Why Won’t My No-Knead Bread Toast? Good Questions
Q: I’ve been using the batch recipe for bread in the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for a few months now, and it’s been great. I can make pizza, pitas, baguettes, rolls, even sourdough if I wait long enough.
But I have a question: Why won’t slices of a baguette or boule brown when toasted? The slice will crisp up nice in the toaster oven, but it won’t brown at all. It’s really strange. I’ve had this issue with some other no-knead recipes too. Any thoughts?
Sent by Jessica
Editor: That is really strange! We wonder if you might be cutting back on the amount of salt called for in the recipe? Salt is needed to help the crust brown (which is why salt-less Tuscan loaves have such a pale crust), so we wonder if it might also be necessary to help toast turn golden.
Our other guess is that the dough isn’t developing enough sugars, which happens during the proofing stage. Try letting the dough rise for the full extent of the time-range given in the recipe before putting it in the fridge or shaping it for baking. See if that does the trick!
Beyond these two thoughts, we’re at a loss. Has anyone else had this problem or know what causes it?
(Image: Flickr member nessguide licensed under Creative Commons)