That whole 'no-knead bread is easier' advice is a trap

My buddy swore his no-knead recipe took less effort than my standard sandwich loaf, so I tried it last Sunday after he showed me his proof. Spent 18 hours waiting on the rise and still ended up with a flat, gummy blob that stuck to my towel like glue. Why are we acting like 24 hours of babysitting a wet dough is simpler than 10 minutes of kneading?

3 comments

3 Comments

ben_lewis1mo ago

Yeah totally, I read somewhere that no-knead actually needs really specific flour and temps to work right, so most people end up with a gummy mess like you and @nancyg14 described. It's just not worth the gamble of a full day wait when a quick knead gives you a sure thing.

nancyg141mo ago

Oh man, I was totally on the no-knead train until I hit the same wall. I remember thinking I was smart skipping the workout, but my first attempt turned into this sticky, flat pancake that ripped when I tried to fold it. The 18 hour wait felt like a cruel joke when I saw the mess. Now I'm back to my 10 minute knead and a predictable loaf every time. No more babysitting flour water for a full day just to get a brick.

sagecooper1mo ago

My buddy Tom swears by no-knead and keeps trying to get me to switch. He spent a whole weekend bragging about how easy it was, just mix and wait. Then he invited me over for bread he made with that method. It came out looking okay but tasted like a floury brick with zero rise. He admitted later the dough was so wet it basically spread out flat in the oven instead of puffing up. Now he's back to kneading for ten minutes too, but he won't admit it out loud.