Kneading Bread Dough Is a Waste of Time | No-Knead Method Explained

[@ChainBaker]

📖 Read more 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 🍞 Share your bread pictures here ⤵️ www.flickr.com/groups/chainbaker/

[@deenyc1049]

I love how your baking is evolving. While you're teaching us you're learning and discovering along with us.

[@ChainBaker]

We're all in this together 😎

[@casoblantly]

this is so accurate

[@MrMaltasar]

For the bread I make most often (a 70% hydration; flour, water, salt, and dry yeast dough) I never knead and I don't even do folds. I mix it in the evening right before sleep and I let it autolyse/bulk ferment overnight (anywhere from 10 to 14 hours). Then I preshape, rest 15 minutes, shape and in a banetton for 2-3 hours, bake and voila. Great rise, plenty of dough strength and very little active work. The key being a very small amount of yeast (half a tsp or so) for a slow rise. The gluten strength builds by itself.

[@MrMaltasar]

Half a tsp to 700 grams of flour that is (amounts obviously depending on your base flour amount!).

[@2ukulele]

I used to use the overnight method too, but I was nervous about using milk and eggs with the overnight method, so I moved to using 1.0% yeast and a ~3.5-hour bulk ferment, to shorten the time ingredients sit at room temperature. I can usually get the dough in the oven within six hours, with no kneading and no folding. I have not noticed any deterioration in the bread. I keep my fat and sugar levels to

[@WatchesTrainsAndRockets]

Here's a tip to mix the melted butter easier. Whisk the melted butter into the eggs before adding the rest of the wet and non-flour ingredients. The eggs will form an emulsion with the butter (or oil) and the mild and/or water. The butter mixes in much faster if the water is not present at the start. Just be sure to keep the eggs stirring with the whisk as you drizzle the butter in. This works with anything that has eggs and melted butter such as pancake batter, waffle batter, or popovers.

[@2ukulele]

That is a fantastic tip. I am going to start doing that. Thank you!

[@scottulbrich5376]

wont that make mayonnaise

[@WatchesTrainsAndRockets]

@@scottulbrich5376 No. Not enough oil. Just makes it easier to blend in the butter as opposed to incorporating it after the flour is added. Also, less required mixing reduces the amount of gluten formation when using this method for things like pancakes, waffles, or popovers.

[@RikkiMama]

Thank you, Charlie, for another fascinating and enlightening video. When I attended 2 day bread making workshops at the San Francisco Baking Institute (school for professional bakers), I was amazed that we made 8-11 kilo batches of dough in big tubs using the stretch & folding method. We dumped all the ingredients, including salt & yeast, into the tubs and mixed everything by hand until no dry flour was visible. Many of the formulas called for 3 stretch & folds during bulk fermentation. Some of the breads were shaped and proofed in the fridge overnight. That was a real eye opener for me to see commercial scale bread making using stretch & fold. Another of my bread instructors used to say "the dough WANTS to become bread" when making bread using stretch & fold method. Your experiments confirmed he was right. 👍

[@zoemetro9824]

Wow! This is a game changer as I am not a big fan of kneading. Thank you. Also loved how you called the dough balls "little rascals" trying to escape. It will make me smile each time I see my dough rising close to the lid.

[@bobthornton1109]

This sort of channel and content is why I pay for ad-free KZbin! Someone who is passionate, knowledgeable with excellent production, that’s what gets my subscription. Now I’ve just got to watch loads of videos and get baking! Thank you.

[@ChainBaker]

Cheers! 😃

[@TXlabratt]

The biggest/worst hurdle in trying to teach myself how to bake is KNEADING!! For some time, I just wished I didn't have to knead to make bread/pizza/rolls . . and now I can't wait to try your NO KNEAD method/recipes!! I'm greatly encouraged and feel more confident that AT LAST my hours will produce good results!!!!

[@romystumpy1197]

My thoughts, after watching many of your bread making videos,I have decided to autolyse the dough, rest and ferment then do the folding method, I didn't realise that bread making was so scientific and and art until I viewed your videos I've learnt so much

[@Peoplespilates]

This video changed my bread loaf 100% . Thank you! I followed this no knead method and I made an amazing loaf.

[@Maskl1n]

This is exactly the way I do my breads, buns, ciabattas etc. nowadays. The only thing I do differently is to use half of the water of the recipe to prepare yudane and use the other half of the water to cool it down before adding the yeast, salt and flour. I am a bit lazy and I hate unnecessary mess that comes with kneading higher hydration dough, so I always liked the no knead method you showed in the early days of your channel and the cold fermentation step is just so much more convenient for planing home bakes. Cheers

[@rewolfer]

I definitely want to adjust all my recipes to be more practical like you've done. I too hate the mess of kneading wet doughs and I've always wondered why some recipes are okay with just folding but others need kneading... Guess that was just a false premise! I have also started using cold fermentation so that I can bake breads in the morning when I wake up without them overrising.

