No-Knead Bread? Is It Too Good To Be True? Part 2

Part 2 – experiment

I have heard about no-knead bread for a while. In fact, when I first started making sourdough bread, I applied the no-knead method. It was not a happy ending. I used mixed flour of rye, wholemeal and baker’s flour for my very first sourdough and I followed exactly what most recipes say about the steps and timing. Guess what? I ended up with a dense block of bread.

I didn’t believe no-knead method at first because it didn’t work for me. However, as I have gained more experience and knowledge along my sourdough baking journey, I know it is possible to make bread without kneading. (If you miss the post I explain the science behind no-knead bread, check here to learn more.)

About the experiment

I carried out an experiment to see if no-knead bread is as good as rumor says. I used my beginner-friendly wholewheat and white sourdough recipe (see here) for this experiment.

recipe

weight	ingredients	baker’s percentage
480g	baker’s flour (12.5%)	80%
120g	wholewheat flour	20%
480g	water	80%
180g	starter	30%
12g	salt	2%

schedule

Day 1
09:50	mix dough and divide into two
10:05	bulk ferment (perform 2 sets of stretch and fold + 2 sets of coil fold with 30-minute intervals on the comparison dough)
14:50	pre-shape, bench rest for 30 minutes
15:30	final shape, bench rest 15 minutes
15:55	cold proof
Day 2
08:30	score and bake 250 degrees, 20 minutes with lid 230 degrees, 23 minutes without lid

Mixing

I mixed the dough by hand until all the ingredients combined and the dough was shaggy at this stage. Then I divided the dough into two. One was completely no-knead throughout the whole bulk ferment process until pre-shaping and final shaping (labelled “No-knead”, dough on the left). The other one, I performed 2 sets of stretch and fold and 2 sets of coil folds during the first proof.

During bulk ferment

The no-knead dough was getting smooth without being touched and it spread more at the end of the bulk ferment.

Pre-shape and bench rest

The no-knead dough was quite slacking and hard to handle. During bench rest, it couldn’t stop spreading due to a lack of structure. On the other hand, the dough with several folds holds the shape better

Final result

No-knead bread was flatter and it was difficult to score. As soon as I slashed the dough, it started to expand. I had no choice but to transfer it to the bread pan and bake it asap to prevent spreading even more. In contrast, the dough with several folds held its shape after scoring and had a good oven spring.

Crumb shots

The bulk ferment can be pushed a bit further but overall the crumbs are quite even. For the no-knead bread, the only downside is the appearance is not as appealing. Other than that, the taste and flavor are remarkable.

At the end

I was surprised with the final result. Before the experiment, I expected no-knead bread to be denser. However the result states otherwise. It may have something to do with the dough hydration though. Another trial will be conducted soon relating to different hydration no-knead dough.

The takeaway tip from this experiment proves performing folds during bulk ferment definitely helps strengthen the structure of the dough. If you don’t mind the appearance of the bread then the no-knead method is ultra ultra-convenient approach to making bread.