I’ve made this recipe twice now and it has been excellent! If I wanted to add cheese and/or olives and/or whatever else (suggestions welcome), at what point would I add them, and how would I do so?
I add stuff in at the stretch and folds stage. Just sprinkle whatever you want over the dough before the first stretch and folds and with each subsequent set they get further incorporated. I see only two sets called for in the recipe but should be fine if you evenly spread it over the dough. Some people might just add everything at the beginning when forming the dough I just happen to prefer my way.
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Thank you for your advice, Abe! Another question: My second and third attempts have stuck to the bottom of the baker when finished. What am I doing wrong? It might be an issue with the type of baker, but if it’s a problem with my dough or if I should be adding something else (flour in the baker?), please let me know.
Highly doubt its problem with the dough. Most likely an issue with the baking and finding the best way to suit your circumstances.
Might help to start a new question detailing exactly how you bake your bread and see if anyone can help.
The only thing I can say is if your oven has a bottom element and the dough (or vessel it’s in) is too close then it might burn. Does your oven have more than one element? Can they be toggled on/off individually?
If your loaves are getting burnt on the bottom, then I would place the bottom portion of a broiler pan on the bottom-most shelf of the oven with the stone or clay baker on a shelf one or 2 positions above. This shields the bottom of the stone/clay baker from getting direct radiation from the bottom oven element. You just have to make sure you let the oven heat long enough to get the stone/clay baker up to temperature. Depending on your oven, 45 min to an hour.
If the bottom isn’t really burnt but is just stuck, a layer of parchment paper helps.
Exactly how I like it! Looks perfect to me.
Bon Appetit.
Thanks!!
I am brand new to baking bread. I have some experience with pies and simple pastry. I want to try this no knead sourdough, but only have simple all purpose white flour on hand (Coronavirus). Do I need to make any adjustments to rise time or the amount of water to accommodate?
Thanks, Dana
You’ll want to use less water if you’re not using any whole wheat flour or bread flour. Try reducing
the water by 1/3 of a cup. Then during mixing add some of it back to the dough as needed to make it seem the consistency you see in the video. As for rise times, there are many variables that affect that – not just the flour type – so you’re going to need to pay more attention to the dough than the clock. (Ambient temp, water temp, starter livliness…)
Hi—Made today with White bread Flour just adjusted water slightly to get the right hydration level. Used a La Crusette and all went well except the bottom of the Bread got a bit to done.(almost burnt on parts) Should I reduce the time slightly—or is there something I should do-(scraped it a bit with a butter knife and it was ok…but want to figure out a solution)
Thanks
Joe
Can I do second proof in the refrigerator for 12 hours after shaping (when dough is in the banneton?
Hi Eric
Sure appreciate all the support you provide. Would like advice: I have followed the no knead recipe 4xs and no matter what adjustments I make I still have runny dough b4 placing it in oven. All suggestions welcome
Hi, I hope you don’t mind me stepping in for Eric, but I just answered a very similar question in direct message and think I can help.
Different flour brands have different absorbency, and recipes and bread baking have to be flexible as a result. You can reduce the water in the recipe or add more flour if needed. Bread comes in a huge range of hydration, from very stiff bagel dough, somewhat stiff baguette and pizza dough, to artisan style mid-range, and goopy-wet ciabatta.
Another thing that can make a dough feel soupy-wet – especially if this feeling comes only at the end of the process – is overproofing. Summer vs. winter kitchens can mean half the time is needed for the bulk fermentation and final proof. Always try to read the dough and not the clock.
Finally, here is a blog post I wrote about gluten development, which is one of the best ways to get a wet dough to feel manageable. No knead is fantastic, but I think you might appreciate how wet some of the dough in these videos looks and how a little bit of gluten development tames the dough.
The comments also have helpful questions.
Best wishes!
Melissa
Thank you. Appreciate all the help offered. As a newbie, still navigating all the intricacies of the craft. Find it interesting, as a side note, how it is described as simple and not time consuming. I don’t think I will ever get to consider it so. Much obliged:relieved:
You’re welcome and you’ll totally get there – to the point where you mix a dough with starter you almost forgot about, then you have to go somewhere all day and put it in the fridge so it doesn’t blow up, and that evening you think, “hey it’s gonna be 60F tonight, I’ll put the dough outside and it’ll be ready by morning” but then in the morning, you decide you need a savory dish for dinner, so back into the refrigerator it goes, and that night your turn the dough into spinach and cheese stromboli. True story. 
Love this site and have been using it to learn so much! Question: How long do you preheat the oven at 500 with the clay baker inside? I read somewhere it should be preheated for an hour. It doesn’t take my electric oven that long to get to 500. How long does the clay baker need (I have a large 4.1qt Romertopf) to be preheated in the 500 oven or does it matter? Thanks for clarifying!
I put the clay baker inside when I turn on the oven and as soon as the oven is up to temp I bake.
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@Nita Hi Nita! I tend to just put my clay baker into a cold oven and preheat to 500 degrees for about 30 minutes. I think that’s a “generic average” amount of time to preheat a clay baker to come to temperature in most ovens. As you get to know your oven and how your clay baker responds to it you’ll be able to adjust your preheat times to what serves your needs best.
Leah
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Hi Melissa — hope this isn’t a question that has been asked and answered. Recently bought a Romertopf — early holiday present. Saw Eric’s video with what appears to be a clay cooker and he recommends 500° preheat. Romertopf says to use them cold. Any advice greatly appreciated. Can’t wait to try the stromboli