How to Make Perfect No-Knead Sourdough Bread | Easy Naturally Leavened Boule Recipe

There are so many no-knead bread recipes out there, but I will show you have to do it effectively with minimal effort and a great result. This is basically fool proof as long as your starter is nice and active.
If you do not have a starter or would like to learn more about keeping your starter active, then check out the sourdough bread playlist where I have plenty of videos in which I explain everything is detail.
Your starter is the foundation of every bake. Everything relies on it. Make sure you use good water when feeding and making your dough. Use good salt without additives and good unbleached flour. Feed your starter regularly and know exactly how long it takes to rise at a certain feeding ratio. Once you have this kind of relationship you will be able to bake any bread.
With that out of the way let us talk about this bread. I do not make no-knead bread very often. But when I do, I am always surprised how good result can be without adding the effort and messiness of kneading. The strength that can be built up in the dough by simply performing a few folds and a nice tight shaping is amazing. You would never know that this was not kneaded.
At 70% hydration, this dough is a little sticky, but still easy to handle and because of the water content we get nice bubbles in the crumb and a beautiful texture.
Make sure to watch my hands to see how I handle the dough to make it nice and tight.
📖 Get the recipe ➡️ www.chainbaker.com/no-knead-s...
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🥨 To learn more about bread making click here ⤵️
Principles of Baking bit.ly/principles-of-baking
The Steps of Baking bit.ly/steps-of-baking
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🔪 Find all the things I use here ⤵️
🇺🇸 www.amazon.com/shop/ChainBaker
🇬🇧 www.amazon.co.uk/shop/ChainBaker
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🌾 If you would like to support my work click here ⤵️
www.ko-fi.com/chainbaker
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Disclosure
I participate in the Amazon Influencer Program which will earn commissions from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
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CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:53 Ingredients & equipment
1:30 Making the leaven
2:30 Mixing final dough
4:33 Resting & building up strength with folds
5:53 Bulk proof & preshaping
7:05 Resting & final shaping
9:22 Final proof & baking
11:15 The result
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#Bread #Baking #ChainBaker

[@ChainBaker]

📖 Find the written recipe in the link below the video ⤴️ 🌾 If you would like to support my work click here ⤵️ www.ko-fi.com/chainbaker 🔪 Find all the things I use here ⤵️ 🇺🇸 www.amazon.com/shop/ChainBaker 🇬🇧 www.amazon.co.uk/shop/ChainBaker 🥨 To learn more about bread making click here ⤵️ Principles of Baking bit.ly/principles-of-baking The Steps of Baking bit.ly/steps-of-baking

[@DewsySipos]

I'm baking my sourdough bread for like a year now, but none of them turned out to be as light, tasteful and puffy as the latest one. The difference is that i found this channel and understood the principles behind what is happening. Thank you for the clear explanations!

[@rubyfire9666]

Underrated channel right here, very nice quality.

[@ChainBaker]

Thank you so much! :)

[@ChainBaker]

Thank you so much! :)

[@58harwood]

Agree! He should have a Million Subs!

[@lacie824]

Among all the baking videos that I have watched, I would say you are the bread master on KZbin 👍

[@ChainBaker]

🤩

[@suyapajimenez516]

Charlie 🎉 it was a 100% success, I can hardly believe it. My son was coming back from work by the time I was taking the bread from the oven. We were both impressed 😂 It looks great but it taste incredible. I’ll make it one more time before I try the high hydration version. I so excited. Thanks❤

[@aprilrains9921]

Made the best sour dough bread following your instructions and using your tools. Keeping starter going. Will make bread weekly...store bought bread off the table. Many thanks for the tutorial.

[@ChainBaker]

🙏

[@seckinabbas197]

I really like your no knead recipes! I will use this example from now on. And I also think that your channel is underrated! You are one of the best out there mate

[@ChainBaker]

✌️😎

[@VanjaZavisin]

I love the content you're making, especially the "not a recipe" ones. Also, I can never watch your videos on an empty stomach... the bread you make is that delicious looking :D

[@roger55es]

Unbelievable easy instructions for a gorgeous loaf Thanks

[@shanginn]

dude your recipes are the best. thank you 🙏

[@americanrebel413]

This looks really good thank you.

