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Basic No-Knead Bread (Large Loaf)slightly adapted from Jim Lahey’s My Bread
6 cups bread flour (recommended) or all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 t. instant or active-dry yeast
2 1/2 t. salt
2 2/3 c. cool water
1/2 t. instant or active-dry yeast
2 1/2 t. salt
2 2/3 c. cool water
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated; the dough should be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature. When surface of the risen dough has darkened slightly, smells yeasty, and is dotted with bubbles, it is ready.
- Lightly flour your hands and a work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice and, using floured fingers, tuck the dough underneath to form a rough ball.
- Generously dust a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with enough flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran to prevent the dough from sticking to the towel as it rises; place dough seam side down on the towel and dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Cover with the edges or a second cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
- After about 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, such as a cast-iron Dutch oven, in the oven as it heats. When the dough has fully risen, carefully remove pot from oven. Remove top towel from dough and slide your hand under the bottom towel; flip the dough over into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough looks unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
- Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes, until the crust is a deep chestnut brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be around 200 degrees. You can check this with a meat thermometer, if desired.
- Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
No Knead Artisan Loaf (Small)
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 cups water
Whisk the flour, salt and yeast together. Add the Parmesan cheese, garlic, oregano and mix together. Add water and mix into a moist dough.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours
Heat oven to 450 degrees. When oven has reached 450, place cast iron pot and lid in oven for 30 minutes. While the pot and lid are heating, remove the dough from the bowl onto a well-floured surface and form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.
After heating for 30 minutes, remove the hot pot from oven and place dough in pot (Be careful!).
Cover and place the pot in oven at 450 degrees. After baking for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven. The bread should slip out of the pot and then cool on a rack.
Other Varieties:
Whole Wheat Molasses No Knead Bread (Large):
If you want to use some whole wheat flour, substitute 3 cups of whole wheat for 3 cups of the all-purpose flour (3 cups whole wheat and 3 cups of unbleached flour for a total of 6 cups) and add 3 Tablespoons of molasses (optional). This will produce a slightly sweeter, denser loaf of bread.
Parmesan Garlic No-Knead Bread (Large)
Add 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (or dried minced garlic) and 2 tsp of dried oregano leaves to large loaf ingredients and continue.
Jalapeno & Cheddar No Knead Crusty Loaf (Large)
Add 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese and 1-2 chopped fresh jalapenos or several teaspoons of canned jalapenos (depending on your taste) or roasted hatch chilies and to ingredients for large loaf and continue.
Cranberry – Pecan No-Knead Bread (Small)
Add the zest of one orange, 3/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) to the small loaf ingredients and continue.
Cinnamon Nut No-Knead Bread (Small)
Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the small loaf ingredients and continue.
Muesli No-Knead Bread (Small)
Add 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Muesli Cereal (uncooked) to the small loaf recipe and continue.
Whole Wheat Multi-Grain No-Knead Bread (Small)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal (uncooked)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
2 tablespoons fax and/or sunflower seeds (optional)
2 cups water
Poppy seeds (optional)
Whisk the flour, salt and yeast together. Add the uncooked cereal (and flax/sunflower seeds if using). Add water and mix into a moist dough.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours
Heat oven to 450 degrees. When oven has reached 450, place cast iron pot and lid in oven for 30 minutes. While the pot and lid are heating, remove the dough from the bowl onto a well-floured surface and form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.
(Tip: use a sheet of floured parchment paper and turn dough out on the parchment paper, form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. When you are ready to cook, you can pick up with parchment with the dough on it and place in the hot pot. Use scissors to cut away excess paper or fold down to make sure you still have a tight fit with the pot lid.)
After heating for 30 minutes, remove the hot pot from oven. Sprinkle dough with poppy seeds, if desired, and place dough in pot (Be careful!).
Cover and place the pot in oven at 450 degrees. After baking for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven. The bread should slip out of the pot and then cool on a rack.
