For a few weeks I played around with different variations of no knead yeast bread. I finally found a version that I feel works every time, and it produces a very tasty loaf of bread.
No Knead Artisan Bread
My version of no knead artisan yeast bread, baked in a Dutch oven that takes very little work, and can create an wonderful loaf of bread in a fairly short amount of time.
Equipment
- Oven
- Dutch Oven
- Mixing Bowl
- Parchment Paper
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
- 3 Cups General White Flour
- 1½ Cups Warm Water
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- 1 Tbsp White Sugar
- 2 tsp Yeast rapid or instant
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
- Mix the warm water, yeast, sugar, and olive oil in a cup and let it sit for 5minutes. During that time the yeast will feed off of the sugar and create a thick foamy layer on top of the cup and mostly absorb the oil.
- Combine flour and salt and whisk well until thoroughly mixed,
- Add the yeast/sugar/oil mix to the flour and stir well using either the handle of a wooden spoon or a dough wand. Mix until all of the flour is joined together and the dough has a wet and sticky texture. Do not over mix.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and cover with a dish towel and let it rest for 3 hours. After 3 hours the dough will have risen at least double in size and will show a lot of bubbles and air holes.
- Remove the dough and place it on a well-floured surface. With your hands slightly floured grab the dough and fold it once or twice and then work the edges of the dough under loaf, while continuously rotating the dough to apply tension to the top of the dough until it is well shaped in a rounded or oval shape.
- Move the shaped loaf to a sheet of parchment paper and cover it with a dish towel or clean linen cloth, covering it closely around the loaf to keep it from drying out, and keep it warm. The dough will continue to rise during this stage by about 10 – 15%.
- While the bread is in its second rise, put the Dutch oven in the oven and pre-heat to 450 degrees for 30 minutes. This is to both bring the oven up to temp and the Dutch oven.
- After 30 minutes lift the loaf using the parchment paper and place all of it into the heated Dutch oven. Taking a sharp knife or razor blade cut a slit on the top of the dough. This provides a direction for the loaf to grow while it bakes, and give the loaf a nice appearance after baking.
- Place the pot with the lid on it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. The Dutch oven with the lid on it will help steam the bread and give it a crisp crust.
- After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid from the pot, and continue to bake the loaf in the oven for an additional 12 minutes. This will give the bread a golden-brown finish.
- After baking, remove the loaf from the oven, and the Dutch oven, and set it on a cooling rack to rest for at least15 minutes before slicing. Make sure to remove the parchment paper before placing it on the cooling rack.
- Once the bread cools place it in a plastic bag or a air tight container. This will keep it from drying out, and softens the crust a bit.
Notes
- A variation to the recipe is to use half the amount of yeast and let it rise for 8 – 12 hours. Do not place the dough in the refrigerator during the rising time or it will slow it down or halt the process.
- You can also cut the dough into two equal pieces and you can make two smaller loaves.