[@manuraj4749]

Can we use cold bulk fermentation for any type of dough? What are the factors that should be taken into consideration when trying to convert a recipe to cold fermentation?

[@georgepagakis9854]

@@manuraj4749 You can do bulk fermentation with any dough but the longer you leave it in the fridge the stronger the flour you need. so a 12% can take 24 hours and a 15% can take 72 hours in the fridge. You also may need to add diastatic malt powder for extra food for the yeast if you plan on going more then 24 hours. Mix dough at final dough temp of 20-22C for a very slow rise in the fridge. You need to experiment with long fermentation because its all about the flour you use. Also with the no knead method and popping it back and forth in the fridge, you can never over activate the yeast as when you are kneading it. So that helps a lot with long cold fermentation. A dough that is mixed at 21C when it goes in the fridge in 30 minutes after a couple of folds it already drops to 18C great for slowing down yeast ASAP

[@manuraj4749]

@@georgepagakis9854 Awesome. Thanks for explaining it in detail, George. I have to rely on cold bulk fermentation because my place is super warm all the time, and I've gone through the pain of over proofing the dough a couple of times. Its so hard to eyeball as the dough will puff up super rapidly. I will definitely try it the way you said.

[@georgepagakis9854]

@@manuraj4749 Just remember low temp for mixing like 20-22C and when you proof out of the fridge 24-25C it takes about 3 hours for the dough to warm up to room temp to bake. If you use a strong bread flour you should be good for 48 hours bulk fermentation. I also recommend using .5% yeast so you can avoid over proofing for long periods of time. Experimenting is the best way to get it but I left you a few guidelines that I follow to achieve good results with long fermentation and no kneading which is the only way to go in my opinion because you get no fuss kneading. which is consistent every time and the taste cannot be beaten with long fermentation. Good luck and let me know how it goes :)

[@ClintonFerrara]

Every Sunday I make four loafs of bread for my family. 600 grams each. Sourdough. I don’t knead or use a mixer. Stretch and fold every 30 minutes 4 times. An hour or so bulk ferment then divide and shape. It works. Like you I do enjoy kneading. Feeling the development of the dough is rewarding. I find lifting and stretching a 2400 gram chunk of dough is also rewarding and informative. I had no idea that chain baker referred to your bracelet. 😂

[@emkoh2746]

I’m amazed at how the dough never sticks to your hands and you don’t even have to dust your workbench. Incredible! You must have magic hands ! 😲😁

[@m3bbas139]

If you put oil or you wet your hand with water you can handle any dough without it sticking for a minute or less depending on how long your touching the surface.. that’s not to say Charlie has a great touch

[@emkoh2746]

@@m3bbas139 Thanks so much for the nice tips 👍👍🙏🙏🙇🏻‍♀️

[@m3bbas139]

@@emkoh2746 it’s my pleasure

[@sunriseshell]

This goes against everything I know about baking. AND I LOVE IT! Frequenting r/breadit I keep seeing these "no knead" recipes and the bread that looks perfect. All of that and now seeing this video I'm convinced that this not only will work but may be "the way".

[@casoblantly]

We really love you in this house man, you've sort of changed our lives. It's been over a year now so we know it's not a fad lol! Thank you for inspiring us to eat better in such a rewarding way.

[@ChainBaker]

✌️😎

[@maissthro3645]

I've done bread most of my life. Your videos are a great fountain of learning material and, in all honesty, good calming voice to accompany with. I do use both methods, but it much depend on what I'm doing and with how my mood is. Kneading in a bad mood has given me the worst results overall, so I've learned to use the folding method on those cases. One thing on which the folding is specially good is on nut and dry fruits breads: you get a better result by spreading part of the "fills" on the mixed dough and fold it over, and spread a by more. Like making a puff pastry kind of way.

[@aliciasilva9802]

You said spreading part of the fills could you please explain me details about how to do. Thank you

[@SpaceMonkey23101]

Yes, I recently started experimenting with the no-knead folding method. Have used it to make everything, including rich brioche. It works so well, I have to wonder why we ever kneaded dough at all. 🤷‍♂

[@mohammadaboohosseinitabari4454]

After getting to know you and your channel around a year ago, I started applying methods I learned from you in my routine baking. First I applied the folding to my pizza doughs and they turned out amazing, later I decided that the autolysing and folding is so amazing that my pizza doughs literally no longer need kneading. Later I checked this theory by making a no knead Shokupan and again it was amazing. It was then that I realized kneading is over rated. Thank you our awesome baker.

