HI Lillian, congratulations on still baking at 88! It sounds like your oven with the light on was too warm. Sometimes the oven can heat up to 100°F with the light on, and most no-knead recipes that call for an overnight rise are going to require cool room temperature (70°F) rather than such a warm environment. This explains the mass of slime you discovered in the morning, since it sounds like your dough over-fermented, which causes the gluten structure to break down and release water. In future, I would let your dough sit out at room temperature overnight, and then, if it hasn't risen very much in the morning, you can move it to a warmer environment in the morning, when you're able to keep an eye on it. I like to boil some water on the stove and pour it into a Pyrex cup and put it in my microwave next to my dough. This creates a nice warm makeshift proof box that will keep your dough warm for an hour or so. If it needs more rise time after that you can always boil more water and put the cup back in the microwave alongside your dough for another hour. 

• Reply