No-Knead Crusty White Bread
The most basic of all no-knead loaves, this is a wonderful way to get into yeast-bread baking. The easy stir-together dough rests in your refrigerator, developing flavor all the time, till you're ready to bake. About 90 minutes before you want to serve bread, grab a handful of dough, shape it, let it rise, then bake for 30 minutes. The result? Incredible, crusty artisan-style bread. If you're a first-time bread-baker, you'll never believe this bread came out of your own oven. if you're a seasoned yeastie, you'll love this recipe's simplicity.
Our thanks to Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, whose wonderful book, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day," is the inspiration for this recipe.
Read our blog about this bread, with additional photos, at Bakers' Banter.
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
Directions
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*The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces. |
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1) Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine; "OUCH, that's hot!" is not. Yeast is a living thing; treat it nicely. |
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2) Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk till everything is combined. |
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3) Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread. |
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4) Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do. |
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5) When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit. |
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6) Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can. |
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7) Place the dough on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking. |
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8) Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven (and baking stone, if you're using one) to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow pan on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go. |
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9) When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven. |
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10) Place the bread in the oven, and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly. |
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11) Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown. |
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12) Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. |
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13) Yield: 3 or 4 loaves, depending on size. |
Recipe summary
- Hands-on time:
- 5 mins. to 10 mins.
- Baking time:
- 30 mins. to 40 mins.
- Total time:
- 4 hrs 35 mins. to 7 days 50 mins.
- Yield:
- 3 or 4 loaves, depending on size
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- Recipe comments (64) »
Reviews
07/27/2010
Simple, quick, and fantastic. My wife and I enjoy cooking and baking and are quite proficient at our craft. We have tried many recipes from this site, this one will be a staple. I hand mixed the dough and tossed it in the 'frige to rise/proof over night. When I arrive home from work this evening, I took about 1/3 of the dough, quickly shaped it and put it on a baking sheet to rise. 1.5 hours later we had a great Rustic loaf to go with dinner. We can not wait to see how the dough matures over the next few days. Total hands on time about 10 minutes. Very good bread and flavorful.
07/26/2010
Incredible! Easy enough to put together. I use the dip and sweep method and used 6 1/2 cups flour. The dough was very wet and I was a little worried. The first loaf I baked, shaped in a round, was not as high as the recipe's picture but I persevered. The crust was nice and crispy and the crumb was chewy with a delicious flavor! My family thought it was better than the bread I buy at a local gourmet bakery! I didn't even see the second loaf since the kids baked it while I was at work and ate every last crumb. The third loaf I shaped into a log and it was still wonderful after several days in the refrigerator. It didn't seem any "tangy-er" than the first day. I've already mixed up a second batch but this time 6 c. AP and 1 c. wheat. I hope it'll retain it's shape better with more flour.
06/27/2010
Fathers Day I received a stand mixer as I have wanted for years. I am new to to baking and have alyways wanted to make home made breads and treats. Just turned 50 years of age and figured it is never to late to start and man am I so glad I did. I came accross this recipe and it has made my head swell! You would have thought I worked in a bakery. The new mixer from last Sunday, Fathers Day is still in the box and I am running with this recipe. I brought Two Buckets as I plan to make a batch on Sunday and another on Wednesday or Thursday depending on my supply. Wow this is the real thing for a first time baker as I am. My friends Mom's have always set the pace in my mind by only buying KAF, and so be it! I would never ever think to get any other brand as I would feel it would be inferior to the King! I have plans to play around with infused oils, corn meal and KAF Bread flour in addition to KAF called for in this recipe. Here is the bottom line, My kids love the bread that Dad bakes and so does mom!. I look forward to never ever buying bread in the bakery and store as I am now able to provide the "Cozy Warm" aroma and wholesome goodness of home baked breads to my family and friends, and I know once my friends get a taste of this it will not be long before the Boy's are on board doing the same. What a good time learning and trying different breads and treats with those you enjoy on a Friday or Sat. evening.
06/04/2010
Who knew just water, flour, some salt and yeast could taste soooo good? I did, but this was even better than I expected. I drizzled a little olive oil on one of my loaves too, just to see what would happen... it was amazing.
05/25/2010
1. Pouring hot water into the preheated broiler tray to make a cloud of steam was not successful for an uncoordinated type like me. (Don't ask!) Instead, after putting the dough on the preheated pizza stone, you can turn a large metal bowl upside down over the dough, and keep it on for the entire baking time. This traps the steam, so no need for water and broiler tray. Worked perfectly for me! This tip was in the Healthy Artisan Bread in 5 min a day book, which is fantastic, even better than the original book. 2. Also, if you're not getting the crust results you want with your bread, buy an oven thermometer. KA doesn't sell one, but I got the CDN multi-mount oven thermometer from Amazon for $13. It showed my oven was running 35 degrees too cool. After adjusting the temp, the next batch of bread was perfect. 3. I left a batch of this dough in my fridge for about 18 days-- made delicious sourdough.
05/13/2010
If your house is cool like mine, be sure and let it rise the full 60 mins otherwise the crumb is not very open. I substituted in 1/4 of the flour for whole wheat and with the full 60 min rise, it was a great open crumb, amazing crust (using my baking stone) and great flavor. I am new to baking and love this simple recipe that yields 'artisan' style bread great for soups and pasta accompaniment.
05/09/2010
This recipe surprised me and exceeded my expectations for being an easy recipe with a short preparation time, easy handling dough, having a nice texture, and great looking, too. Yet, the baguette that I made didn't surpass the $3 baguette I bought at the bakery which had a very crispy crust (crumbs everywhere) and the inside was light with irregular holes. Overall, I would definitely make this recipe again and it makes wonderful toast the next day.
04/27/2010
I MADE 1 LOAF ON FRIDAY AND PLANNED ONE TODAY, BUT ENDED UP MAKING TWO-ONE ROUND, ONE LONG. I FOLDED SLIVERS OF BUTTER INTO THE LONG ONE, HOPING IT WILL STAY FRESHER LONGER. BUT NOW ALL MY DOUGH IS GONE AND WE ARE GOING TO A WINE TASTING SAT. SO GUESS I NEED TO WHIP UP ANOTHER BATCH. LOVIN' THIS STUFF.
04/27/2010
I have made this bread twice. Both times the bread turned out quite different. I let the dough sit in the fridge for almost 2 weeks and yes, it did have a very good sourdough taste and texture. I thought I over cooked the first loaf because it had a dark brown crust on the top, almost burnt but it actually had a better taste than the second one I made. Both I was proud to share with anyone. I did not have a pizza peel or parchment paper yet, but used my clean dinner plate with a small amount of corn meal so as not to stick and let it rise before I baked it. I slid the dough onto my hot pizza stone and used the steaming method. I am so glad I discovered this way to make bread and excited to perfect the recipes in the near future.
04/19/2010
Love the ease of preparation, looks beautiful coming out of the oven and tastes yummy. I have now made this bread many, many times. It is so simple that I even took a bucket with measured flour, salt and yeast to the ski cabin, added the water when we arrived. Nothing like a bowl of soup and fresh hot bread after a day of skiing. Have substituted varying amount of flour with white whole wheat with success.
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