[@ChainBaker]

✌️😎

[@JeffO-]

No-knead Shokupan almost sounds impossible, but I believe it now.

[@ondrejmitas3325]

I just fold. Kneading took much time and made big messes. This was a good validation and test.

[@madguitarist63]

Chain Baker Ciabatta bread recipe + no knead method = best bread advice ever

[@ChainBaker]

I have a video on that coming soon 😄 Plus cold proofing!

[@madguitarist63]

@@ChainBaker I only cold proof now. It's too easy and the flavor advantage to me makes it a no brainer

[@thelifeofjools8384]

Not sure I'd wanna buy shares in "stand mixer" companies, after watching this :) Bravo ! Looks like I'll be experimenting 👍

[@jake10miller]

Wow this is pretty eye opening. So essentially the folds during cold bulk fermentation are very slowly and gently “kneading” the dough. This is so much simpler. I feel like it’s easier to get more consistent.

[@JagoBridgland]

I’ve just stated a pizza business and your videos have been super helpful in my pursuit of understanding dough. And this video is a great example of why it’s great

[@artycrafty9209]

I gave up kneading quite a long time ago and it is so good to have your reassurance that I was ok to do so👌.

[@gregitean5509]

My wife and I really learn a lot from your videos. Thank you so much. Maybe could you put labels on the table to identify the different loaves? We're still learning so a stopwatch showing time that passes would help too. Thanks again 😊

[@twopoolpeople]

Another great video - THANK YOU! I have arthritis pretty darn bad, especially in my hands. I have been making bread for 15 years now and have to touch it less and less. Now I do everything in the one stand mixer bowl. Even the stretching.

[@carolseven3802]

This was so helpful. You have no idea! I’m adding this video to my keep list I have issues with my hands and firearms. Knowing how to achieve a great bread without all the kneading means I will be able to bake them more often! God bless you for teaching me.

[@elonever.2.071]

You have taught me a lot about bread making and I no longer knead either. With my experimentation with high hydration dough I use a plastic scraper and fold in the bowl until the gluten has developed enough to fold on a floured or damp surface. Thanks.

[@kellyk3222]

I do not have a mixer and to make my life easier, I mix all the ingredients properly (before adding flour) as you have shown us in the video. I always wonder if it was by luck that my brioche turn out ok but I am glad to see that it is actually an option. I am definitely making brioche again.

[@MJ-en5hi]

After watching the last video I made your sandwich rye bread as cold fermented no knead. I just added the preferment ingredients into the main dough, mixed and refrigerated, folding twice. Fermented 12 hours then shaped and proofed until doubled, about 4 hours at room temperature. Baked up well! Thanks for all the videos and recipes!

[@roger55es]

Yet again a brilliant example of bread making techniques A pleasure to learn from your videos.Thank You chain baker

[@Jeepy2-LoveToBake]

Thank you for this thoroughly enjoyable and information-packed video.

[@koubenakombi3066]

Thank you, Charlie! I knead my bread to the minimum with good results (long cold bulk fermentation)! I find high hydration dough usually too fragile (most of the bubbles go away when handling). I usually let it rest (and re-grow) during the final shaping (1-2h).

[@Dracu1987]

Just baked my first no-knead & cold bulk fermented pizza dough ( 70% hydration + 7% olive oil). I have to admit that I was quite skeptical because of the high olive oil content, but I didn't want to alter my recipe. Folding: I made 3 folds in the evening and the last fold felt like the first fold of a regular kneaded dough. Dividing & Shaping: I've noticed the dough was somehow slacker than usual for a 70%'er and I was anticipating some hard time stretching it. Everything else felt the same. Stretching: dough still slacker. HOWEVER, it was the stretchiest dough I've ever made, you could make a rope out of it and skip it several times, this boy won't break. Stretching was child's play. Final product: amazing texture & flavour, the pizzas were gone in a matter of minutes. Thank you!

[@ChainBaker]

😎👍

[@ChainBaker]

😎👍

[@seamus6994]

Some breads I knead, some I use the no knead method or folding. I like your quick fold method. I'm making bread at the moment. Also, I like those small bread tins. Nice size for just two people. As always, great Tips and a great Video!

[@janeturnquist2942]

Thank you for sharing. You have so much knowledge on bread making. Amazing, wow. Thank you.

[@SoloRenegade]

the easier we can make cooking and baking, the less excuses people can give for not doing it.

[@janesmith9628]

Was attracted by the title .. I already stopped the kneading in your whole grain overnight rolls and just give them one fold, instead, and they've still turned out great.

