Rethinking the whole 'no-knead' bread trend after a bakery visit

I was at a small bakery in Portland last week and the baker told me he never uses the no-knead method because you lose control over the gluten structure. But I've had great results with it at home for years, especially with my sourdough. Has anyone else found that no-knead bread lacks that chewy crumb you get from traditional kneading, or am I just doing it wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_diana1d ago

Wait, have you tried bumping up the hydration a bit? My friend Sarah was convinced her no-knead loaves were coming out too dense, then she left town for a week and her starter basically turned into soup. She came back and just threw it in with the flour and salt without measuring right, and that accidental 85% hydration loaf was the best bread she ever made. It had that open crumb with big irregular holes, super chewy. She even took it to her bakery class and the instructor asked what her secret was, and she just said "neglect" and everyone laughed. So maybe your hydration is off, but also maybe you need to let your dough be a little more wild.

barnes.kai1d ago

Oh man, I totally disagree. Kneading is so overrated if you ask me. My no-knead loaves come out with exactly that chewy crumb people love, maybe your hydration is off?