The Tauren Chef has finally jumped on the No-Knead Bread bandwagon. It is sooooo easy and soooo delicious! The no-knead method results in that delightfully crisp crust and soft, chewy interior filled with air pockets that one associates with artisan bread from the best bakeries. The flavor improves with longer rising time, so don’t worry if you forget about the dough during the first rise.

I find that, while the process is so easy, or maybe because it is so easy, people tend to complicate it.

Actually, the less effort I put into making a loaf of no-knead bread, the better it turns out. That’s not to say one shouldn’t be creative in trying variations and seasonings, (see No-Knead Bread Variations,)  it simply is not necessary to tinker with the basic method.

Two important things:

Two of the most important techniques to the success of the no-knead process are:

1) a very long first rise period for great flavor – 18 hours minimum is best; and

2) baking the bread in a  heavy, covered baking pot that has been preheated for one-half hour until very hot. (I use my grandmother’s Dutch oven and it works like a charm.)

One other thing I have found helpful is to write down the time that I start the dough. It sits for so long that it is easy to forget what time it was when I started.

Here is the sound-byte version for those who want to get right to baking:

1- Mix 3 cups bread flour, 1 and 1/2 to 2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. yeast, and 1 and 1/3 cups cool water in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.

2- Let it sit for 12 to 18 hours – the longer time results in better flavor.

3- When the top is covered with bubbles, shape it into a sort of ball, then cover it and allow to rise again for 1 to 3 hours.

4- Preheat the oven and the Dutch oven or other baking dish (with lid) to 450 degrees F.

5- Put the dough in the preheated baking dish and put the lid on.

5- Bake at 450 degrees F with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 15 minutes or so until done.

For those who like more detail and photos, here is the full annotated and illustrated version:

No-Knead Bread Basic Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 & 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. yeast
• 1 & 1/3 cups cool water (55 to 65 °F)
• wheat bran, cornmeal, or additional flour for dusting

Directions:

Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl.

Note: Some people have complained that the dough requires more salt. I increased the salt from 1 & 1/4 tsp. to 1 & 1/2 tsp. This tastes fine to me, but you can play around with the amount. For additional flavor enhancements and other ways to jazz it up see No-Knead Bread Variations.

Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to form a wet, sticky dough. Someone people recommend you mix the dough with your hands, but if you do you will covered in sticky dough, which leaves less for your loaf.

If the dough (batter really) is not sticky enough, add a Tablespoon or two of water until it is.

Here is a picture of the sticky batter that you start with.

No-Knead Bread dough sticky batter

First Rise:

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean cotton or linen cloth or tea towel and let it sit at room temperature (about 70 degrees F), out of direct sunlight, for about 12 to 18 hours or more. The cooler your room, the longer you will want to leave it.

Note: Some variations on this recipe instruct the baker to place the dough in the refrigerator, either for the entire rising time, or for 12 to 24 hours followed by 12 hours or so at room temperature.

When is it Ready?

The dough is ready for the next step when the surface is covered with bubbles and the dough has doubled in size or more.

The dough will be VERY sticky, but do not add more flour. Use a rubber spatula or scraper to  remove it from the bowl in one piece. When you scrape it out of the bowl you will notice a stringy consistency caused by the gluten.

Here is a picture showing the stringy consistency caused by the gluten.

Gluten strands in No-Knead Bread dough after first rise

Shape the Dough:

Place the dough on a floured board or piece of parchment (cooking) paper and dust it with flour.

Shape the dough by folding it in on itself to form a ball.

No Knead Bread shaped after first rise

Second Rising:

Take a second piece of parchment paper or a cotton or linen tea towel (NOT terry cloth, unless you like cotton fibers in your bread,) and heavily dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour.

Transfer the shaped dough onto the parchment paper or cotton tea towel. Dust the top of the dough with additional flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal. If using parchment paper cover the dough with plastic wrap. If using a tea towel/cloth, cover the dough loosely with a second cloth.

If you use the flour-dusted parchment paper method, set the whole thing -parchment paper and dough- into a large shallow bowl or skillet for the second rise. When it is time to place it in the preheated Dutch oven you can set the parchment paper and the dough into the Dutch oven and then put the lid on. This works just fine. The parchment paper is perfectly safe in the Dutch oven. The only drawback is that this can detract from the perfect “look” of the bread where the parchment paper folds and sort of cuts into the dough while the bread bakes.

Place the dough in a warm, draft-free spot, out of direct sunlight,  and allow it to rise for one to three hours until it almost doubles.

Note: During cooler weather this rising time will tend towards the longer time of three hours; if the weather is warmer, the rising time will decrease to more like one hour.

Is it ready?

To test whether the dough is ready to bake, poke it with your finger. If it holds the impression it is ready. If it springs back, wait another 15 minutes and check again.

Preheat oven and Dutch oven:

About one-half hour before you anticipate the dough being ready, move the oven rack to the lower third of the oven and place a Dutch oven with lid  or other deep, heavy duty covered casserole dish with lid in the oven.  Pre-heat the oven with the baking dish and the lid in it to 450 degrees F for 30 minutes. (Be sure the handle on your baking dish can withstand this temperature before you place it in the oven. Some baking dish handles cannot take 450F!)

When the oven and covered pot are both completely preheated, place the dough in the hot baking pot and cover it with the lid. If you used parchment paper you can set the parchment paper with the dough in it directly into the baking dish and then cover with the lid.

Baking Time:

Bake 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and continue to bake another 15 to 20 minutes uncovered until golden brown.

Notes:

While I was making a loaf of no-knead bread a couple of weeks ago, I only had a minute or two after the dough had completed the first rise to sort of stir the dough (really a batter at that point) around a bit, instead of doing the the “folding it over on a flour-dusted board” thing before the second rise.

When it came time to bake it, I sort of scooped the sticky mess into my Oh-so-hot Dutch oven and closed the lid, then slid it back into the oven. That loaf came out looking just great, and the texture was superb, as always!

Alternatively, I find that after the first rise, if I turn the dough out onto a WELL floured board it is much easier to shape. I wash out the bowl I used to mix it in, dust the inside well with flour, and then place the ball of dough back into the bowl. cover it again with plastic wrap and let it rise for another two to three hours. I up-end the bowl over the Dutch oven and the dough plops in. If it is uneven, the dough will even out while it bakes into a beautiful loaf.

One word of caution: do not allow the bread to over-proof (rise too much) during the second rise period. Placing the dough in the oven before it has completely risen gives it a quick boost in rising when it is first placed in the hot oven and results in a pretty crust with classic cracks on top.

By the way, I do NOT remove the way-too-hot preheated Dutch oven from the oven to place the dough in it. I simply slide the oven rack out far enough to take off the lid, put the dough inside, and then replace the lid.

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