[@ritualchaos7182]

I'd like to see your take on the German style, really airy doner bread. I've seen lots of recipes but they never quite match up. All your tutorials are brilliant... my go to when looking for a bread recipe.

[@LadyLynxes]

I'm so happy to see this video along with your last two. Like I mentioned in my comment a couple videos ago, I had begun to notice my cold ferments were outpacing my preferment recipes in basically all categories: prep time, effort, taste, staying power. It's so cool that you've been exploring in a lot of the same ways as me recently, but that's not too surprising. Mostly because I've learned everything about baking from you. I've felt encouraged by your videos to never feel afraid of experimenting. A lot of my experiments have been around taking the same recipe and doing different techniques with it. Again, it's so cool we've been coming to the same conclusions and I'm so excited to see how your recipes evolve from these discoveries.

[@nanoUSBx]

Hehe this is awesome. This would help soooo much in my tiny apartment kitchen. I'll HAVE to give it a go with tomorrow's breadrolls. Thank you for all you efforts, I and surely many others appreciate you! 😊✌

[@vimalp12]

I made my dough yesterday for my bake today, and I didn't even realize I didn't even knead it until watching this video. I just mixed the dough well, let it sit for an hour, and did one fold before I put it in the fridge. It came out fine. I was lucky to have made the recipe once before to know how the dough should feel. I have you to thank for having taught me that.

[@priscillacantuaria6555]

I have been making my bread like this for the last few months! Love to see you make a video like this!

[@joncapybara3503]

Love the vid! When I make sourdough at work, I use a no-knead method. We usually only work with about 6-8 boules daily though. Personally, I only knead dough at home if it's a really big batch. When making bread isn't the main focus of your day, and you have 100 other things to do at the same time, it's just easier to let the bread knead itself in a bowl and give it a turn every hour or so, depending on kitchen temperature.

[@mikebauer9948]

Great video, thanks. I have some things to digest (pun intended) from your comments; learning never ends. I've been using no-knead methods for various types of loaves/buns since I started baking about 4 years ago, following the procedures from another channel. In this last year, I have been gradually adopting a "semi-knead" procedure and will soon be moving towards adopting home-milled whole grains away from (good quality, organic, natural) commercial flours. Little did I know my "semi-knead" is your "folding," LOL. The original approaches I was using I now call "making mudpies." Without some sort of kneading or folding, my 100% whole wheat loaves tends towards being too dense and/or crumbly, unlike my bread flour/whole wheat mixtures such as you demonstrated. Thanks again.

[@kenmore01]

Hi Charlie! I hope your new year is going very well! I want to preface this comment by saying how much I love your videos and respect your work. I would like to offer you a challenge though. I have heard you and many others espouse cold fermentation for years. Maybe not years for you, but others. To me, putting a dough in the refrigerator slows yeast metabolism which of course slows the rising of the dough, but I believe it slows fermentation at the same rate. In other words, the dough will not have a more fermented flavor just because it was slow fermented, but will simply just take longer. So, the challenge: Make a dough. Ferment one half at room temperature the whole time (a couple of hours), and the other half for days in the refrigerator for a few days. Compare the flavors of the two and tell us if the slow fermentation does anything other than give us flexibility of time. I'm willing to bet it's no different other than taking longer. These last two debunking videos you put out has made me curious of this since I have suspected for a long time that slow fermentation does nothing other than take longer. Thanks! Please keep up the great work! Ken

[@ChainBaker]

I'm already working on such a video 😉 Cheers, Ken! Hope yours is going well too ✌️😎

[@alexbowman7330]

Excellent video, Charlie. This is an awesome change for 2023. You did bring up the idea of this method and brioche making too. Ironically, I have a batch of the hand-kneaded dough cold-proofing at home. Like you, I don't mind kneading dough and find it therapeutic. A no-knead method would still be awesome. Bigger batches without a mixer? Amazing.

[@goodfty]

Great video! I had a suspicion of this as I never really kneaded my dough too much (depending on what I was making), and the first time I made pizza dough I realized I didn't really knead it and mainly folded it, meanwhile everyone loved it and the crust. So I mainly do that when I make pizza dough at home. This confirms some thoughts I've had on those gluten structures as I'd sort of play around with this or even doing hybrid things, some kneading, some folding. This channel is a complete gem, thank you. It feels so nice getting intimate like this with our dough and appreciating it. I just love your channel. ☺

[@rodneyferris4089]

This is really instructive!!what a cutting edge baker you’re becoming! I make a sourdough sandwich bread that had only one extra mix for two mins after an hour’s autolyse. I gold it twice after that, an hour apart then I shape rest for 10 mins then pan it. It takes about five to six hours to rise to the top of the pan and get a good crown but it’s flavour and texture are wonderful. I’ve used many of your findings in the way I bake this bread. It’s very mild in sour flavour yet has a lovely robust crumb and keeps a long time without going excessively caky and dry. You’re quite correct we home bakers only make a small batch and kneading is overrated when there’s no real deadline! Thank you for your videos! They are a treat!

