Faster No Knead Bread {Easy Recipe} - crave the good (2024)

FAQs

What is the no knead bread theory? ›

The method uses a long rise instead of kneading to align the dough's gluten molecules with each other so as to produce a strong, elastic network, resulting in long, sticky strands.

Classic no-knead bread (made with ¼ tsp instant yeast and 2¾ cups of flour) often tastes flat and dull. That lack of flavor comes from the yeast outpacing enzymes and consuming too many of the available sugars in the dough.

Why is my bread dense: Usually bread will be too dense when there is too much flour. Keep in mind this dough will be pretty sticky, do not add more flour than specified. Other factors that come into play are humidity and age of flour. Little yeast, long rise, sticky dough are keys to a good, light loaf.

Too Much Flour

The big lesson here: too much of any ingredient can make your bread not rise—even flour. Too much flour can make your dough stiff and dry. And we all know what happens if there's not enough liquid for the yeast to use: It doesn't work how it should.

No-knead (Passive): In this mix-to-combine, long-fermented method, time is used to maximum effect for developing both flavor and strength. Pros: Dough develops flavor during extended fermentation. Easy. Cons: Uncontrolled fermentation may cause variable impacts to crumb structure and flavor.

Here's how no knead bread works

As the dough proves, the yeast ferments, producing gas (among other things). This creates subtle movement as the dough bubbles and rises, providing the agitation you would usually get from kneading.

The main difference is in the way that gluten is formed in the loaves. Kneaded breads use kneading to develop the gluten and no-knead breads use the natural chemical changes that happen when flour and water are mixed to develop the gluten.

NYT No Knead Bread says proof for at least 12, but preferably 18 hours at room temp (they say 70F). Says dough is ready when surface is dotted with bubbles.

The Rubaud method is a popular method of hand mixing the dough. The Rubaud method develops gluten strength up front in the process. In the Rubuaud method, you gently lift and pull the dough in a bowl, mimicking the motion of a diving-arm mixer (or perhaps the diving arm-mixer is mimicking the Rubaud method!)

The over-kneaded dough can still be cooked. Just know that the result will be a bit different than you expected. Bread Loaves made with over-kneaded dough commonly end up with a hard crust and dry interior. Often upon cutting, slices will crumble.

How long can you leave no-knead bread? ›

As I've shown before, giving lean doughs like this a stay in the fridge for three to five days can massively increase its flavor and its performance. Same goes for the no-knead bread. After allowing it to rise at room temperature overnight, I'll stick mine directly into the refrigerator for three days.

Simply put, you have to control the temperature of the bread. Allowing ample time for your bread dough to rise and the yeast to form will create the holes in the bread that give it a lighter texture. Letting your dough get puffy and grow before it goes into the oven is critical.

If you leave your bread dough to rise for too long outside at room temperature, there is a risk of overproofing the dough. It might look alright in appearance, but when you bake the bread, it will not rise much in the oven. The end result will be a dense loaf of bread.

But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise. The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.

You can also put hot water in a heat-safe dish and place it on the floor of a cold oven (or on a lower shelf). The steam and heat from the water will help the temperature rise just enough that the yeast is active. The steam will also assist in keeping the surface of the dough moist so it will stretch as it rises.

If you're dough didn't rise, the yeast is probably dead. This could be because the yeast was old, it wasn't refrigerated, or because the water you bloomed it in was too hot (ideally the water should be warm, about 100F). You can still bake the dough but don't expect the same flavor.