I've consistently had one problem with my no-knead bread: the inside is never as well-done as I'd like. That is, it's not doughy or anything, but slightly translucent, as if the starches aren't quite set and are still a bit gelatinous. Tasted good, but the texture in the mouth didn't feel quite right--how to explain "it didn't feel fully baked"?
The recipes and techniques vary, but here are the latest two experiences (using sourdough starter, but I've had the same issue with commercial yeast):
both used 3.5 cups AP flour, 1.5 cups water, 1/4 cup sourdough starter, 1.5 tsp kosher salt. 18 hour first rise, fold, rest 15 minutes, shape into ball, rise 2 hours.
The first try I baked in a preheated cast iron dutch oven for 30 minutes at 500 then uncovered and finished about 12.5 minutes at 450 (it would have been more but the outside might have overdarkened). Good rise and everything, but that slightly underdone inside.
Wondering if either my oven was off or maybe the cast iron's dark color overheated the outside before the inside could finish, I bought 1) a SuperStone La Cloche stoneware dome baker (very light in color) and 2) a good oven thermometer.
Second loaf, same technique. My ancient oven had trouble getting to 500 degrees, but finally made it after a 40 minute preheat. Put the dough into the La Cloche and baked.
I should have checked temps all along but didn't; checking at 25 minutes I noticed oven temp were barely above 450. I took the lid off a bit under 30 minutes. Crust was pretty well done. I waited a bit less than the additional 15 minutes, by which time the crust was dark brown, though not burnt. Since I was just about at 450 anyway I didn't change the oven setting and it remained at 450.
Let it cool about an hour and cut in (still warm but it was dinnertime). Better than the previous bake--the outer inch or so was less translucent and more or less right.
The only variable I can think could be changed is when I remove the lid. Would venting the bread earlier let it bake more thoroughly--i.e, release moisture? I certainly don't have a too-hot oven, at least not by the recipe's standards.
white bread isn't done until it hits 205 F or 96 C on the inside - no matter what the outside looks like, Guessing doesn't work well when based on what the loaf looks like on the outside.
Happy baking
Actually, I have a Thermapen. I didn't check the internal temperature; while I realize that outside color doesn't mean the inside is done, it's no good to keep baking to get that internal temperature right while the outside burns. I'm taking it out not when I think the outside says "done" but when it says "bake any more and the loaf'll taste like carbon."
and rhen drop the temp to 450 F when the dough and hot DO go in the oven. I bake for 20 minutes covered and then turn the oven down to 425 F and turn on the convection to finish in about 15 minutes or so for a 800 g loaf. For a dark colored CI, 5 minutes after the lid comes off and the skin has set, I take the bread out of DO and finish it on a baking stone so the bottom doesn't get too dark. After having to mess with a dark CI DO, I now just overturn an aluminum pot over the dough on a stone and bake like a cloche. No muss, no fiuss but I always use a thermometer to check for the bread being properly done on the inside.
I bake mine at 500 and drop it to 450 when I take the lid off. It's usually in the oven total 50-60 minutes. I would mess with your temps, but try to leave it in longer until you are reaching optimal internal temps and achieving the kind of color on the crust you are looking for. Maybe try 500 degrees lid on for 25 min and take lid off, drop temp to 425 and ride it out. A good dark crust is desirable.
With any luck, these pics will illustrate things.
The top crust is already pretty dark--the bottom, of course, is even darker.
Argh... thumbnails only... second try:
it was in a DO where I preheated to 550 F and forgot to turn it down when the bread went in. Classic too hot for too long with the crumb not getting done.
I mostly use doughs that are 67-100% AP (Canadian flour) and bake for 45 minutes either at 450 or 475 using a preheated enameled cast iron dutch oven, or at 425 in a non-preheated corning dish. Either way, the lid is on for 25-30 minutes, then open for the rest of the time. So I'm curious as to why your crust is considerably darker.
That's the thing that's getting me: my oven wasn't especially hot. Maybe the fact that it's a smaller than usual oven (23" wide) has something to do with it? I.e., surfaces radiating heat are closer?
I have a 24" electric oven that is over 35 years old. All of my loaves were overbaked on the outside and gelatinous on the inside. I agree with dabrownman that its better to use a thermometer (yes I know the outside is close to or is being burned). I starting using a thermometer after turning down the temp and the loaves got worse, only to find out that I was then undertaking the loaves even more. I wound up preheating my old clunker for an hour at 500, then keeping it open for the bare minimum amount of time that it took me to transfer the dough ito the DO and get the lid closed quickly, then after closing the door I turn the temp down to 450. Now I experimented with how loom the loaf need to bake, without taking the lid off the DO (yes I know you're supposed to take it off, for the last few minutes, what can I say, I'm a radical baker). (Since you are already unhappy with your loaves you might wan to consider these next few loaves as experimental sacrifices.) I wound up going to a 55 minute bake (still with the cover on the entire time) and the loaves are coming out at 207 degrees F, the crust is no where near being burned, yet decently developed, and there is no sign of the gelatinous interior anywhere. My family thinks that I have found the perfect combo for my setup (no, I haven't, I'll keep experimenting but I'm not going to tell them that).
If you find that now the crust is not dark or developed enough for you, yo can the bake with the lid off for a just a few more minutes (or tradeoff the on vs off minutes, a little at a time on the next few bakes). YMMV
Good luck!
Hi
I often bake sourdough boules in my electric oven. My general plan is- the first 30 min are at 450 in a preheated covered pot, (middle shelf in the oven) then 15 min with the lid off, and then finish with 10 or more with the loaf out of the pan.
I found that the crust was regularly getting too dark on top. I was able to completely gain control over that- by blocking radiation from the top element- via a sheet of aluminum foil on the top shelf, (for the second half of the bake).
The guys at GE say that the oven isn't supposed to engage the top element during baking- they say it's supposed to trigger only during warm up. But I disagreed- due to the excessive browning on top in my loaf. and when a baffle gave me improved my control over browning, I felt sure GE didn't know how their ovens actually worked..
I often feel my bread is still a bit moist internally when the crust has gotten lovely- so, if after 50 min., the "thunk" test on the bottom crust doesn't "ring", I'll reset the oven to 350, and bake for another 10 min. The crust remains pretty much unchanged, but the middle does dry out quite well.
I'll have to try the temp test- Ive never baked with a thermometer . . .