Part 1 – introduction to no-knead bread
No-knead bread has been around for decades. Because of its effortless approach to bread-making, it has gained popularity over the years. In fact, no-knead bread is how our ancestors made bread way before the discovery of electricity, machines and knowledge of kneading.
It sounds magical to make bread without kneading it. For a very long time, we have been taught that to make bread, we need to knead the dough for gluten to develop. Without kneading, you won’t get enough gluten network and thus no strong structure to support the dough during baking. As a result, you will get denser and flatter bread.
What is no-knead bread and how does it work?
As the name suggests, no-knead bread is made by simply mixing all ingredients together until just combined and leaving it to proof for a long period of time without further kneading required.
To have a better knowledge of how no-knead bread works, we need to understand the formation of gluten in the dough. When flour is hydrated, the enzymes (mainly amylase and protease) naturally present in flour are activated. They break down starches and proteins into smaller pieces. Glutenin and gliadin, the proteins that form gluten, will bind together. As protease continues breaking down proteins, the bonds that glutenin and gliadin build are cut into smaller pieces and those bonds will bind together again. In the end, those bonds become a complex network and that is gluten. (See What is gluten? Things you need to know about it for detailed explanation)
The key to forming gluten is hydrating the flour and then giving plenty of time for enzymes to work their magic. Kneading accelerates the establishment of a gluten network but it is not necessary. As time goes by, gluten slowly builds up on its own without any external agitation. The concept behind the no-knead method is to take good advantage of time instead of kneading to develop gluten.
Applying autolyse technique is based on the same idea- rest hydrated dough (it can be from 20 minutes to several hours) and have gluten start forming to reduce mixing time after resting. (I have written a post about autolyse and how to utilize it.)
Does the no-knead method suit all types of dough?
It works best with high hydration and long-fermented bread. Because no kneading is involved in the process, it is difficult to evenly contribute water (liquid) in the dough for low hydration dough without properly mixing (kneading). Time is the essence of the no-knead method. If you use commercial yeast in your dough, reduce the quantity otherwise the dough will overproof before the gluten network develops. Sourdough is the perfect type of dough for applying the no-knead method owing to its long ferment time.
How to make no-knead sourdough bread?
using my basic recipe as an example
| weight | ingredient | baker’s percentage |
| 500g | baker’s flour (12.5% protein) | 100% |
| 350g | water | 70% |
| 150g | starter | 30% |
| 12.5g | salt | 2.5% |
| total 1012g |
steps:
- feed starter the day before or the same day. Use it when at peak (double size).
- Mix water and starter first. Add in flour and salt. Mix all ingredients until no dry flour. The dough would look shaggy but don’t worry. Cover with a tea towel and leave it aside on the bench. Proofing time depends on the room temperature-summer time would be 5-6 hours; winter would be 8-9 hours.
- Divide the dough and re-shape. Bench rest for 30 minutes. Final shape and transfer to proofing basket and continue proofing in the fridge overnight, preferably 16-18 hours.
- Preheat oven and cast iron bread pan/dutch oven. No need to score the dough. Bake it as usual. (250 degrees, 20 minutes with lid and 230 degrees, 20-25 minutes without lid)
Pros and cons of the no-kneading method
Pros:
- No mixer is required. Just your hand and a scraper will do.
- Active time would be minimum – only mixing, dividing (if needed) and shaping.
- No need to keep an eye on the dough – leave the mixed dough on the counter or in the fridge overnight for proofing. (up to 3 days in the fridge)
- Suitable for busy people who want freshly baked bread for lunch/dinner.
Cons:
- No-knead dough usually has a weaker structure hence the final baked good may be flatter or denser compared to the ones that have some folds (stretch and fold/ slap and fold/ coil fold) applied to them
- It is harder to handle the dough at the shaping stage because of a lack of structure. (it also has something to do with the hydration of your dough)
- You miss the opportunity to learn to read the dough using the no-knead method.
At the end
I couldn’t believe no-knead bread when I first heard about it. However after reading and understanding the science behind it, I had my a-ha moment. I have employed autolyse technique for some time now and they are actually based on the same concept – let enzymes and time work their magic.
I have been experimenting no-knead method to make sourdough bread recently and I will post the whole experiment here as soon as I have all the pictures and videos sorted. The results are quite fascinating. Stay tuned!
