No Knead Artisan Bread Recipe
Prep time: 3 hours . Cook time: 25 min . Total time: 3 hours 25 mins
Serving: 1 loaf
Ingredients
1½ cup warm water 100˚ F.
½ Tbsp salt
¾ Tbsp active dry yeast
3 cups better for bread flour OR unbleached, all-purpose flour + extra flour for dusting
What you will need:
Parchment paper
2 Tbsp Cornmeal, optional
Instructions
Add 1½ cups of warm water and ½ Tbsp of salt to a large bowl. Sprinkle ¾ Tbsp of yeast over the top and let it sit 1-2 minutes, then stir.
Measure out exactly 3 cups of flour (fill the measuring cup and scrape off the top with the back of a knife) and add flour to the bowl.
Using a spatula, stir the mixture until it all comes together and is well blended. Cover dough with plastic wrap or lid and let it rise at room temperature 2 hours. It rises about 2-3 times in volume.
Line a cutting board with parchment paper and generously dust with flour. Scrape dough out of the bowl with spatula onto the floured surface.
With well-floured hands, fold the dough in half, then fold the dough in half again. Dust the dough generously with flour, lift it up and form a ball in your hands. Sprinkle the parchment paper with 2 Tbsp of corn meal (if using) extending about 1" past the border of the dough since it will expand. Place the dough over the floured parchment paper, seam side down. Let it rise on the counter uncovered for 40 min.
Set up two shelves in the oven. The middle rack for the bread and the bottom rack for the water pan. For the bread, use a rimless cookie sheet, or use the back side of a rimmed cookie sheet. About 10 min before the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven and the cookie sheet to 450˚ F. Heat up 1 cup water. Once dough is ready to bake, cut three strips across the top with a serrated or very sharp knife.
Once the oven is preheated, place metal baking dish on bottom rack and pour 1 cup hot water in that baking dish. Slide the dough with the parchment paper onto the hot cookie sheet and bake at 450˚ F for 20-25 min or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let it cool almost to room temp before cutting into it.
Notes
CAUTION: if you are using a glass baking dish on the bottom rack to hold water, do not preheat that glass dish or it may explode when you add water to the hot pan; just trust me on this one!! Also, never cut freshly baked bread while it's still hot, the steam will escape and the bread will seem doughy.
