That no-knead bread hack I kept ignoring finally saved my Saturday

I've been baking sourdough for about 2 years now and always thought the whole no-knead thing was for lazy people who didn't care about texture. Last Saturday I had a loaf scheduled for a friend's birthday party but my starter was sluggish and I was out of time. I figured whatever, let me just try it with a basic white flour recipe from a blog called The Perfect Loaf. Mixed the dough in 5 minutes, let it sit on the counter for 18 hours, then shaped and baked it the next morning. The crumb was actually more open than my usual 15 minute knead session and the crust had this deep caramel color I never get. My buddy said it was the best bread I've made all year. Has anyone else found this works way better for whole wheat blends too?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark7311mo ago

Man, 18 hours? That's insane, I figured it'd just turn into a wet mess if you let it sit that long. I gotta give this a shot with my whole wheat blend now, maybe the extra time helps it open up that tight crumb I always get.

james5331mo ago

Mark, you're right that it looks like a wet mess after 18 hours - that's exactly what it is until you get it in the oven. But think of it this way: that long rest is basically doing all the work you'd normally fight with during kneading. Your whole wheat blend might finally give you that open crumb you want, or you'll end up with a really interesting flatbread experiment.