[@reshelad]

Aloha e Charlie, Mahalo - Thanks - as always, for this super-informative video.🙏 I've tried the cold fermentation method twice in the last week following your instructions and it's completely changed my mind about how to enhance dough flavor, and kneading versus folding. And I LOVE the freedom this method gives me as a home baker who is constantly trying to sneak my bakes in during my hyper-busy computer-work-from-home schedule! The first batch was for my regular weekly "country rustic" loaves: 50% each whole wheat & strong unbleached white flours at 65% hydration, with active dry yeast, whole egg, whole milk, unsalted butter and raw sugar. The second batch was 65% whole wheat and 35% unbleached white flours at 40% hydration, with ADY, mashed potatoes & potato water, whole egg, unsalted butter, raw honey and salt. Both doughs produced wonderful loaves - tasty, crusty, evenly-structured, easy to work with. Both have been big hits with the friends and neighbors I've shared them with. So, YES! I'm a co-convert to 24+-hour cold fermentation! As someone noted in one of your comments, "dough WANTS to be bread." The cold fermentation treatment amply proves that adage. 🍞

[@ChainBaker]

Awesome! 😁

[@baxter987]

When I started making dough, I did not have a big counter to knead on so I was forced to come up with something and did the folding method. It just made sense. You're kneading to mix the flour and water, so why knead in particular when you can just stretch it in your hands without a counter. Now, many years later, I still do it like this. It's just so much easier and cleaner.

[@balogh89]

My go-to is a 70% hydration sourdough - somethimes 100% AP, sometimes 70% WW + 30% AP, baked in a tin. Since last May I've got used to not to knead - just mix the ingredients very well, maybe work on the dough a little bit, then place it into the tin, then put it into the fridge right away for 36/60 hours (depends on if I'm baking it on saturday or sunday morning). The resulting bread always have a nice rise and a very-very good sandwich-bread-like texture (smaller, evenly distributed holes; nice spring), a beautiful smell and amazing taste. Yeah, yeah, those huuuuge holes in some well made sourdough looks really amazing, but hey, I like to spread some butter and jam on my slice, instead pressing them across to the table. :D

[@karma_pup]

I love your vids. You're the reason I really want to try my hand at making breads.

[@moniquehebert178]

I’m going to try no kneading method but I too enjoy kneading bread. It’s therapeutic!

[@michaelfforte]

I have been making no-knead (or a few folds) bread for years. I love the technique. My first breads were made watching Julia Child (The French Chef series) back in the 60's or early 70's. Talk about kneading - she would slap that bread around and knead if for a loooong time. She got me hooked on bread making - it was magical. This video was great and as usual, to see the comparisons is so helpful!

[@SYPCWAK]

Thanks for the info and video. I have some whole wheat fermenting now. I will try folding it tomorrow.

[@HellInAHandBasket45]

Your channel reminds me of a climbing channel called Hard is Easy, that goes into the science behind the actual activity. They perform experiments to prove or disprove ideas, theories, claims. I am here for it!

[@natr0n]

With good hydration and resting no need to knead. I do knead for a few seconds though.

[@wes.jenn.alexander]

This has helped tremendously over the last year. I used the idea from one of you other recent videos to creat significant structure for a 100% whole wheat high hydration baguette (Though I'm sure yours would have been way better) Idea: 100% Whole wheat bread with the bran removed, compared to bran kept, compared to bran removed-ground to a powder-added back. Whole wheat has great flavor and nutrients but can make bakes denser because of the bran.

[@edithharmer1326]

Educational! Great Tutorial , as always! Thank you for sharing your Amazing talent! Greetings from Edith, Singapore🌹

[@steinroehder]

Yeeees I had a hunch but now we know, thank you!

[@Dracu1987]

That's amazing, thank you! I'm using almost exclusively cold bulk fermentation when baking bread and my only issue was having to knead in the evening/night to be able to bake in the morning. Problem solved - the same results without any kneading or separate preferments. I will probably still knead when working with heavily enriched dough, but I might never knead my day-to-day bread or pizza dough.

[@doremiancleff1508]

I think i am going to give a cold fermented no knead loaf a shot. I was keen to try making more a high hydrationg dough with a whole wheat flour mix. And making no knead version would save a lot of pain, since i have a nice wide tupperware that ideal for coil folding and it doesn't take much space in a fridge.

