Crusty No Knead Bread was just too simple and effortless. Why had I not tried this before now? Ridiculous, right? I’ve never heard of using my Dutch oven for such a purpose, but I may need to buy another one to keep up with the demand! Seriously. Look at the picture below. Mark Bittman had first published this in the NYT in 2006. I remember being asked a year or so ago if I had tried this. My response was one of curiosity, but with other food on my “need to make list”, I lost track, somehow, of this one. Now that I have made it, there’s no turning back. This will be incorporated into my family meals as well as my entertaining menu.
To start, whisk together the dry ingredients. To this, you will add 1 1/2 cups of water. With your hand, or a wooden spoon if this texture bothers you, blend the ingredients until all flour is incorporated and begins to clear sides.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap, sealing edges tightly. Allow it to sit and expand for about 18 hours. I made this around noon, and by 6 AM the following day, it was ready for the last step in the process. When making this, determine what time its delicious outcome is desired and work backwards from there. You can serve it cooled off, but there’s nothing like bread warm from the oven!
On a sheet of parchment paper, place some flour. Punch the dough down and pull the dough out of the bowl onto the flour. Sprinkle the top with a little more flour and smooth out a bit. Fold opposite ends towards the center and flip over.
Cover dough you have rounded out with a floured linen, not terry cloth, and let it rest for 2 hours.
About a half hour before the 2 hour mark, place the Dutch Oven on the middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prior to placing this in the preheated Dutch oven, remove any excess flour from around the edges. Lift the bread by grabbing ends of the parchment paper and place inside with the lid on top and bake for 30 minutes. I thought I’d try to be a little fancy here and try to cut in a design on the top for style.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Here’s what mine looked like at this point. Place it back into the oven for 15-20 minutes to allow the top to obtain a golden brown crust.
Lift out of Dutch oven onto a cooling rack, step back and admire this beauty you have created.
Slice a piece from the edge and look at the beauty while you take a whiff. It’s like you are in your own little bakery! Look at those air pockets. Slather on some butter and serve it up ! This is perfect with my Herb Dipping Oil, too!
Crusty No Knead Bread
Ingredients
- 3 c all purpose or bread flour
- 1/4 t yeast
- 1 1/4 t salt
- 1 1/2 c water
Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Add water and either mix by hand or with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir/mix until all flour is consumed and a soft and sticky ball is formed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap for at least 18 hours.
- Punch dough down and pull dough out of bowl and onto floured parchment paper.
- Flour top and smooth out with your hands. Fold opposite ends inward and flip over with seams down.
- Round out the top and cover with floured linen/cotton cloth(not terry cloth). Let it rest for 2 hours.(second rise).
- Place Dutch oven on middle rack in the oven as it preheats to 450 degrees about 1 1/2 hours into the second rise.
- At the 2 hour mark, carefully remove pan from oven to stove top. Round out dough into a ball. Remove any excess flour around it. Lift dough on parchment paper and place it in a the Dutch oven. Place lid on Dutch oven and place back in oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and remove the lid. Return back to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes to allow crust to brown.
- Lift bread on parchment paper out of the Dutch oven and set on a cooling rack.
- Cool slightly before slicing if you can wait that long.