[@mariaroquavega5664]

Im going to try this tomorrow for sure Again thank you Charlie

[@dmusk]

I watched so many bread making videos but never tried it myself. Going to have to give this a try one day

[@ChainBaker]

It's super easy once you get the basics. I would suggest you checking out my Steps of Baking and Principles of Baking playlists where you will find all kinds of useful info :)

[@curtisworthing6036]

Great recipe! Thanks for this, I finally made a batch that held its shape after the bulk fermentation. I let it sit in the counter for 5hrs before pre shaping. It hits the oven in an hour.

[@beginnerbstable8458]

Thank you very much for the step-by-step guidance. There’s always so much to learn from your videos.

[@ChainBaker]

Thank you! I'm glad you find it useful :)

[@bob.hudson]

I never knead my breads, never was disappointed by the results.

[@jeffbostic6660]

Can not wait to try.

[@sherrymiller804]

Thank you for helping me finally getting a delicious sourdough bread!❤️ now just to perfect the shaping and scoring. Wish I could share a photo

[@mrs.wilbur709]

Just ordered the proofing baskets from your Amazon links because I've had no success with using a tea towel & bowl (Although that was with recipes from other people). You are giving me more confidence in starting sourdough again. Just got my starter going 🙌 thanks for the detailed info without being overwhelming.

[@ChainBaker]

You can do it! 💪😎

[@mariaroquavega5664]

Charlie is awesome He could literally give you directions to anything Move over Siri....

[@patressakearns4290]

I have made this bread twice now and it is astounding! The second time I made it I used whole-grain rye (pumpernickel) flour in place of the whole wheat. It's magnificent either way. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I just recently found your channel (it was your pain d'epi that led me here--also a wonderful recipe) and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite baking channels on YT.

[@ChainBaker]

🥰

[@KS-ys8vu]

Love the “pat”, like a baby bottom 😂

[@jaguatiricaimediata5305]

What is this video really? It was a 11:55 minutes smooth educational instructional trance...You my friend, are a bread whisperer

[@ChainBaker]

🧙‍♂️🪄

[@DarrelKerr]

Charlie, I am so grateful for your interest in teaching bread making. Thank you. My question is about cold proofing. I’ve made several loaves following the recipe/pattern (of a published baker with a couple of bake shops in the Northwest part of the States), specifically where he proofs his baskets in the fridge overnight. He says that this builds flavor, but it seems the loaves don’t rise in the oven as much as I would expect. Where or how would you introduce an overnight in the fridge into this method?

[@ChainBaker]

You can place it in the fridge around 30 - 60 minutes after final shaping. The next day take it out and let it warm up while the oven is pre-heating. That will help it puff up better

[@DarrelKerr]

@@ChainBaker 😀

[@yytham1584]

Hi. Charlie, been watching many videos on your channel and learning a lot . Like your video ,style & presentation. Feel so lucky to have found your channel. I live in the tropics. Daily temperature 24-33C & high humidity. Please advise what adjustments I need to bake with your recipes. I am a beginner. Do you stick to same recipes baking on hot summer days and cold winter months? Thank you very much for your efforts & excellent work!

[@ChainBaker]

I try to stick to yeast dough in winter and sourdough in summer. But that is not a rule by no means. You can just use very cold ingredients and make anything you like :)

[@daviepage1]

Hi Charlie... Any chance of doing a video just on folding and building tension/strength in the dough?

[@ChainBaker]

Hey Dave! I have a series on the steps of baking where I take a closer look at each step in the process. You can find the playlist on my channel. But here is the specific video on folding - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoGbY5WHeb-Gd6c Hope it answers some of your questions :)

[@hksunshine1573]

Hello Chain Baker, followed you few years already. I like your chain ‚s bread. Very good video! I just have a silly question, any workaround solution for not using the hotpan ( Dutch oven) ? All best to you and your family 😊

[@ChainBaker]

Here are a few options kzbin.info/www/bejne/gISweKN7pqakgaM ✌️

[@HanneLund]

