No Knead Bread is a simple and straightforward recipe that produces delicious homemade bread with minimal effort.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
Instructions:
- Mix Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Add Water: Pour the lukewarm water into the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix until a shaggy dough forms. Make sure all the flour is hydrated, but don’t overwork the dough.
- Let it Rest: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rest at room temperature for about 11-17 hours. During this time, the dough will rise and develop flavor.
- Preheat Oven: About 30 minutes before the resting time is up, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Place a covered Dutch oven or similar oven-safe pot into the oven to preheat as well.
- Shape the Dough: After the resting period, the dough should be puffy and bubbly. Generously flour your work surface and your hands. Gently scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the floured surface. Shape it into a ball by folding the edges into the center, creating tension on the surface.
- Second Rise: Place the dough ball seam-side down onto a piece of parchment paper. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise for another 30 minutes while the oven continues to preheat.
- Bake: Carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven. Lift the dough using the parchment paper and place it into the pot. Be cautious as the pot will be extremely hot. Cover the pot with its lid and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and Bake: After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the pot and continue to bake the bread for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Cool and Enjoy: Once baked, remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy your freshly baked, crusty No Knead Bread!
Feel free to customize this recipe by adding herbs, seeds, or other ingredients to the dough before the initial resting period for added flavor and texture.
