So simple to make and very rewarding to eat.
There are so many recipes on the internet for no knead bread, and many of them are very easy indeed. The recipe I am using today is the simplest I have yet tried, and it results in a very tasty loaf of bread.
It takes a long time to make, as the dough is left to proof for 12 to 18, or even 20 hours. But the actual effort in making the bread takes no more than 10 minutes in total.
This is one of those breads that is ideal baked in a Dutch Oven, but it can simply be baked on a baking tray, or in a skillet(in the oven) if desired. Under those circumstances the baking time may need a little adjustment.
The recipe doesn’t use much yeast, which is why the time to proof is extended, to give the yeast time to work on the flour. That amount of time also gives flavour to the dough.
As mentioned above this is a very simple loaf indeed. Mine turned out so well, with a firm crust(which can be even crustier if desired) and a lovely soft texture inside. The crust then becomes more chewy as the loaf is stored. Mine tasted very good indeed, so good in fact that I have made it twice more in the past week.
Another no knead bread is this Soft No Knead Sandwich Bread.
Ingredients:
- 500g(3 1/3 cups) bread flour, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup
- 1.4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp diastatic malt powder, or sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 360ml (1 1/2 cups) water at room temperature.
- Place the flour into a large bowl.
- Add the yeast and the malt powder(or sugar) and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the salt over the top and then pour in the water.
- Using a hand, or a Danish whisk or similar, stir the mixture into a shaggy dough.
- Cover with some plastic wrap and leave on the counter for between 12 to 18 hours, until the dough has doubled in size and bubbles have appeared on the top. The dough will be soft and wobbly if the bowl is gently shaken.
- Flour the work surface and tip the dough out, the flour the top, and your hands.
- Flatten the dough into a rectangle and pull one short end up, to half way over the top.
- Pull that over again, and then again, making a sort of log.
- Then fold one end of the log over to half way, and then then fold over again.
- Shape into a rough ball and place onto a parchment lined part that has some cornmeal or semonlina sprinkled over it.
- Cover and allow to proof for 2 hours.
- After 1 hour and 15 minutes place the dutch oven into the oven and preheat to 230C/210C Fan/450F.
- Carefully remove the Dutch oven and take off the lid.
- Pick up the dough, on the parchment paper and drop it into the Dutch oven.
- Place the lid on top and put it into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes remove the lid and back for a further 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how dark and crusty you want to loaf to be.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the loaf to a wire rack to allow it to cool completely.