Hi all,

For the last few months I've ventured into the land of no-knead bread as per the NY Times article and recipe.  I had tried the bread in the past and thought it was easy and delicious!  Now that I've been making it regularly for the last 2 months or so, I still haven not figured out why it turns out so spongy.  It has great flavor and the crust is great, but it's a bit soft in my opinion.  What can I do to make it a bit more hardy?  I have modified the recipe but haven't found the cause (added flour, used less water, added butter, added/removed sugar & salt, changed baking time and temp).  I think it may have to do with the fact that it's just sitting around so long.  Does that make sense?

This is my second time baking my honey oatmeal bread.  The first time I followed the recipe almost exactly.  The second time I substituted 1 and 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour to the recipe.  I also let it rise the second time in the fridge over night.

The flavor was much better the second time around although I could have let it risen a bit longer than I did so it turned out a little short looking.  Here is my problem, the texture is not right.  It's spongy and gummy yet crumbly at the same time.  I would like for it to be a bit lighter and airier if possible.  If I press my finger into a freshly cut slice it will bounce back and won't leave an impression at all. 

The first and second loaves had the same texture.  Any ideas on how to fix this problem without affecting the taste too much?  I do have to say that they make great toast!

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10353/honey-oatmeal-bread-millie-niehaus

This is the recipe I have from my mother, which is from her mother, etc.  Any input would be amazing!!

SiMignonne