My go-to bread! I love this no-knead bread recipe; it is so good, so easy, has a wonderful structure and flavor, and it freezes beautifully!
This versatile no-knead bread recipe is quick and easy to make. Once you have made it a few times, you will be hooked! It is so quick and easy, and it has a wonderful texture and flavor. A true go-to staple bread recipe!
You can use it to make pizza dough, frying pan pizzas, naan bread, hamburger buns, dinner rolls, cinnamon raisin bread, or just a basic bread loaf.
In this article, I will be showing you how to make a no-knead, basic bread loaf.
So, Exactly What Is No-Knead Bread?
No-knead bread is a way of making bread where you leave the dough to sit and ferment for an extended period of time, rather than kneading it repeatedly.
This allows the gluten proteins to break down to a much greater extent, resulting in a healthier, easier-to-digest bread that has a beautiful structure and crust.
The dough is usually on the wetter side, and a little less yeast is used.
Some No-Knead History!
When the New York Times featured Jim Lahey, founder of the Sullivan Street Bakery, in one of their articles, the original no-knead bread concept exploded and came into being. His brilliant, groundbreaking no-knead bread method really did change how many of us made and thought about making bread. The original recipe produced a delicious loaf with a thick, crispy crust and an airy, chewy interior.
My recipe uses many of the same concepts but is baked at a lower temperature with regular baking pans instead of the Dutch oven.
I find the original recipe yields a really nice artisan-style bread with a thick crust and light, airy center. This is excellent for having with soup or as a side with dinner.
My quick and easy no-knead bread recipe has a more solid interior structure and a softer crust that I prefer.
You get all the convenience, quality, and flavor of the long fermentation but end up with a bread that is not all full of holes, can handle sandwich fillings, and can be used in so many other amazing ways.
But don’t get me wrong, Jim’s original method is amazing, depending on what you are using it for!
Here is a link to Jim making his famous No-Knead bread for the New York Times interview. If you have not seen this short video, I highly recommend it; it’s a classic. Enjoy!
Quick and Easy No Knead Bread
Equipment
- 1 large to medium sized bowl , with lid
- 1 whisk
- 1 wooden spoon, or bread paddle
- 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon
- 1 1 cup measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1 tsp yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
Instructions
- Step 1: Add 1 teaspoon of yeast to a large to medium-sized bowl (preferably with a lid). Then add 1/4 cup warm water and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to proof.
- Step 2:From there, add 1 cup of warm water to the yeast mixture. Then add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon sea salt.
- Step 3:Whisk in the first cup of flour and continue whisking until all the flour and lumps are absorbed.
- Step 4: Stir in the second cup of flour. (I prefer to use a wooden spoon or bread paddle going forward.)
- Step 5:For the last cup of flour, just add a bit at a time. Stop when the dough starts to come together and pull away from the edges of the bowl and all the flour is absorbed. You don’t want the dough to be too dry.
- Step 6: Cover the bowl with a snug-fitting lid and place it in a warm location. Cover with a tea towel and leave for 8 to 12 hours. If you want a bit more of a sour tang to your bread, let it sit for longer.
- Step 7:After the dough has risen and fermented for the preferred time, butter your pan. Depending on the desired shape of your loaf, you can use a traditional loaf pan or a round casserole dish. For now, just set the buttered pan aside.
- Step 8:Oil your hands with olive oil and remove the dough from the bowl with your hands. You can use the dough ball to clean up the bits of dough left on the edges and sides of the bowl. Form the dough into a ball by folding the edges in, or pack it into a greased loaf pan.
- Step 9:Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Place the pan on the warmest part of the stovetop while the oven comes to temperature, so the dough can continue to rise a bit.
- Step 10:Once the oven has come to temperature, place your bread on the middle rack of the oven, in the center. Let the bread bake for around 30 minutes, maybe a little longer. When the top and bottom of the loaf are a light golden brown, you are done.
- Step 11:Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. After 5 to 10 minutes, remove the bread from the loaf pan and set it aside to cool completely. Try not to cut into the bread until it has fully cooled. The bread will continue to cook on the inside right up to when it has finished cooling.
- Step 12:Once the bread has cooled, store it in an airtight plastic bag or slice it and freeze it. This no-knead bread slices and freezes very well once it has cooled.
I hope you enjoy this quick and easy, no-knead bread recipe. Have it fresh or freeze it; believe me, it makes the best toast either way! I always have a few sliced loaves in the freezer. It saves me a tonne of money and supplies me with healthy, tasty bread whenever I need it.
Well, that’s all for now. I hope you have a fabulous day that is filled with sunshine, in one way or another!
Violet