Hello. Thank you for an amazing and extremely informative channel! I've just started this recipe for the 2nd time and both times noticed that my dough after mixing the ingredients is much stickier and "runnier" than yours. I can't even make the first "ball-shaping" where you create the first tension. Do I just add more flour to make it more cohesive? Or what would you suggest :) Oh - and you should try making a Danish rye-bread - ours are quite different from rye-breads from other countries ;)

[@ChainBaker]

Your flour could be weaker. You can either add some more flour or reduce the amount of water ;)

[@donmelanson4894]

Very interesting , and informative Do you have no need bread recipes with regular flour

[@ChainBaker]

Thank you! :) You can make any of my recipes with all purpose flour. The only thing I would suggest doing is to lower the amount of water in the dough to make it easier to work with. For this particular recipe reduce the water in the final dough from 190g to 178g.

[@donmelanson4894]

@@ChainBaker thanks for thé reply , be well and Merry Christmas

[@ChainBaker]

🎅🌲😉

[@anthonyjulianto9699]

Hi Charlie really love your videos. Learning so much and it's also just fun to watch. Question: I have tried with cast iron Dutch oven like yours and the results are always great. But I'm wondering if you have recommendations for cooking without cast iron to generate that 20 min steam bake. Home oven is at 230 c, I tried it once but the skin was more dry and shape went a bit funny. Or with commercial combination oven can that can go higher?. Thanks 🙏😀

[@ChainBaker]

The cast iron pan is the best option. But here are a few others - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gISweKN7pqakgaM

[@anthonyjulianto9699]

@@ChainBaker thanks for the reply

[@joannestretch]

Hi

[@ChainBaker]

Are you increasing the hydration? If not, then try that next time. And shape it tightly so that there is plenty of tension in the dough and it can spring open when it's baking.

[@joannestretch]

@@ChainBaker Ive been using 70% and 75% hydration for the whole wheat mix Ill try higher next time but i thought that 80% would be like 15% protein (gluten) in flour, it'll will be a challenge to shape tighter with more hydration but im up for it, awesome ty so much, really appreciate your time, ill try and use my 13.33% protein flour which is an intergral wheat flour. Im from Canada btw, cheers !

[@mirawispi8979]

Thank you so much for sharing..I love your chanel!👍👍 By the way..I'm a bit lost..how do you make the starter sourdough? Thanks a lot for your reply🙏..will try to make your recipe😊 Greetings from Bali🌺🌺

[@ChainBaker]

Hey Mira! thank you so much! 🤩 Here is my sourdough starter playlist. You will find lots of information there - kzbin.info/aero/PLJ97q0PY0sXK_mBeBMZ1u3kOyQG3ipAkv 😉

[@mirawispi8979]

Hi ! Thanks a lot for your reply..can you give me the tittle of your chanel about the starter? As I can't klick on your playlist mentioned. Thanks a lot !😃 Wish you a lots of success😊🌺🌺

[@ChainBaker]

Click on my channel - the little pretzel icon 🥨 Then go to Playlists and you will find it there in-between all my other playlists :)

[@nehashah1905]

Hi. I find your channel and videos to be extremely helpful and point anyone who has questions about sourdough your way. I do have a question though which I can’t find the answer to. I made the dough and have done 2 folds. I will do the third but then I won’t be home for 5 hours. I don’t want it to overproof in the meantime. Should I put it in the refrigerator to finish bulk fermentation? Or should I have someone watch it until it’s doubled and then put in fridge? Also can you make a video on light and airy water rolls (no enrichment) but super soft and fluffy? I’m actually looking for a way to make the Indian laadi pav and the recipes I find online don’t really do it justice. Also could you explain the difference between when to use a high gluten vs bread vs all purpose flour? I have all three but can’t figure out when to use what. Thanks so much!!!

[@ChainBaker]

Either way will work. If there is someone home to watch it, then let them do it. If not then just leave it in the fridge :) To make light and fluffy rolls without enrichment you may want to use all purpose flour. The dough will be weaker and the crumb will be softer. Saying that, I have never made super soft bread without enrichment. Something must be added to the dough to achieve that. I would even imagine using strong flour and adding ascorbic acid to tighten the gluten even more which would allow for longer fermentation and greater volume in the end that could make the crumb really soft.

