Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 3 cups lukewarm water (100ºF), plus more for broiler tray
1 tbsp granulated yeast (active dry, instant, quick rise, or bread machine is fine)
1 to 1½ kosher or other coarse salt
6½ cups all purpose flour, measured by the scoop and sweep method
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Directions: |
Directions:Warm the 3 cups of water just a little so it feels slightly warmer than body temperature. In a large bowl of a standing mixer or a 6qt container with lid, mix the yeast, warm water and salt. Don't worry about getting the yeast to dissolve.
Add the flour to the yeast mixture all at once, then use a spoon or a stand mixer to mix until the flour is completely incorporated and you have a blobby dough. (If you're hand mixing and it becomes to difficult to incorporate all the flour with the spoon, just use very wet hands to press the mixture together.) Don't knead the dough! You just want it uniformly wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container. Just make sure there are no dry patches of flour.
Loosely cover the container and let it hang out at room temp until it begins to rise and collapse or at least flatten a little on top...about 2 hours.
After 2 hours, put the container in the fridge with the lid vented to let the gasses escape. You can bake the dough after one hour in the refrigerator or within the week.
When you want to bake the dough, do not punch it down but it will look like it has shrunken - that's normal. Line a rimless baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper. Grab a hunk of dough and use a serrated knife or scissors to cut about a quarter off for a one pound loaf. Coat your hands in flour, hold the dough, adding just enough flour for it not to stick (you dont want to incorporate more flour into the dough, it WILL be sticky!). Gently stretch the surface of the dough, tucking the ends underneath the ball until it's round and cohesive - shouldn't take more than 30 seconds. If you work the dough too much, the loaf will be dense.
Place the dough on the prepared pan, seam side down. Let rest about 40 minutes. (it does not need covered.)
Preheat the oven to 450º for at least 20 minutes. Add a baking stone on the middle rack for the preheating, and an empty broiler tray on the rack underneath.
Dust the top of the round loaf with flour, slash a few cuts into the top with a serrated knife. Transfer the parchment paper with dough onto the hot baking sheet in the oven, add one cup of hot water to the pan underneath and quickly close the oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the crust is richly browned and firm to the touch.
Remove bread and let cool completely (if you aren't tempted to eat it beforehand!) |
This recipe for No-Knead 5 Minute Artisan Bread is from