No-Knead Bread is simple to make and a treat to eat. Basic recipe, along with some tips for making it on a boat and ways to hurry it up.
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Rising Time 20 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Total Time 22 hourshours
Servings 8
Calories 171kcal
Carbs (g): 35
Ingredients
3cupsflour
1/4teaspoonyeast
1-1/4teaspoonssalt
1-1/2cupswater
Instructions
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky Don't be alarmed that it doesn't look like "typical" bread dough. Cover bowl with a plastic bag. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70° F.
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. Many recipes say to "Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes" but I just let it sit, uncovered, while I rinse out the bowl.
Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to you work surface (I use a nonstick jelly roll pan) or to your fingers, use your fingertips and sort of roll the dough around until it becomes a ball (maybe 30 seconds?).
Coat the loaf with flour, corn meal, oatmeal or wheat bran, then put it back into the bowl, cover it with the plastic bag again, and let it rise until doubled--typically, about 2 hours. (Many recipes have you line the bowl with a towel or plastic bag and then put the dough in it and wrap the towel or bag over the top. I've done it both ways with no difference in the final product, so I opt for just putting it in the bowl and putting the whole bowl in a bag as it's simpler.)
Half an hour before the end of the rising period, begin preheating the oven to 450° F. AND put the pan you intend to bake the bread in into the oven so that it preheats also (no need to have the lid on it).
When the oven is up to temperature, carefully remove the pan from the oven. Unless it's a very well-seasoned Dutch oven, pour a little oil into it so that the bread won't stick. Dump the dough in-- it won't look like a pretty loaf, and that's just fine. Shake the pan a bit if it's really lopsided, but quickly put the lid on the pan and put it back in the oven.
Bake at 450° F. for 30 minutes, then take the cover off and bake for 20 to 30 minutes more, until the top is very crusty and a dark golden brown. If you have an instant-read thermometer, stick it into the center of the loaf--when done, it will read at least 210°F.
Remove bread from pan to cool. While it's tempting to cut into it immediately, wait at least 15 minutes and it will be much easier.
Notes
Essential EquipmentThe two things that you need -- and may not have on board -- to make No-Knead Bread are:
A heavy pan with lid that can withstand a 450° F. oven. A cast iron Dutch oven is what most recipes call for, but there are other possibilities -- Magma and Galleyware nesting pans work really well and are designed to be put in the oven as well as used on the stove top. And if your pan doesn't have a lid (or if the lid can't withstand that much heat), a piece of aluminum foil works fine. Use a casserole, a Pyrex bowl, a stainless pan or regular bread pan. The one thing to avoid is any "Teflon" (Silverstone or similar) nonstick pans, as they can give off potentially carcinogenic fumes at such high temperatures.
And an oven that will get up to 450° F. without a hot spot right over the burner. A baking stone really helps with this as it can easily add 25° F. to the temperature your oven can otherwise achieve, and it will eliminate any hot spots.
That high heat will put quite a bit of heat into the boat -- making it great for cool days, but nasty on a truly hot day.TimingSuggestion of timing if you want hot bread with dinner at 7:30 PM:
Start dough at 9:00 PM the night before.
At 4:00 PM form the dough into a ball and place in a lined bowl.
At 5:45 PM start preheating the oven.
Bake at 6:15 PM (total of 45 minutes to 1 hour), then allow to cool slightly before serving.
Timing may have to be adjusted if you are in a particularly warm or cool climate.
Faster No-Knead BreadBy increasing the yeast, you can make No-Knead Bread in less time, but it's still not something you can do at the last minute. It will still have a very crunchy crust, but the "inside" of the loaf will have larger holes and not be quite as "smooth." Please note that the rising times can vary considerably depending on how warm it is where the dough is sitting and also on the exact strain of yeast and how fresh it is.
1/2 teaspoon yeast will cut the time for the first rise to 8 to 10 hours, and the final rise to about 1-1/2 hours
1 teaspoon yeast will drop the first rise time to about 4 hours and the second rise to 1 hour -- meaning that you can have a wonderful loaf of bread with almost no work in just 6 hours. Start it at lunch and have it for dinner!
Nutrition Facts
No-Knead Bread
Amount Per Serving
Calories 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 74mg3%
Potassium 50mg1%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 0g0%
Protein 4g8%
Calcium 7mg1%
Iron 2.2mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.