Why Does My No-Knead Bread Turn Out Flat? (2024)

FAQs

Why Does My No-Knead Bread Turn Out Flat? ›

Editor: Shani, it sounds that your yeast may be too old and expired, or perhaps you're not letting the dough rest adequately after shaping and before baking. Take a look at our no-knead bread step-by-step (with pictures!) and compare your process; you may find a way to tweak it.

Subsequently, the yeast dries out, becomes ineffective and the overall product comes out flat. To avoid this: give sweet doughs enough time to rise properly or use a special type of yeast, the osmotolerant yeast which requires lower amounts of liquid, and so is the perfect fit for such doughs.

If the loaf has a flat top then you may have used flour which is too weak. Always use strong bread making flour. Other potential reasons for this problem could be that too little salt was used, the dough was too wet or that the dough was poorly shaped.

Why is my bread dense: Usually bread will be too dense when there is too much flour. Keep in mind this dough will be pretty sticky, do not add more flour than specified. Other factors that come into play are humidity and age of flour. Little yeast, long rise, sticky dough are keys to a good, light loaf.

Your no knead bread will not rise if: You add no yeast or starter containing wild yeast. You yeast is dead or your wild yeast starter is not sufficiently viable. You add waaaaay too much salt to your dough.

Editor: Shani, it sounds that your yeast may be too old and expired, or perhaps you're not letting the dough rest adequately after shaping and before baking. Take a look at our no-knead bread step-by-step (with pictures!) and compare your process; you may find a way to tweak it.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

It's easy to see the appeal of the “no-knead” approach in bread baking: minimal effort produces maximum flavor. By simply mixing up your dough and giving it an extended rising period, you can enjoy gorgeous, golden loaves without having kneaded a thing.

Since no-knead doughs require a large amount of hydration (usually water has to make up at least 70% of the weight of the flour, as opposed to, say, white bread which is closer to 60% or a baguette, which is more like 65%), they can be a little challenging for first time bakers to work with.

Under-kneaded dough won't rise properly because it doesn't have the strength and elasticity to capture the gases produced by yeast—it'll bake up dry, crumbly, and dense.

How do you keep homemade bread light and fluffy? ›

Bread boxes, if you have one, work great, but you can also use wax paper, a beeswax and linen bag, or even a dishcloth. A clean dish towel is one of Hartzheim's favorite options. "Plastic bags help keep the crumb (the interior of the loaf) soft but also make the crust soft.

Baking temperature

Some ovens run hotter than its settings, some cooler. If the oven is too hot the loaf will be brown and crispy on the outside but doughy in the middle and may collapse as it cools. When bread is baked at too low a temperature it will not rise enough in the oven resulting in a dense and sunken loaf.

Too little liquid, and you'll get a hard, dense, poorly risen loaf; the gluten is tough and unable to expand. Too much liquid, and you'll get a loaf that rises, then collapses; the gluten has expanded and thinned too much.