No-Knead Bread
Makes one 1 lb loaf
This method is justly famous — you have to plan for the time required, but the actual work is extremely minimal and easy.
Ingredients #
- 3 1/3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
- 1/4 instant yeast
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- Semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting
- 390 ml (1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp) room temperature water
Instructions #
In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until the dough is blended into a shaggy, sticky dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 12 (and preferably 18) hours at room temperature. Two times during the resting, uncover the dough and fold it over on itself like a letter, and turn the bowl 90 degrees and do the same again.
The dough should be quite large and bubbly at the end of 18 hours. Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto it. This dough is very sticky, so you’ll need to use from flour to handle it – but try not to use any more than needed. Fold the dough over on itself two times. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
Take a large square of parchment paper, crumple it tightly, and flatten it back out. Dust the parchment with semolina.
Uncover the dough, and using just enough flour to keep it from sticking to your hands and work surface, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball and place it seam-side-down on the parchment. Sprinkle with semolina and cover loosely with another kitchen towel. Let the loaf rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, it will not readily spring back when you poke it with a finger.
45 minutes before the loaf is done rising, place a 6-8 qt heavy oven-safe pot (such as a Dutch oven or enameled iron pot) into the oven empty (with lid) and preheat the oven to 450. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the (extremely hot!) pot from the oven. Lift the dough by the four corners of the parchment and place it in the Dutch oven. Return the (very hot!) cover to the pot and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake until the loaf is very brown and sounds hollow when thumped (20-30 minutes more).
Remove from the oven. The loaf should release easily from the pot – transfer it carefully to a rack to cool.