if that 18 hours includes a few more hours, it gets tossed in the fridge over night. I’ll take it out a few hours or so before dinner, when I’ll need the oven again, I may have to fold a few times every 20 minutes, (learning thru feel process)
Once you get a FEEL for it, it all works out in the wash.
Hi Katherine,
No need to proof in the oven with a pilot light. 18 hours is way too long in a warm place like that. Proof at room temp for 12-14 hours and cover with plastic and see what happens.
Hi All–
My first attempt at using my new sourdough starter (made at home and very active and bubbly) for bread–I have used it for pancakes and biscuits that turned out really tasty–seems to be going awry. I am using the NKB recipe, and intended letting the dough rise in the oven with just the pilot light for up to 18 hours. I was a bit worried that I had added too much flour; the dough was a bit stiffer than the yeast-based NKB that I have made many times. I used a wet linen napkin to cover the bowl, and had to re-wet it several times throughout the day… The dough was rising and developing some bubbles on top.
When I got up this morning, the napkin had dried out and a crust had formed on top of my dough. Upon peeling the crust off, I found a VERY runny dough–almost a batter–underneath. There was no shaping this mass, though I tried turning it out on a board; it simply ran down the sides onto the counter.
Not being one to give up easily, and hating waste, I put it back in the bowl and added flour to make a stiff dough. Dumped it in a clean bowl and covered it with plastic wrap this time, then the napkin. It is back in the oven with the pilot light for warmth. Can’t tell whether it is rising. I give it a 50-50 chance of becoming bread.
Any comments, hints, advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Fred,
I try hard to avoid dragging a board out so I fold in the bowl by picking up a portion at the edge with wet fingers and folding over the center. I work around the bowl two or three times. Do this two or three times waiting at least twenty minutes between each ‘fold’. Then I wait 18 hours or more. While I’m at it let me describe my recipe. I use a starter with 125% hydration and use 34 grams (sorry but I started with grams and never got around to changing to oz), 11 g salt, 362 g water and 500 g flour. This gives the same hydration 75% as the basic no-knead. It results in a moderate sour.
Hope this helps
Albert
Albert,
Are you talking about flattening and folding in thirds and then in half? Are you flattening the dough in the bowl? How many times are you doing it?
Thanks for the tip.
Fred
I’ve tried several foldings (with the dough in the bowl) and this improved the height of the loaf considerably. Don’t know whether it is still no-knead but it is more to my liking.
Thanks Linda for the tip, sounds yummy! We have decided to make bagels a special treat, or else we will not be able to get into our shorts this spring. Besides, I want to try a sourdoug version of “Kinklings” next week. Why are things so good, so bad?
Wil
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