[@SchizoidPsycho]

Your channel has been an absolute godsend. I've been trying to do bread time ago with others but they've come out as you'd expect from a first-timer, but ever since I've come across you my breads have jumped massively in quality. Still, I have a long way to go, but the issues I've come across recently tend to do with measurements and different types of local ingredients that I have to work with, for example basic flour that is barely even 5% protein and bread flour that is far more expensive while living in an economically unstable area. Doesn't help that I found out the hard way that my weighing scale is way off and ends up turning your low hydration dough into batter. Getting proper measuring tools like temperature and scales is planned for but not for the close future just yet. So my humble request if at all practical is, can there be a video detailing how to 'feel' the dough in terms of how sticky or dry it oughta be for various hydration levels? Things like a closeup and touch of the dough on how much it sticks or not, the softness, how long before it tears when pulling, and so on. I've had more success in replicating the recipes you have just by looking at the mixed dough's state and adding either flour or water to replicate it than looking at the measured grams. Now I'm no adept baker so I don't know if this request is viable at all, but I'm still putting my thoughts out here. Again, your channel has been of so much help that it's my go-to channel now for anything baking related; my mother was absolutely baffled at how the burger buns I made came out, and that's despite it being the very first time I ever tried dough with oil sugar and butter, and she was the type of person to be skeptical of new things too so that was quite a feat. Thank you so much for putting out these videos.

[@ChainBaker]

I will add this idea to my projects list for the future. For now I can only suggest continuing the same way by judging the softness and stickiness by looking at the dough in the video. I always press, touch, and pull the dough slightly to show the texture. It is a good idea to always give it a touch before and after each step of the baking process. Over time you will develop an intuition for it and you will be able to tell whether the dough is too sticky or dry, or too tight or too lose for that particular recipe.

[@andrewmapachito6499]

Wow absolutely amazing stuff! Very grateful for all your research and work to share this. Sometimes the kitchen is crowded so having the no-knead option means I can prep dough with less space and time 😁

[@neilbarnes3557]

It's a method I've been using for years (I blame Dan Leppard!). For historical reasons, I make a sourdough using last week's starter remnants from the fridge. That gets wholemeal flour and water added - about 60g of each for an 800g loaf - and left for several hours at room temperature... it's quicker in summer but it does need to at least double in volume to make sure all the yeast has woken up. The flour (500g total, usually a mix), salt, and 50g of muesli for texture and fibre are dry mixed, then the starter - 120g - a little oil and 270g water are added and basically just mixed together. I fold three or four times in the bowl every half an hour (if I remember!) and then let the raise finish. Again, that can take hours at this time of year or just an hour or two in summer. Final stretch and shape gets it bashed flat and folded in thirds from alternate ends at least four times, usually six, then rolled to fit the loaf tin. Wait until the final rise looks about right and slam it in the oven... slow, but very tasty.

[@ordoniorb]

I truly enjoy your video's! I can't wait till you create Low-Carb bread versions too.

[@ianmcc2420]

Thank you! Been bored and trying different methods of trying to replicate grandmas' rolls. You've added a lot of structure to my experiments. : }

[@julianokuzhicov]

Thanks I really needed this video.

[@tyronefrielinghaus3467]

Hi. Your videos are so good...so explanatory and you just so..MMM..upbeat. Thanks so much. I've just done your boiling water rotis/flour tortillas...brilliant! ( Now I must make a tortillas press...( Wooden one).) Really appreciate your hard work. Shared your channel with many friends here in South Africa...

[@ChainBaker]

✌️😎

[@bonnie5601]

So interesting! Thank you. How are you doing?HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR!

[@ChainBaker]

Happy New Year Bonnie! I'm great, cheers 😎 hppe you're well too ✌️

[@2ukulele]

Charlie, I love and appreciate your content, which is truly fantastic, but as a no-knead baker, you make me smile when you call this no-knead. You are technically correct that folding is not kneading, but I think if you took a poll most people would say "the" no-knead method is hands-off (except for shaping, for which you should you a very delicate hand). If you use it exclusively for a month or two, I think you will find that folding too is overrated. Have a great day Charlie, and please keep making videos.

[@ChainBaker]

What should we call it then? 😁

[@2ukulele]

@@ChainBaker Good question. The Folding Method? It is accurate but sounds kind of boring...

[@ChainBaker]

@2ukulele exactly 😄 I recently stopped calling it anything. All my breads are now made this way, so no need for special names anymore I guess.

[@Cholita.1979]

This channel is so informative. Thank you!!!

[@geraldsahd3413]

I have done hybrid, knead some for weak flour or higher hydration, then bulk.

[@Puddleford]

Thanks, I'm definitely going to try this!

