Artisan No Knead Bread
Let Me Tell You About This Bread…
Alright, so let’s just say, if you’d told me ten years ago I’d be chatting about artisan no knead bread with actual enthusiasm, I probably would’ve laughed. But here we are! I started making this bread when my kitchen ambition was roughly at “can make toast, sometimes” and now, honestly, making this loaf feels like a mini victory every time. Plus, it never fails to make my house smell like a hip bakery—except, you know, minus the mysterious tattooed staff and tiny espresso cups. Oh, and one time I left the dough rising on top of the fridge and, long story short, it nearly escaped (seriously; give it a big bowl).
Why You’ll Love This (Or At Least, Tolerate It)
I make this when I’m craving that bakery funk but can’t face leaving the house (or real pants). My family goes bonkers for it—especially with soup—or let’s be honest, just standing over the cooling rack hacking off warm chunks. And! If you’ve ever cursed kneading, like I absolutely did during my first two tries, you get to skip it here. (Confession: I made it for a dinner party once and everyone thought I’d been secretly baking for years… fooled ‘em good.) Sure, it’s a tad sticky and honestly, sometimes it looks bizarre in the bowl, but the payoff? Golden crust, chewy middle, and that smug “I totally did this myself” feeling.
What You’ll Need (And What I Substitute When I Forget Stuff)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour—my grandma swore by King Arthur, but bargain stuff works too)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt (sometimes I add a smidge more, I won’t lie)
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast (active dry works—just takes a tad longer to start)
- 1 1/2 cups water (lukewarm-ish, or honestly just not straight-from-the-fridge icy)
- Optional: a handful of seeds, chopped herbs, or some grated parmesan if you’re in a wild mood
Truth: sometimes I’ve thrown in a splash of olive oil—no real reason, just felt right at the time.
Let’s Bake! (Or, My Rambling Directions)
- Mix It All Up: Grab a biggish bowl. Toss in the flour, salt, and yeast; whisk with a fork, or your fingers if you’re feeling rustic. Pour in the water. Stir just till you don’t see any more dry bits—super shaggy, super sticky, totally fine.
- Let the Dough Chill (Literally): Cover with cling film, shower cap, or tea towel. Leave it alone for at least 12 hours (overnight works)—but I’ve gone as short as 8 and as long as 20 when I flat-out forgot it. The top should look a bit bubbly and weird. Don’t be alarmed.
- Shape It (Sort of): Flour your hands (liberally, unless you like dough gloves). Scoop dough onto a floured countertop. Fold it over on itself once or twice. I kind of pat it into a ball, tucking under the edges—no architectural marvel here. Cover loosely; leave it for about 30-45 more minutes, just while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat Oven & Pot: Pop your heavy pot (Dutch oven’s classic, but honestly, any lidded oven-safe pot will do) in the oven, cranking it up to 450°F (~230°C). Let the pot get hot for like 30 minutes. And please, don’t touch the pot with bare hands—I learned this the, uh, hard way.
- Get Ready to Bake: Drop the dough (carefully!) into the hot pot. Sometimes it sticks a bit on the way in; just scrape it. Pop the lid on. Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 minutes more, or till it’s that golden-that-might-be-burnt shade you love.
- Cool: This is where I usually sneak a taste (burnt tongue, no regrets). Leave it to cool at least 20 minutes unless patience has left the building.
Random (But Hard-Earned) Notes
- This dough is sticky. Like, don’t panic sticky. Add a tiny bit more flour if you need, but too much dries it out. Ask me how I know…
- If you notice a slightly tangy smell after a long rise, that’s just flavor. Unless it smells like gym socks; then, maybe start over.
- I swear, this bread tastes even better the second day, though that’s purely theoretical in my house.
Variations I’ve Tried (and One I’ll Never Repeat)
- Loaded it up with rosemary, chopped olives, and lemon zest—turns out, Mediterranean vibes are a win.
- Swapped half the flour for whole wheat—pretty nice if you add a bit more water. But once, I tried all rye and got what I can only call a bread brick. Would not recommend.
- If you’re into seeds, sunflower and pumpkin make this taste like it came from the fancy bakery down the road. Kind of.
What If You Don’t Have Fancy Gear?
No Dutch oven? No stress. Grab an old soup pot with a lid, use a Pyrex dish with foil, or heck, even a deep roasting pan covered with an oven-safe tray. It’s slightly less crusty, but honestly, you’ll still love it.
Keeping It Fresh (For As Long As It Survives)
This bread stays good out on the counter for about two days (in a bread bag or wrapped in a tea towel). Though, honestly, in my house it never lasts more than a day—someone always “trims” off another crust. If you do have leftovers, toast them. Or freeze slices for emergency avocado toast. Here’s a nice tip on freezing bread properly if you want to get fancy.
How We Like to Serve It
Honestly? Still warm, with way too much butter. Or slathered with garlic confit if I’m feeling a bit posh—or, cheese, as my kid believes all bread is just a cheese vehicle. It’s also pretty magical dunked in homemade soup. Sometimes I’ll make a craggy sandwich with leftovers. (Check out making your own butter if you’re feeling ambitious. I’ve done it once… not sure I’d do it again.)
Pro Tips (Or, Things I’ve Messed Up So You Don’t Have To)
- I once tried rushing the rise by blasting the dough near my radiator—yeah, it turned out weirdly dense. Slow rise is key. Just go binge a show while you wait.
- If your crust is way too hard, maybe the oven’s running hot. Or maybe mine just is. Thermometers are helpful; I just rarely remember to use mine.
- Skip the urge to slice into it right away—juices leak out and you’ll miss that fluffy crumb. I always try, I always fail.
Questions I (Honestly) Get Asked—Plus My Real Answers
- Can I double this recipe? Totally! Just use a ginormous bowl (lesson learned when my kitchen counter looked like a dough tidal wave hit it).
- Do I really need a Dutch oven? Actually, no. It’s great, but any decent oven-safe pot with a lid works—as I rambled above. Or just MacGyver it.
- Help! My bread is flat. Ok, this happens sometimes—especially if the dough over-proofed (too long rising) or water was super hot and killed the yeast. Try again. Results vary, but practice really helps.
- Can I add stuff to the dough? Yep, just don’t overload—fistful of cheese, some nuts, whatever. Go wild! Except, maybe, don’t try marshmallows. (Don’t ask.)
- Can I use gluten-free flour? Uhhh, maybe? I haven’t cracked the code on that yet. If you do, let me know?
And, quick sidebar, I once read that some folks bake this bread in cast iron with parchment paper to keep it from sticking—and you know what? That actually made cleanup way easier, and gave the bottom a gorgeous crust. So if you’ve got parchment, go for it. But if not, a sprinkle of cornmeal in the pan does the trick (more or less).
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for greasing)
- Cornmeal or flour (for dusting)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
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1In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, yeast, and sugar.
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2Add the lukewarm water and mix with a spoon or spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Do not knead.
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3Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 10-12 hours, until the surface is dotted with bubbles.
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4Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Fold it over onto itself a few times to shape it into a round loaf.
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5Place the dough seam-side down on a parchment-lined or greased sheet sprinkled with cornmeal, and let rise for 30-45 minutes. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with a Dutch oven inside.
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6Carefully transfer the dough into the hot Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes; then remove the lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until golden and crusty. Cool before slicing.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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