[@MrSpiritchild]

I'm about to try my first sour dough, and in this video you mention you could put some seeds in this. I have a mix of hemp, flax and chia seeds and am curious if this is the type of seeds you think would work. I also have a few questions... Using the seeds, I assume if my seeds are hard I need to pre-soak with a portion of the water. Also, flax seeds are a bit oily once soaked, will the water percentage need to be adjusted, or not really a huge difference? Lastly, and maybe this is a stupid question, I would add the seeds in when adding the last of the ingredients before the first fold, or?

[@ChainBaker]

This video will answer all your questions - kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3mQe5SrgNRjsNE :)

[@nathansmith22]

I love your channel. I’ve been baking bread non stop for about a month. I’m baking my first loaf of sourdough after spending the last 2 weeks making a starter. It’s bubbling up real nice every time I feed it but it seems like my levain isn’t bubbling up as much as yours. Is there something I need to do to strengthen my starter?

[@ChainBaker]

How did the bread turn out? There are many variables, so comparing yours to mine won't paint a clear picture. Try lowering the hydration and see how it reacts.

[@nathansmith22]

@@ChainBaker the crumb wasn’t quite as open as I’d have liked but the bread tasted great. So I think I’m on the right track. Hopefully my starter gets stronger over time. Thanks for taking the time to respond!

[@rickperez3167]

Definitely a good option for when I'm feeling a little lazier. The only thing is that I would cold proof. I definitely love my sourdough a little more tangy than a lot of people. Do you use any particular flour when dusting the banneton?

[@ChainBaker]

It's ok to be lazy sometimes 😄 I use the same white flour that I use for the dough. I've heard that rice flour is meant to be really good for dusting the banneton, but I've never tried it. Perhaps for a very high hydration dough it may perform better but I have never felt the need for anything other than regular flour.

[@rickperez3167]

@@ChainBaker I use rice flour, but only because I always have. There are some things I hate to change if they work for me. I'll try like white while wheat next time I make something under like 70%.

[@ChainBaker]

If it ain't broke why fix it right 😉 I should give rice flour a go just to see for myself.

[@rickperez3167]

@@ChainBaker if you're going to do something high hydration, I'd say give it a shot one time. It also helps with decorating the loaf, since the flour week remain white.

[@simransekhri370]

Hello! What if we have a round bowl? Do we shape it in this oblong shape or use a different shaping technique?

[@ChainBaker]

Shape by folding the edge of the dough over the middle and going around in a circle until it's nice and tight.

[@nicolasv7549]

I wonder if the recipe works the same with spelt flour, I will try

[@ChainBaker]

I have not had much experience with spelt flour so I would definitely be curious to know how it goes. Let me know of your results 😊👍

[@doc.greenthumb]

Hey Charlie, I asked another day about my “white molded” starter and as you replied, I kept in the discarding/ feeding cycle, now thanks to you it almost triples in 4-6 hours. I am confident that I can use it for my first sourdough bread. I don’t have the banneton and usually for my instant yeast breads I just proof the dough on the parchment paper after the stitch method. It usually keeps the hight but I was thinking if a tall baking pan (roughly a banneton size) could work instead. And if yes, should I use a type of rag or if I could water spray it and dust in flower time ahead. (I’m just afraid of it sticking on the baking pan) anyways, thanks a lot your videos are the ones that most work for me. Once I understood Baker’s ratio through you it was a life changer.

[@ChainBaker]

Grease the baking pan with butter or line it with baking paper. Should work just fine 😉

[@doc.greenthumb]

@@ChainBaker I will give it a try! 👊

[@curtisworthing6036]

Can normal kneading etc be applied to this recipe without mods? I'm a total newbie, 7 batches under my belt with a dismal 30% success rate. So far every recipe turns soupy after bulk fermentation. Even with a crazy strong starter and as low as 60% hydration. Just tried this recipe, currently at the 3hr bulk fermentation stage. So far it looks like the most promising. Totally dig this channel.

[@ChainBaker]

How did it turn out?

