• Julia Thiel

Making bread has always seemed a little bit intimidating. People talk about how simple it is, and then write recipes with terms like “autolyse” and “preferment.” But several years after the rest of the U.S. caught on to the wonders of no-knead bread, I finally tried it and discovered, like the thousands who’d tried it before me, that it really is simple and delicious. I’ve been making it regularly for a year or so, but hadn’t branched out much beyond that.

After 24 hours the dough is supposed to smell like “microbe heaven.” I’m not sure I could identify that scent offhand, but the dough smelled pretty much like it normally does. There certainly didn’t seem to be any crazy fermentation going on. I did the second rise and baking the same way I usually do, which is a little different than the method Lahey recommends. It’s a combination of techniques from blogs I read (at this point I can’t remember which ones), and possibly a little of my own invention. I’ve described it in the recipe at the bottom of the post, but the short version is that I put the bread on parchment paper instead of a dish towel for the second rise, and then bake the bread on that parchment paper, inside the covered pot.

There were two things I could try: putting the dough into the refrigerator to proof, which would slow down the action of the yeast (many recipes I’ve read recommend this anyway for producing very flavorful loaves), or letting it rise for 24 hours at the recommended 75 degrees. I discovered that leaving my oven light on (but not turning on the gas) brought the temperature to 75 degrees. I made another batch, this time with four tablespoons of miso and no salt, and divided it in half. Part of it would go into the oven with the light on for 24 hours, the other part into the refrigerator for three days (after the initial rise).

  • Julia Thiel
  • Top to bottom: bread from dough left in the refrigerator for two days, from dough left at 75 degrees for 24 hours, and from dough left at about 65 degrees for 48 hours

In theory, the refrigerator dough was the winner: it produced the best flavor and texture. In reality, I haven’t made it since—and it’s been a couple months since the last experiment. Planning to make dough a day before I bake it is hard enough, and increasing that time to two days somehow makes things exponentially harder. (Though letting the dough rest in the fridge does offer you more flexibility in when to bake it; while I didn’t try it, I think it would be fine after three days.)

Combine the flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Measure out 1.5 cups of water in a large measuring cup, add the miso paste, and mix with a fork until the miso is dissolved. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well, then add more water a tablespoon at a time until the dough is sticky and shaggy (I usually use more than two tablespoons). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.