No Knead Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the point of no-knead bread? ›

It's easy to see the appeal of the “no-knead” approach in bread baking: minimal effort produces maximum flavor. By simply mixing up your dough and giving it an extended rising period, you can enjoy gorgeous, golden loaves without having kneaded a thing.

Kneading dough builds consistency and gives structure to raw mounds of flour and water. While some no-knead recipes deliver fluffy slices through fermentation, there's a "best way" to make crusts and breads at home.

Vinegar – I use my homemade apple cider vinegar but any vinegar will do, it helps create a better texture in no-knead bread recipes. Yeast – I use active dry yeast but instant will work too. Store your yeast in the fridge to help prolong shelf life.

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.

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.

If the dough isn't mixed or kneaded to full development (e.g., full windowpane), adding in sets of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation will help continue its progress toward a firmer, more cohesive dough that's able to trap gas and hold its shape all the way to bake time.

Too much yeast could cause the dough to go flat by releasing gas before the flour is ready to expand. If you let the dough rise too long, it will start having a yeast or beer smell and taste and ultimately deflate or rise poorly in the oven and have a light crust.

Proofing continues for about an hour or until the dough has increased in size about one and half times and is fully proofed. The best way to tell if the dough is ready for baking is to gently poke it with a (lightly floured) finger. If the dough is sufficiently proofed the indentation springs back very slowly.

1. Flour – bread flour will give a more the crumb a more chewy, fluffy texture like bakery Artisan bread because it has higher protein, and bread stays fresher for longer. Plain / all purpose flour still works 100% perfectly, texture is just not quite the same.

When just vinegar and yeast are mixed, vinegar's weak acid cancels out yeast's ability to grow.

How do you keep no knead bread from sticking? ›

Shaping No-Knead Bread

It's a sticky dough, and the flour will prevent it from sticking to the counter. Dust the top very lightly with flour too — just enough so your hands don't stick to it.

White Vinegar

White vinegar has the most neutral flavor, which is why I find it to be the best substitute for apple cider vinegar in baking. I know I can use it without any odd flavors showing up! I also always have a bottle of white vinegar on hand, since it's super cheap and versatile!

All it takes is a small amount of dough enhancer per loaf to create a much lighter and fluffier result. Using a dough enhancer like Vital Wheat Gluten works to improve the texture and elasticity of the dough and elongate the strands of gluten. Doing so allows more room for the gas in the dough to develop and rise.

Potatoes, in all their varied forms, equal starch, and the more starch in dough leads to a more tender loaf. They are good at retaining moisture, which helps keep the bread soft longer. And even though potato flakes are dehydrated, they will rehydrate once incorporated into the bread dough.

Active Dry Yeast is an ideal yeast to use for artisan breads or no knead breads that require a slower rise time. It's also the preferred type of yeast for those doughs that proof in the refrigerator for extended periods of time.

1. Basic fold: If you're new to kneading, keep in mind that most bread doughs respond well to the simple motion of folding a dough round in half, then pressing the dough with the heels of your hands. 2. Claw method: For doughs that are kneaded right in the mixing bowl, try the claw method.

Quick breads, unlike yeast breads, rely upon baking powder, baking soda or eggs for leavening. That's why they're “quick” to prepare – there's no kneading, shaping or rising required.

NO-KNEAD DOUGH

Add the salt. Add the olive oil and continue mixing with the fork. Cover the bowl with the lid and let the dough rest for half an hour. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it 2/3 of the way over the rest of the dough then pick up the opposite side and stretch it over the first fold.