[@curtisworthing6036]

Pretty good. Currently working on a second go round with your recipe and method. Still have to work on hydration levels for my environment and starter. I use a 1:1:1 starter at this point, it's crazy strong. As an experiment I tried 1gr of starter to 25g water and flour. It more then doubled in 12hrs. Keep up the great work, you have a winning combination going with your channel. Cheers mate

[@travisedwards5676]

I've only got one usable arm so needing bread and stuff like this is a little bit difficult with all the stitching and stuff like that can you recommend a different manner that will still get me a nice dough with nice tension but with only one hand available what would you recommend 💪🏼

[@ChainBaker]

That does sound challenging. It's sometimes hard to get good tension even with both hands. You could perform the stitching method, but then you would need the dough to stay in one place. Perhaps use less flour on the bench so that it does not slide around. And once the shaping is completed try and tighten the loaf against the table. Use the scraper and pull the loaf towards you. It may not be super tight, but you will be able to build decent tension. Another option is to lower the hydration a little to make it stiffer from the get-go.

[@travisedwards5676]

@@ChainBaker thank you my friend yeah it is kind of difficult sometimes but some of your ideas I hadn't even thought of using a scraper for tension and maybe letting it stick to the table a little bit I'll give her a shot thanks bud God bless

[@ChainBaker]

🙏

[@bethbilous4720]

Hi friend, can you please tell what the final starter should weigh?

[@ChainBaker]

It's in the written recipe.

[@simransekhri370]

Hello! How can we adapt for a higher wholewheat flour %?

[@ChainBaker]

Definitely. The more you add the more water you will need though.

[@dandtb6860]

I notice in some videos you use the convection fan in your oven and sometimes the fan is off. How do you choose?

[@ChainBaker]

Lower temperature bake Fan ON. High temp Fan OFF. Usually, anyway. I like to use the fan to bake the crust more evenly.

[@michaelurig3887]

I was watching John Kirkwood on KZbin where he was making an “Easy Sourdough Loaf”. He started by mixing 200g of starter with 100g of flour and 100g of water. So it was a 1:.5:.5 ratio where it rose in about 2 hours. What do you think ?

[@ChainBaker]

Yes, the more starter there is in relation to flour and water the quicker it will rise.

[@bethbilous4720]

Hi, can you please tell me how long I can keep in the fridge before baking? Once i put in the basket I put in the fridge overnight, but wondering if i could leave it longer.

[@ChainBaker]

I reckon you could keep it in there for another day for sure.

[@CandCandCandD]

Would you make sourdough with mixer? Is that possible?

[@ChainBaker]

You can make any bread with a mixer kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2HWk5mNh82Gi5o

[@FREEDOM-qb8db]

Can Rye flour be substituted for the whole meal flour in this recipe?

[@ChainBaker]

Definitely! 👍

[@HeyWatchMeGo]

Hi Charlie 🙂 Me again! Do you have a video comparing using more starter (say 200 grams) vs less? I'm curious if there is an advantage to using more...and also, is that one a way to use up extra starter, if it's healthy and active? Thanks! PS: I understand that there's lots of recipes for using up excess starter, but at this point, that doesn't really interest me. I'd rather have the sourdough bread, than pancakes, pizza etc 😉

[@ChainBaker]

The more starter you use the more intense the taste. But the more you add the weaker the dough will be, so you must balance that sometimes. Try 200g and see how it goes. You can increase it from there 😎

[@HeyWatchMeGo]

@@ChainBaker Thanks !! I have been using, most recently, 200 grams, and I think my dough strength IS weaker than in the past, when I was using 50 grams! So I really appreciate the info, I hadn't realized that this could be the issue. I'll try 100 grams on my next loaf, and see how it goes. 🙂

[@mothtv]

Not sure if my spreadsheet is broken, but the hydration for that recipe comes at around 65-66% Did I miss something, or is it a portion of 100% hydration levain that makes up the difference?

[@ChainBaker]

Counting all the water and flour between the leaven and the dough, plus the small amount of starter it comes to around 71%.

[@Missin44]

If I'm using starter from the fridge, should I let it come to room temperature before making the leaven?

