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

FAQs

What makes no-knead bread different from bread? ›

No-knead bread is a method of bread baking that uses a very long fermentation (rising) time instead of kneading to form the gluten strands that give the bread its texture. It is characterized by a low yeast content and a very wet dough.

Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse, about 2 hours, but no more than 5 hours. After rising, the dough can be baked immediately, or tightly covered and refrigerated up to 14 days. The dough will be easier to work with after at least 3 hours refrigeration.

Since no-knead doughs require a large amount of hydration (usually water has to make up at least 70% of the weight of the flour, as opposed to, say, white bread which is closer to 60% or a baguette, which is more like 65%), they can be a little challenging for first time bakers to work with.

Place the seam side down in the center of the parchment paper. Carefully lift parchment paper by the corners and gently lower the dough into the Instant Dutch Oven. Place the lid on. Proof the dough for a second time by selecting Manual Mode 1 - 85F and set time 60 minutes.

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.

Unbaked (No-Knead) Bread: Unbaked bread dough has a shorter shelf life and should be used promptly. Generally, no-knead bread dough is meant to be baked soon after it's prepared, usually within 12 to 18 hours, depending on the recipe.

When the dough rises too much before it gets baked, it will collapse, rather than rise, in the oven's heat, and the crumb will be uneven and ragged. The time it takes for your dough to rise will vary based on the temperature of your kitchen and the temperature of your dough—and the alignment of the stars in the sky.

If a recipe calls for proofing bread dough overnight in the refrigerator, it can be proofed on the counter at a warmer temperature for a shorter period. Rather than placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight, leave it covered on the counter for 1 to 4 hours until it's ready to bake.

My bottom crust was too hard.

Try raising the oven rack so the bottom is not as close to the heat. Your oven may be hotter than you think. Use an oven thermometer to assure your oven is the proper temperature. Try placing a baking pan on the rack below the bread to block some of the heat.

Sugar is hygroscopic; that means it attracts and holds moisture. Without sugar, moisture evaporates from bread during baking, creating a drier loaf. The more sugar you cut from a sweet yeast bread recipe, the more you'll notice this effect.

Does wet dough make better bread? ›

A stiff, lower hydration dough has great applications in baking. From loaves that look better with definition (as with braided challah), to bagels or pretzels, which have a more closed crumb structure and toothy chew, too much water can ruin the day. In these loaves, wetter isn't better.

You can shape your dough on a rectangular sheet of parchment paper, then use it to safely lower the dough into your Dutch oven. Once your gorgeous loaf of bread is finished cooking, the parchment paper makes removing the loaf super easy.

Different types of bread require unique proofing times and temperatures, but most recipes call for proofing bread in a covered dish and a warm, moist environment.

A Dutch oven is a catch-all term for enclosing your loaf inside a chamber for the first 20 minutes of the bake and then baking without the lid for the next 20 minutes. Enclosing a loaf like this in the initial part of the bake helps the loaf to achieve really good oven spring.

No-Knead bread is justifiably popular due to its ease and good results. In side-by-side tests, we discovered that 90 seconds of extra work, plus a few tweaks to the ingredients, takes no-knead bread from good to great.

A failure to knead dough (unless you're working with a no-knead recipe) can lead to: Poor gluten development: When you don't knead bread, the gluten won't form properly. This can result in a lack of elasticity and strength, meaning your final product is likely to come out of the oven dense and heavy.

For some of my wetter no-knead doughs (like rye bread) I actually use a cotton liner in my banneton that I overly dust with rice flour. I really overly dust it! By doing that I have never had a problem with my dough sticking to the banneton. It's worked really well for me.

Instant Answer

The purpose of kneading is to develop the gluten in the flour, which gives the bread its structure and texture. On the other hand, baking a loaf of bread is the process of cooking the dough in an oven.