I am having a problem with no knead bread. I have a cast iron dutch oven I use for the baking. I make the bread, first rise is fine and normal, The second rise is not as good and the bread in the oven doesn't rise and make a nice round loaf. It's got nice air pockets and it tastes good, but its about 2 inches high at the side. I usually use yeast in the bottle. Had some that was older, tossed it and bought a new one. Then I bought packets, and still no good. I've proofed the yeast and it's working. I've made regular type sandwich bread for years and it comes out great. The recipes have all be the basic standard type you find everywhere on the web. Any ideas of what I'm doing wrong? The dough seems the right consistency, based on the recipes and youtube videos I've watched to 'see' what it should look like. Thanks.
No knead bread problems
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Too often Instant dry yeast is used in recipes. Instant yeast isn’t always the best choice.
You have to keep in mind that yeast is a living organism. Every brand and strain is different.
Examples of Yeast Types
SAF Red: ascorbic acid*; not osmotolerant; short fermentation time; no rehydration required
SAF Blue: osmotolerant (sugar 10% - 30%); no oxidizing agent*; short fermentation time; no rehydration required
SAF Gold: osmotolerant (sugar 10 - 30%); long fermentation; no oxidizing agent; no rehydration required
SAF Premium: use 30% less yeast; short fermentation; not osmotolerant; no rehydration required; I don’t thing this one has an oxidizing agent...
SAF Active Dry: rehydrate; long fermentation; no oxidizing agent.
They have other yeasts as well, but this will give you an idea of why it’s important to understand the types of yeast, then select a yeast best suited for your application.
If you have a short fermentation time, instant yeast is fine.
But if you have a long fermentation it is a poor choice. The strain of yeast in instant reproduces rapidly. As such, it will Reproduce enmass during the first rise. Remember it’s a living organism, so requires food. The massive amount of cells will then through its food source. Without enough food, The cells will begin to die off, so the second rise will be quite weak.
So if you have a long fermentation, active dry yeast is the better choice.
*ascorbic acid is an oxidizing agent; it is used as a type of dough conditioner to enhance gluten development.
Also you just can’t use yeast and flour in a recipe interchangeably. Example, King Arthur bread flour 12.7% protein; King Arthur AP 11.7% protein. The higher the protein, the lower the starch content in flour. It's the starch that feds the yeast. So if you use a whole wheat, or mix in whole wheat or use a high protein flour, there is less food for the yeast. Also whole wheat inhibits rise for other reasons. But that’s another post.