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No Knead Bread Recipe

No-knead bread recipes are an easy solution for making bread at home. It requires very little "hands-on" time and almost always produces a great loaf. Using simple ingredients and just a few tools, you, too, can become a bread-maker.
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Equipment

  • Stand Mixer
  • Banneton Proofing Basket
  • Cast Iron Dutch Oven
  • Basic Loaf Pans
  • Plastic Food Storage Container with Lid
  • meat thermometer
  • bread lame

Ingredients
  

  • Active Dry Yeast
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Maple Syrup and Honey Optional
  • Butter or Oil
  • Seeds Optional

Instructions
 

  • Step 1: Mix your ingredients

    With lukewarm water in your mixing bowl, start by mixing the ingredients together - flour, salt, and yeast. Add maple syrup or honey for a little sweetness, butter or oil to add softness and flavor, or seeds for unique tastes and textures.
    Turn the mixer on and mix for one minute. Then, add any seeds or grains halfway through.

  • Step 2: Let it Rise

    After mixing your dough, you can leave it in the bowl or transfer it to a plastic food storage container. You'll then place it in a warm place (we use the top of our furnace or a spot near the fireplace) for about 2 hours to rise. You want it to double in size during this first rise.
    Transfer dough to food storage container (if desired)

  • Step 3: Cool it Down (optional but recommended)

    Though you can go ahead and prepare your dough for baking after the first rise, no-knead bread dough can be rather wet and loose at this point. It is much easier to work with if you transfer the dough container to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
    And here's the fun part - you can store dough in the fridge for up to 2 weeks while you wait to bake! This means you can double the recipe and make one loaf at a time, or you can make the dough one day and cook it another.

  • Step 4: Let it Rise (again)

    Take your dough out of the fridge and sprinkle the top with flour. Sprinkle a working surface as well. Turn the dough onto the counter (if you are using all of it) or scoop out half if you double your recipe.
    Using just a few folds and turns, gently shape your loaf into the desired shape.
    A circle for a boule, a log for a loaf.

  • Step 5

    Place the dough into your baking vessel or a banneton. Cover with a loose, clean towel.
    Place your dough in a warm place to rise for about 90 minutes (less if you are making a smaller loaf or using the oven-proofing setting). You want your dough to double in size again but not get so high that it will collapse during baking.

  • Step 6: Bake Your Bread

    Preheat your oven to the temperature recommended by your recipe, and place a roasting pan on the bottom shelf of your oven to get hot while you prep your dough to go in.
    If your dough is in a banneton, you'll flip it right onto the stone that has been preheating in the oven.
    Before you close the oven door, use a sharp knife or a lame to make a few slices on top of the dough. This allows moisture to release as it bakes (without these, the bread will do it on its own and basically "burst" in a few places). You can do one slice down the middle sandwich bread style or get fancy with a few slashes here and there. They don't need to be too deep - about 1/4 inch.
    Pour about a cup of water into the roasting pan on the bottom shelf, then quickly close the door. This provides a nice, moist environment for the bread.
    Set a timer according to your recipe. If you use a pan with a cover, set a timer for about half the bake time and remove the cover halfway through (this allows for a nice browning of the crust), then finish the bake.
    Check your bread at the appropriate baking time (it should reach approximately 200 degrees), then remove it from the oven, cool it for about 10 minutes, and remove it from the baking vessel. For best results, bread should cool for at least an hour before you cut into it.
    That's it - you've made bread!
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