No Knead Bread

This no knead bread is short of incredible. This bread is so easy anyone can make it, but it tastes like an artisan crafted bread. This bread is almost sourdough like in taste, but has an airy texture that is quite frankly amazing. I have never made bread so good. Thanks to Jim Lahey, you too can make this bread.

This recipe was developed by Jim Lahey from Sulivan Street Bakery. He was able to create a bread recipe that will have the most inexperienced bread breaker making some of the most delicious bread in their life. What makes this recipe so incredible? Well the very long rise, this bread may rise up to 18 hours. What does a long rise get you? This flavorful and tangy bread, with an incredible crust.
The cooking technique is also very unique; the bread is baked in a Dutch oven with the lid on for a portion of the baking time. What does this do? It helps to replicate the baking ovens in a bakery. In a bakery some oven inject steam into the oven while it is baking. Ovens found in our homes do not have such a feature. It is the steam that makes this bread incredible.
So if you have never baked bread before, you can make this bread, and it isn’t difficult at all. There is no kneading, nothing complicated about this recipe at all. If you can measure, stir, and follow some very basic directions you are going to have some of the most delicious bread you have ever had in your life. If you are a more experienced baker, be aware that the dough is going to be spongy, and very sticky, and you can leave it alone.
This recipe has just 4 ingredients in it, flour, salt, yeast, and water. You use a tiny amount of yeast. I use SAF brand because I like the way it tastes. I also used King Arthur flour because I love the density of any baked good when you use this flour. What I love about this recipe is that there is nothing artificial.  I also like that it tastes like a hint of sour dough bread without having to keep that culture alive, I have always had the worst luck when trying to keep a sour dough bread culture going.  So without any more of my blathering, let’s get down to some delicious bread baking.

Please note, the cooking time is not listed correctly in the recipe.  It will take at a minimum 14 and 15 hours to rise, and at least 45 minutes to bake.

No Knead Bread

• Author: Recipe adapted from Jim Lahey
• Recipe Type: Bread Recipes
• Prep time: 2 hours
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Serves: 8

This no knead bread is unusual because it rises for so long, but it is so easy to do, and tastes just like bread from a fancy bakery.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of flour
• 1/4 teaspoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 5/8 cup water

Instructions

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, yeast, and water. The water should not be cold, but room temperature. Stir this bread dough until it is well mixed. It will look "shaggy", it will not come to a uniform texture. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to for rise 12 to 14 hours in a room that is at least 70 degrees.

Turn dough onto a floured surface. Add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Quickly shape into a ball and fold over one or twice, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Use a cloth towel, sprinkle with corn meal, wheat bran, or just flour and turn dough placing the seam side down onto towel that has been dusted with corn meal or wheat bran, or flour. Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional corn meal/wheat bran/flour and cover with a towel and let rise for an additional two hours or until when touched the dough does not spring back.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a heavy covered pot such as a Dutch oven in the oven, and allow to heat for 30 minutes. Remove lid from pot, and carefully slide your hand under the towel, and place dough into pot, by flipping over into the pot. The seam side should now be facing up. Place the lid on the pot, and place into the oven for 30 minutes. Remove lid, and bake an additional 15 to 30 minutes or until bread is beautifully brown. Cool bread on a cooling rack.

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