This recipe is adapted from Bread-God himself, Jim Lahey, Founder of the Sullivan Street Bakery and author of My Bread. His book makes quarantine bread baking a breeze, and has led to my family no longer having the need to go out and buy a loaf of crusty bread for dinner. I am now the bread-monkey of the house, churning out multiple loaves a week. I have also recently received the amazing Challenger cast iron bread pan from the generous husband-wife duo behind Challenger Breadware, which I've been using since the start of the new year. However, you don't need a fancy dough whisk or designated bread lame blade to produce beautiful batches of no-knead bread. You just need flour, water, salt, yeast, a big pot, and time.
I've attached a simplified, print-out version of my recipe for when you've gotten used to the procedure, but just need a few helpful hints along the way, or just an example time table for when to do each step. For the sake of home-cooking ease, I have the ingredients measured in cups, however using grams is much more precise when getting into more intricate types of bread! There's no "need to knead" because the dough is being set out to rise for so long, that gluten formation is being done for you.
You can purchase Jim's book here
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups bread (or all-purpose) flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry yeast
1 1/3 cups room temp. water
WHOLE WHEAT VERSION: 2 1/4 cups bread (or all purpose) flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry yeast
1 1/3 cups room temp. water
TOOLS:
Large Glass mixing bowl
Wooden spoon or a Danish dough whisk
Liquid measuring cup
Dry cup and spoon measures
Plastic Wrap
Towel
Cutting board
Parchment Paper
Serrated knife/bread lame
4-6 quart dutch oven pot
INSTRUCTIONS:
Whisk flour, salt, and yeast together in a glass bowl. Don't pour the salt and yeast right on top of each other, as such direct contact with salt could harm the yeast.
Pour 1 1/3 cups water into the bowl and mix together until all dry flour is absorbed and the dough is sticky (if it's too dry, add more water a tablespoon at a time).
Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then cover that with a towel. Leave dough alone at room temp. for 12-18 hours.
After 12-18 hours, the dough should have increased a lot in size and be bubbly. Pour this dough onto a floured cutting board.
By picking up one edge of the dough, lift the whole dough up to elongate, and fold over itself. Turn and fold again, until you see the droopy wet dough has changed in texture and is more manageable to form into a tight ball. Form into a ball using your hands and the cutting board in circular motions.
Rip a piece of parchment paper onto the cutting board. Lightly flour the parchment and place your dough ball onto it. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and cover again with the towel.
Set aside and let this dough rise for a second time for 1.5 hours.
Rise as the 1.5 hour is up, preheat the oven with your entire dutch oven inside as well, to 475 degrees, with the oven rack on the lower third of the oven.
Once the oven is preheated, cut off any excess parchment around the dough. Gently brush away excess flour as well.
Using a serrated knife or bread lame/blade, make a shallow cut down the center or in a crescent shape on the top of the dough. You can also sprinkle some cornmeal or wheat bran over the top at this point if you'd like.
Carefully slide the dough (with the parchment paper still underneath) into the dutch oven using an edge of the parchment, and put the lid back on.
Bake the bread with the lid on for 30 minutes, then with the lid off for another 12-25 minutes. Just look for a dark chestnut brown crust and a bottom that isn't too burnt.
Take bread out of dutch oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 1.5 hours. You'll here it crackle and "sing" the first few minutes out of the oven. The bread should not be cut into right away, as the cooling process makes for a better inner and outer texture.
If there's still bread leftover after dinner (which doesn't always happen in my house), you can re-toast it in the morning for an amazing breakfast, or make thick slices for sandwiches!
