No Knead Country Bread Recipes

NO-KNEAD COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• Place white bread flour, whole wheat bread flour, and yeast into a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour in cold water and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a very wet, sticky dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and mix another 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover with foil. Allow dough to rise at room temperature for 18 hours.
• Deflate the bubbly dough with a spatula by scraping down the sides of the bowl and folding the dough over itself, turning the bowl as you go around in a circular motion, about 12 times or so.
• Scrape the dough onto a very well-floured surface with a spatula. Sprinkle the surface of dough generously with flour. Generously flour hands and then roll and fold dough on the table until you've formed a round or oval loaf shape that has a smooth surface, 1 to 2 minutes. The dough is very sticky, so add more flour if you need. The shape doesn't really matter, but a smooth surface is the goal.
• Transfer to a Silpat®-lined baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, until doubled in size, about 2 hours. The dough will spread out more than rise up, but this is normal.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Make 1 shallow slash down the middle of the dough with a very sharp knife or razor, being careful not to deflate the dough too much; the slash is optional. Spray the surface of the loaf very lightly with plain water to help the crust form.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a rack before cutting.

NO-KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups/345 grams water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
• Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
• Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
• At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

NO-KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the water, and mix by hand or with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until you have a wet, sticky dough. If it is not very sticky to the touch, mix in 1 or 2 more tablespoons of water. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 12 to 18 hours at room temperature (approximately 72°F), until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough has more than doubled in size.
• When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the surface in one piece. As the dough pulls away from the bowl, it will cling in long, thin strands (this is the developed gluten), and it will be quite loose and sticky; do not add more flour. Use lightly floured hands, a bowl scraper, or a spatula to lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
• Generously coat a clean smooth cotton dish towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal. Gently lift the dough and place it seam side down onto the towel, and lightly dust the dough with flour. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the dough to cover it, and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled, and when you gently poke it with your finger, it holds the impression. If it doesn't, let rise for another 15 minutes.
• Thirty minutes before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475°F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and place the covered pot in the center of the rack. Carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the dish towel, lightly dust the dough with flour, and quickly but gently invert it into the pot, seam side up. Use caution, the pot will be very hot. Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the lid, and continue baking for 15 to 30 minutes more, until the bread is a deep chestnut color. Use a spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot, and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly, for 1 hour or more.