Bread – No knead bread dough looking slithe after a week

breaddoughrefrigerator

I have been baking no knead bread on a regular basis for a few months now and the fresh bread gets devoured still. I usually mix a double batch and use it throughout the week. Sometimes, at about a week in the fridge, there is liquid at the bottom of the bucket and the dough looks very wet on the bottom (where it has been sitting in the liquid). The top looks fine. My question is whether this is normal and fine or if the dough is being overproofed or something else going on. When I bake the dough at this stage, it does look more dense than the previous loaves but tastes fine. Is there something I can do to prevent this or that I should do once this happens for optimal bread? Thanks.

Best Answer

Flour readily absorbs water. You might try adding more flour and mixing it bit longer (yes, I know you said no need to knead bread) when you make your next batch, or you can try reducing the water amount you are using.

If you press on the dough and it doesn't push back it and the indentation remains or if it looks like it wants to collapse it is over proofed. If it is too springy it needs more time to proof.

Other factors: Temperature can also be a factor (outside, fridge, oven, etc). Did you change your flour? Mills change their blends seasonally so you may need to adjust or try a different brand/formulation/protein level. I've had better luck with bread flour formulations over all purpose flour.