Go Back
Print

No-Knead Bread

This is the Lahey version we use at my work. 

I posted a video of the work version and one video of the home version.  The home version was half the size simply because that's more bread than we'll eat quickly.  And, if we need more, well, that's part of the fun.  Especially teaching the kids how to bake.

Course Bread
Keyword Easy bread at home, No knead bread, Slow rise bread
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Fermenting time 18 hours
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 1 loaf
Author Dann Reid

Ingredients

No-Knead Bread

  • 516 g Bread flour
  • 400 g Water
  • 1 g Instant yeast
  • 8 g Salt

Instructions

Mix the dough

  1. Add all the ingredients to a work bowl. 

  2. Mix well with your fingers to incorporate all ingredients. 

    Go slow: the water will slosh out of the bowl.

  3. Take care to get the flour at the bottom of the bowl. 

    When everything is mixed, clean your fingers and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

  4. Place the bowl in a cool cupboard for at least 18 hours.  You can go 24.

  5. Flour a portion of your counter.

    Using a dough scraper, gently scrape the inside edge of the bowl to release the bread from the sides.  Do not try to go to the bottom of the bowl, only the first inch or so.

  6. Tip the bread dough out onto the floured counter.

    Allow the dough to rest there for a few minutes.

  7. Gently lift the edges of the dough and stretch it out a few inches. 

    As the face of a clock appears, fold the top, 12, down to the center and the bottom, 6, up to the center.  Gently lift the portion at 9 and pull out from the center about an inch then fold to the right as folding a letter, leaving the remaining 1/3 of dough.  Repeat the process; lift the other edge of the dough, pull out about an inch and fold that on top of the rest of the dough.

    The bread should appear as a blob but have some shape.  It's a very wet dough so it kinda does what it wants.

  8. Place the dough, seams up, on a very well-floured non-terry cloth kitchen towel or plain cloth.  Lots of flour, really.  Cover more than the size of the bread by pushing flour into the cloth with the heel of your hand.

  9. Allow the dough to rise for at least 1 hour, maybe up to 2.

  10. Bake in the Dutch oven in the already very hot, 450 degrees, oven.

  11. Bake for 45 minutes, remove the lid and bake 5 minutes more.

  12. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and then, just as carefully, remove the bread from the Dutch oven.  I find a kitchen spoon or fork is a good tool to get inside and lift the bread up so I can grab it.  With a towel.

  13. Place the baked bread on a cooling rack and allow to rest at least 20 minutes before cutting.