No Knead Problem ! Need Help !

[JerryMac]

Hey Guys,

Here's the deal. I made the no knead yesterday for the first time with mixed results.   

As you can see from the pictures, on a scale of 1 to 10, the appearance, crumb texture and crust were, I would say a 9  . On the other hand the taste on a scale of 1 to 10, was I would have to honestly say, a 3  .

Followed the "recipe" precisely (simple is rite up my alley  ). Proofed the dough for 16 hrs. in a glass bowl covered with plastic at room temp,68. Removed from bowl, wrapped in towell and let rise for an additional 2 hrs. Baked at 450 for 30 min. covered and and additional 10 min. uncovered.

BTW: Baked this in an All Clad 8 Qt. pot. Worked perfect !  Didn't even try to stick, just slid rite out !! So anyone with All Clad and without Cast Iron or Enamel, chuck it in the All Clad !

OK, while watching the dough proof I noticed some serious bubling at about 12 or 13 hrs. When I removed the plastic at 16 hrs. I smelled the dough and it had a very strong smell, stronger than most of the starters I have used, almost a little bit of an ammonia smell 

Here are the questions !! Did I over proof the dough (I think so) ? Should I have pulled it out of the bowl when I saw the bubbling at 12 or 13 hrs. (again I think so) ? What About the 2 hrs. rise in the towell (probably OK if I stopped the proof at the rite time) ?

I Realy want to get this bread right (I am realy a bread man)! The crumb and crust of this method are just unbelievable. IMHO this should be one of the best Ciabattas you have ever tasted !!!!

Any help you can offer would realy be appreciated.

Thanks in advance !!

Mangia Bene !
Jerry 

[jimd]

I really like this no knead method, but agree that complex flavor can be lacking.

I have had some success in adding additional flavor by mixing the dough (using cold water) and immediately putting in the fridge overnight. I then take it out at about 1:00 pm the next day, let it do its 18 hour room temp rise and then bake the next day per the no-knead dough instructions.

Mixing with cold water and then having the dough go immediately into the fridge is very close to what Peter Reinhert describes for his Pain D'Ancienne recipe. I forget the science behind it, but the cold temp of the fridge allows certain chemical processes to occur that develop flavor without risking overfermentation of the dough.

Admittedly, this adds another day to the bake schedule, but if you have the time and plan ahead, I think you will find it adds a bit more flavor to this method.

Good luck. Let us know if this works for you.

Regards,

Jim

[MTPIZZA]

I go to my local organic store and purchase additional seeds and grains. I add ground flax seed with some organic whole wheat. I also sprinkle seeds like sesame or bran on the outside of the loaf before baking... All these additions will bring out a much more intensely flavored final product... By the way though, your bread looks great-- you should be proud. Just add what other grains you like either ground or whole to the dough.

[apizza]

Well I went through exactly what you did. Everything about the loaves I tried came out like yours, but I still said where's the flavor?
 I thought it was just me based on all the reviews of this method. I gave up on it and am back to my old methods using a starter. It's one impressive loaf, but I want the flavor too.

[pcampbell]

Where could I find the recipe for this please?

[Bryan S]

Where could I find the recipe for this please?

Here.  http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,4114.0.html

[Pete-zza]

pcampbell,

Also see these threads:

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,4563.0.html
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,4244.msg35343.html#msg35343

Peter

[JerryMac]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the input. It's interesting to see that numerous other people have had the same problem as me

Apizza,

I'm with you !!! Bread has to do a lot more than just look good   You know the old saying "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" A famous Cajun chef who I really admire, Paul Prudhome, once said of Cajun food, "Looks like hell, but taste great"  The man really know his stuff 

I hate to be a quitter so if anybody has any more suggestions, let em fly !!!

Mangia Bene
Jerry

[pcampbell]

I'd like to give this a try.  The only pots that I have that are big enough with a cover have, are stainless steel (don't have any stoneware that big - like a Le Creuset) would that work?  Is that "oven safe"? 

Has anyone tried no knead bread, but refrigerating it for say, 3-6 days instead of doing an 18 hour warm rise?  Maybe this would improve flavor?  Maybe using a culture instead of IDY ?

[JerryMac]

pcampbell.

I don't know want kind of stainless you have but I used my All-Clad stainless and it worked liked a champ. It really depends on the thickness and core material of your stainless, but in general, stainless is oven safe 

Mangia Bene,
Jerry

[pcampbell]

I made a no knead pan loaf which was a huge improvement over my previously kneaded pan loafs.   I used a bit of sourdough starter and could definitely taste a nice sourdough flavor, but it was not overbearing at all.  I usually knead it a bit, and let it rise for 6-9 hours and come out with a fairly tasteless dense loaf.  This time I kneaded just enough to incorporate the flour, then let it rest for 17 hours.   I just plopped it into the pan and let it rise - there was no second rise. 

A few problems - on the rise I had the pan covered with aluminum foil, and the dough rose to the point where it was touching and sticking to the aluminum foil.  And then in the oven, I also had the pan covered tightly with aluminum foil to sort of try to simulate the "dutch oven" they talk about in the NYT article, which I think may have prevented the bread from rising further.   I'll have to experiment a bit more - maybe one identical pan sitting on top of the other upside down so that it has plenty of room to clear the top of the pan if it wants to.

Also could have let this go a few more minutes.  This is about 205 F internal.  Looks a bit gummy, but it's just still cooling in the picture - taken right after 30 minutes on the cooling rack.

[JerryMac]

Hey Guys,

Seems like I can get the same crust and crumb and WWWWAAAAYYYYY better flavor using traditional methods.

Check out this post : http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,5029.0.html

This bread had fantastic flavor , I'de say 9 out of 10 

I think PT Barnum had it right, "There's a sucker born every minute"

Mangia Bene 
Jerry