[@ChainBaker]

No need. It will warm up when you mix it with the other ingredients.

[@bethbilous4720]

After the final stitch and placed in basket, can i refrigerated over night and bake the the next moring?

[@ChainBaker]

Yes 👍

[@bethbilous4720]

How long can it stay in the fridge?

[@jasperbuutfeld3644]

Would this also work with a poolish instead of a levain? Guess the rest of the steps are pretty much the same

[@ChainBaker]

Definitely! 😎

[@Missin44]

It would be great to see a 1-day sourdough bread recipe, only for those days where you may have forgotten to start the day before.

[@ChainBaker]

For that you just need to adjust the ratio in the leaven. Nix equal parts starter, water, and flour to make it rise quickly and then continue with the main dough.

[@Missin44]

@@ChainBaker so just use the same amount of leaven added to the main dough? Many thanks!

[@ChainBaker]

Yes 👍

[@1_step_up]

Would i need to change anything if i am using 100% whole wheat bread?

[@ChainBaker]

Increase the hydration. I would add an extra 40g water and work from there.

[@abhijeetsalvekar]

Hi Please share the amount of sourdough starter to be added

[@ChainBaker]

The recipe is in the link below the video.

[@talktosomeone]

I like no knead AND no fold! That's how lazy I am !! Lol!

[@ChainBaker]

Haha! I must make one of those someday :))

[@arnoldkotlyarevsky383]

Here is a dumb question: Comparing this to your "first sourdough loaf" video, the proportion of whole wheat is higher here while appearing more pale, and the overall loaf size is smaller (based on gram amounts in the linked recipes). Can you explain what is going on here? Feel free to ignore me if this is a pain in the ass for you.

[@ChainBaker]

It has a lighter colour because it spent a lot less time fermenting. There is a lot more residual sugar in the cold fermented loaf because the enzymes in the dough had more time to convert the starch into maltose. It is the caramelization of the sugar that makes the crust so dark. The crumb of a cold fermented bread will also be chewier and tighter at times. I can't say why the crumb colour is so different though. I think it appears more different than it is in fact. My photography and photo editing style changed a lot between the time those two pictures were taken.

[@arnoldkotlyarevsky383]

@@ChainBaker Excellent explanation. As usual. You are really doing the hard work of getting to the bottom of the how/why of baking moreso than any other baker on youtube. You should have 10 times the subs....but then you wouldn't have time to answer my dumb questions :) Thank you!

[@wonderoushistoryofclassicf9193]

Hey man could you make a Haitian bread recipe so I can make it for my wife?

[@ChainBaker]

I will definitely do a Haitian bread when I get to the letter H in the Baking World Tour. But if I find something nice I might do it earlier too 👍

[@tekoathorndiketv5173]

How could i make 20 loaves?

[@ChainBaker]

Increase the recipe 20 times. Keep an eye on it because a larger dough tends to ferment more rapidly. Divide it after bulk fermentation and shape it in individual loaves.

[@doc.greenthumb]

I can’t find any discard recipe on your channel, please we need you to fix that! 😅

[@ChainBaker]

There are a few in the Sourdough Bread playlist ✌

[@Jimgearhart3]

It's soooo small. How about a decent size of bread? Would be nice!

[@ChainBaker]

You can make it as large as you like. I don't eat a lot of bread ✌️

[@alexnoman1498]

This is so weird... My routine is: - eyeball ingredients, mix - pour into greased dish, cover - wait a day - bake like a cake Done. 10 minutes of work a day, baking daily now for 18 months straight. Perfect texture everytime (since day ~5 :) This video seems like a ridiculous amount of work compared to that, no? I'll try it, sure, but I don't see this being worth it at all.

[@ChainBaker]

There's thousands of recipes with just as many methods. Each will produce a different result. Sometimes putting in some effort is well worth it. And this is a relatively simple recipe to be fair. I have some that are far more effort and some that are far simpler 😉 it's up to the baker at the end of the day. I like both super basic recipes and more involving ones. It's all good 👍

[@HeyWatchMeGo]

@@ChainBaker I'm curious if he would have said the same thing to Claude Monet? lol