[@fullmetalsasuke21]

Nice character development. I've watched a video a year ago where you said you don't apply autolyse method on brioche because of fat and sugar.

[@julhe8743]

Love all your videos, please Could you make bread using Quinua flour?? Ty

[@mereyypena2656]

Really Neat stuff, one of these days i'll try using this method on a pre enstablished recipe and see how it goes. Hopefully i will also resist making it a frankenstein bread by adding a bunch of different stuff.

[@purplesoda793]

I have a tip for anyone trying to make a no knead bread that contains milk. If you replace cows or other alternative milks with soy milk, the natural proteins in the soy will naturally give the bread a stronger structure. I’ve done this for a few recipes and was surprised at how different the textures were.

[@purplesoda793]

Cool!

[@SincerelyYoursWill]

THIS is the reason why I HAD to subscribe to your baking channel!! I definitely on Team FOLD here! 🙂🙃 I make a hybrid challah/brioche bread that was looking similar to the one that you had. However, it includes the tangzhong method. It is at the autolyse stage, where I saw how folding and NOT folding can affect the gluten development. The original recipe said to let it just develop into a sponge after 40+ min. However, because I've customized this to my liking. I fold BEFORE the autolyse phase. And because I use bread flour along with all-purpose flour combined (it makes for a tender chewy bread) I realized that the instances that I did NOT fold, sometimes the dough would never achieve the level of gluten development that I was hoping for. So I finally decided, I'm gonna just fold several times before the autolyse step. And when I added the remaining ingredients (honey; creamed butter w sugar; salt; remaining flour; and cream) the dough was looking so TAUT!! Even before the 2-3 hour bulk fermentation. I then cold-proof the dough in the fridge for 24+ hours and pickup from that point. All those mundane *minor* steps like folding EARLY ON along with cold-proofing for a day and a half, has made my very wet sticky enriched hybrid challlah/brioche bread recipe so much easier to work with and handle once I get it out. And the softness, taste, texture is just sublime! So when I checked out your video...generating the EXACT SAME RESULTS?! It's verification that folding EARLY n OFTEN is the way to go!! Thanks for filming your experiment, then sharing it with all of us! It may open eyes for other future bread bakers on expanding their options. And for someone like myself, confirm that folding is a reliable way to develop STRONG gluten in bread recipes that are susceptible to being weak.

[@cookinggerson4000]

I don't like to patchkeh w/dough. Funny that i must be doing something diff.each time. I forget, or just skip something... Mainly, i NEVER use salt, n use ONLY spelt flour, dry active yeast, warm water, 1 egg, a few spoons of honey, 3 tbs. olive oil, then mix w/spoon to blend, proof 15 - 20 min., fold 5-10 times, proof as before, roll around in flour in it's loose ball form, set it into small molds, as u did. Bake 160 C, 12 min. It comes out like a soft cake. My family lives it. One time i flattened out the jelly ball of dough, dripped honey, sprinkled cinnamon, rolled it like a roll cake. It came out more like a cinn. roll cake, than a bread. Used to be i let it rise 1 hr or 2. But now it's just 10 - 20 min, in my bookcase. Lately, i mix till incorporated let it proof

[@sondileong]

Wowww 🎉 i have been chain watching your videos since i found your site. Thank you for the sharing and continual evolution of methods and approaches. Thanks heaps!!! I want to try this with your brioche recipe💕.

[@ChainBaker]

I will soon post a no-knead brioche video 😉

[@sondileong]

Yeayyyy 🎉🎉🎉❤

[@Samscheetah]

First tried this with white bread flour and 50-50 white-wholemeal flour. I thing I noticed that duration between the fold after leaving the dough rest was the key factor to look at if I want not to let my dough being over fermented 😅. Both of the bread came out over fermented bread that they didn’t rise enough anymore if I let my dough rose too much before putting to the loaf pan.

[@ChainBaker]

It should take the same amount of time to ferment as usual. Space the folds out at even intervals and it'll be good ✌️

[@leonardcolin4005]

Very good to know this works, thanks. I'm wondering if you could increase the visual clarity of your videos by putting little stickers on the counter indicating which type of dough you are working with currently (would be useful in comparison videos)

[@ChainBaker]

They're always in the same order 😉

[@Mark-nm9sm]

Maybe try tackling pizza, you havent touched pizza in a while . maybe talk about baking the pizza in a home oven , or the flours you can use , biga/poolish/fridge ferment , would be cool for us pizza lovers 😍🍕

[@katieberberich826]

This is awesome. I love kneading but I can’t wait to try this! 🙂

[@hugocosta9017]

Hey, great video as always, great to see you changing styles over the years and showing us all the pros and cons! I have a request for an interesting recipe - bolo do caco - it's a bread from Madeira (Portuguese island) that is not baked in the oven and made with sweet potato in the dough, usually eaten with garlic butter. Story goes that only the nobility was able to use ovens (too expensive to burn wood, the island is small), so the peasants devised this bread that is cooked on a skillet. Enjoy :)

[@ChainBaker]

I'll add it to my list ;)

[@ryanfx1]

Love this! How about a gluten development contest video? Doing nothing other than autolyse, folding, traditional hand kneading, stand mixer, etc. I am amazed at how much gluten develops in my cold ferments by doing literally nothing.

