No-Knead Bread Recipe: Simple, Crusty, and Delicious! 🍞🥖✨

Posted by BMA24

This No-Knead Bread recipe unlocks the magic of homemade bread, producing a rustic loaf with a crisp crust and tender crumb. It’s simple and foolproof. This recipe is ideal for both beginners and experienced bakers, as it requires little effort and produces impressive results. With a few simple ingredients and a little patience, you can enjoy the satisfaction of freshly baked bread right from your own oven. Let’s go on a bread-baking adventure and experience the joy of homemade no-knead bread! 🍞🥖✨

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups (360ml) lukewarm water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Instructions:

Mix the Dough:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Stir until evenly distributed.
  2. Gradually add the lukewarm water to the flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon or your hands, until a shaggy dough forms. The dough should be sticky but manageable.
  3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 12-18 hours. During this time, the dough will rise and develop flavor.

Shape and Proof the Dough:

  1. After the initial rise, the dough will be bubbly and doubled in size. Gently scrape the dough onto a floured surface.
  2. With floured hands, fold the edges of the dough towards the center to form a rough ball. You can also use a bench scraper to help shape the dough.
  3. Transfer the shaped dough to a well-floured proofing basket or a clean kitchen towel-lined bowl, seam side down.
  4. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an additional 1-2 hours, or until it has increased in size and is puffy.

Preheat the Oven:

  1. About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Place a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid in the oven as it preheats.

Bake the Bread:

  1. Once the oven is fully preheated, carefully remove the hot pot from the oven.
  2. Carefully transfer the risen dough into the preheated pot, seam side up. Be cautious as the pot will be extremely hot.
  3. Cover the pot with the lid and place it back in the oven.
  4. Bake the bread covered for 30 minutes to create steam and help the bread rise.
  5. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking the bread uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crispy.

Cool and Enjoy:

  1. Once baked, carefully remove the bread from the pot and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
  2. Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Optional Tips:

  • For added flavor, you can incorporate herbs, spices, or seeds into the dough before the initial rise.
  • Experiment with different types of flour, such as whole wheat or bread flour, for varied texture and flavor.
  • To achieve a chewier crust, you can brush the dough with water or sprinkle it with flour before baking.

To summarize, this No-Knead Bread recipe provides a simple and rewarding way to make delicious homemade bread with little effort. This rustic loaf is sure to impress with its crusty exterior and soft interior, whether served fresh from the oven with a smear of butter or as the foundation for sandwiches and toast. With a few basic ingredients and some patience, you can make bakery-quality bread in the comfort of your own home. Try this recipe and experience the joy of baking bread from scratch! 🍞🥖✨.