Comfort Food #3 - Almost No Knead Artisan Bread

Comfort Food Recipe #3! Nothing is more comforting than the smell of fresh baking bread! Enjoy this easy bread recipe!

How To Make No-Knead Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound all-purpose flour (about 3 cups) plus more for sprinkling
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make a wet, shaggy dough. Place the flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Make a well in the center, and add the water into the well. Stir until it forms a shaggy dough.
2. Cover the dough bowl and let rise for 6 to 8 hours. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size and bubbly, 6 to 8 hours.
3. Shape the dough and rise for another hour. Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto it, folding it over on itself at least once while you do so. Quickly shape the dough into a round ball. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour more.
4. Preheat the oven and the Dutch oven. About 30 minutes before the hour is up, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Place a large Dutch oven with its lid on the rack. Heat the oven to 450°F.
5. Transfer the loaf to the preheated Dutch oven.The shaped dough will have risen and nearly doubled in size. Using the parchment paper as a sling, carefully transfer the loaf, still on the paper, to the Dutch oven. If desired, make a slash or shallow cut on the top of the dough with kitchen shears or a sharp knife so that the bread can expand while baking.
6. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Place the lid on the pot and put it in the oven. (Careful, the lid is hot!) Bake covered for about 30 minutes.
7. Uncover and bake for about 15 minutes more. Remove the lid and bake for 15 minutes more. You can be extra-sure that the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the top or side registers 210°F.
8. Cool and slice the bread. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and use the parchment paper to transfer the bread to a wire rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes before slicing the bread. 

RECIPE NOTES

Storage: Leftover bread can be stored cut-side down at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 3 months.

Key Steps for No-Knead Bread

• Make a wet shaggy dough. This bread can be mixed entirely by hand — just don’t expect a bouncy ball of bread dough. Instead this wet dough and the long rise combine to develop proteins and gluten without kneading. The dough will be sticky, rough, and bit shaggy, so don’t fret!
• Give it a long rise. A long rise is required for no-knead bread with most recipes calling for an overnight rise. Our recipe has a little more yeast and can be ready in as few as six hours. Make sure the dough is covered and in a relatively warm, room-temperature area. 
• Shape on parchment paper into a tight ball. Shaping the dough into a round loaf on a piece of parchment paper makes it easier to load and unload the bread from the oven. You want to make sure you shape the loaf into a relatively tight round in order to get a high rise.
• Bake in a Dutch oven. You will need an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven to bake this bread. We prefer the Dutch oven because its weight holds heat well and keeps the steam created by the bread inside the pot for a crisper crust.
  • adapted from www.theKitchn.com

Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt 

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the water and yeast in a large bowl and allow to stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt. Stir to form a very wet, shaggy dough. Make sure all the flour has been incorporated; the dough should feel sticky to the touch.

Cover the bowl and set it somewhere warm and away from kitchen traffic for 12 to 18 hours. After rising, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days if you don’t have time to bake it right away.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour. Starting with the edge nearest you, lift up the dough and fold it over on itself. Next, pick up the edge furthest from you and fold it over the dough as well. Repeat with the edges to the left and right. The dough should hold together in a neat package. Sprinkle the top generously with flour and cover with a clean cotton dishtowel. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours (slightly longer if chilled from the fridge).

When you see that the dough has almost finish rising, place a 3 1/2-quart (or larger) Dutch oven or heavy pot with oven-safe lid in the oven and heat the oven to 475°F.

To bake the bread, very carefully remove the pot from the oven with oven mitts and remove the lid. Dust your hands with flour and scoop the dough from the counter. It’s ok if it sticks; a bench scraper can help transfer the dough. Drop the dough seams down into the Dutch oven. Be careful to avoid touching the hot sides of the pot with your hands.

Cover the pot and return it to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the loaf turns a deep golden brown. Don’t be afraid to let it get really deep brown in spots. If you’re unsure if it has finished baking, you can also check that the internal temperature is 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven with heat-proof spatulas and potholders. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Wait to slice until the loaf has cooled to room temperature.

RECIPE NOTES
Try other flours, such as rye and spelt, in place of up to half the all-purpose flour.