[@ChainBaker]

I might try that someday! :)

[@gregargo1898]

Fantastic! You just saved me a ton of time and educated me as you always do. T.Y. Chef!

[@gabrielbowser307]

Oh, man! I used this technique last week to make 9kg of brioche dough for a customer. I had to throw the bus tub in the walk-in for an hour between folds to drive the temp down to a bun shaping temp and it took 4 folds to become strong enough. All the same, the method was almost identical to your enriched sandwich dough, it just didn't seem like gluten development would be possible when I first put the ingredients together because of the high(36%) butter content.

[@ChainBaker]

Yeah brioche is definitely not one of the doughs that can be easily made without kneading. Although I have never tried it I guess it would be a lot easier on a smaller scale 😅

[@gabrielbowser307]

@ChainBaker The project took 10 hours from start to finish, but turned out nearly identical to the buns that have come out of the spiral mixer.

[@AngryDrake]

IME, even substantial folding is optional, so long as you don't annihilate the shape when transferring to the baking container.

[@tanbcs]

Great video, I'm new to bread making, am loving this channel. With the no-knead cold fermented loaf, were the three folds done within the first hour of placing the dough in the fridge? thanks!

[@ChainBaker]

That's right! Happy baking ✌

[@tanbcs]

@@ChainBaker thanks heaps! :)

[@TheSaltyOG]

Considering that I am quite limited in counter space, a good and consistent no-knead routine sounds like it's just what I need to really get my bread production rate up. Family gifted me a nice large set of Pyrex mixing bowls that I am very excited to utilize :)

[@PatrickFoster-s2m]

Look like a great informational video but I little knowledge and experience. 💯💯💯🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

[@TheBereangirl]

Yay! Thank you Charlie! All the wasted years, but kneading is a good workout nevertheless, a workout I will have no problem skipping.😂

[@mateusfccp]

Last time I baked panettones I had a problem with kneading. I kneaded it normally in the first and second stage, but after adding the chocolate chips I couldn't anymore. First of all, I used margarine in this recipe, as my wife is lactose intolerant, and although replacing butter with margarine in 1:1 proportion mostly works (the buttery flavor won't be there, of course, but the texture is mostly the same), the dough becomes more sticky. The second problem was that it was a hot day (about 38C), and even cooling everything in fridge the chocolate chips started melting. I got worried that the chocolate chips would simply disappear in the dough, so I simply skipped the kneading entirely. Well, the panettone turned out great anyway. In that moment I questioned myself if this second kneading was even necessary.

[@ChainBaker]

Perhaps a few folds could have done the job 😎

[@mateusfccp]

@@ChainBaker I didn't think about this at that time, but it turned out great anyway and everyone loved it!

[@GPoh_99]

3:04 Pretty rich of you to call something 'not magic' to then seconds later create an egg out of thin air. 😉

[@ChainBaker]

Haha! I never even realized that I was performing a magic trick 😅

[@AndresLopez-hr8kv]

Hi Charlie congrats for another great video. Im a huge fan of the channel and the comparison videos are my jam. BTW i was looking for the recipe of the second bread, the one wich you add the melt butter in to the mix. But in the link below the video, there's no amounts for the recipes used on this video. Hope i can find it, cos it kindda catch me up.

[@ChainBaker]

To be honest I can not remember 😅 But here's my best guess. 250g flour, 2.5g yeast, 5g salt, 1 egg, 25g butter, 15g sugar, 110g milk 🤞

[@kelcyi5494]

Great video. Thank you. Could you breakdown the amounts for your enriched dough in this video? I like making smaller batches.

[@ChainBaker]

250 flour, 3 yeast, 5 salt, 155 water for the lean dough. 250 flour, 3 yeast, 5 salt, 15 sugar, 50 egg, 25 butter, 110 milk.

[@kelcyi5494]

Thank you soooooo much Chainbaker. I love making fresh baked bread every day kinda like you. I only wish mine came out as beautiful as yours. I'll keep practicing!!!! Your bread baking show is the only one I trust and watch.😋😁🤗

[@agirlisnoone5953]

These videos are so far over my head 😅 have a lot to learn!