No-knead bread works because time does the work that kneading usually does; a rise develops the gluten and the flavor without any effort on your part. The Dutch oven traps steam in the first part of the bake, creating the blistered, crackly crust that makes artisan bread worth buying and, as it turns out, worth making at home. Cornmeal on the base keeps it from sticking and adds a subtle texture to the bottom crust.
This makes one full loaf; the right amount to eat fresh over two to three days without anything going stale before you get to it. It is the kind of bread that makes everything else on the table better, including the butter.
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Key Ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
- Active yeast – yes yeast, this is not sourdough.
- Sugar – just to make the yeast happy.
- Chef’s 00 Flour – or all-purpose flour
- Cornmeal – or flour for dusting
The very first recipe in Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François’ book The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, is the Master Recipe for one or multiple boules (depending on how big you want your boule to be). I usually use the recommended all-purpose flour, but today I used Chef’s 00 Flour, and I used a Dutch Oven instead of a baking stone, pizza-peel or baking sheet. I know the all-purpose flour works just great, just wanted to see the result of the Chefs 00 Flour.
How to Make Artisan No-Knead Country Bread
- Step 1 – Sprinkle active yeast onto the (luke) warm water, add a pinch of sugar and mix. This will wake-up the yeast, but will not influence the flavor, nor the nutritional value of the bread. Allow yeast to work its magic until the surface is frothy.
- Step 2 – Add salt and flour and mix with a spoon until well-mixed. You can use a stand mixer of hand mixer. Make sure all the flour is incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for approx. 2 hours. Prepare a Dutch oven by cutting a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom of the pan and dust the bottom with cornmeal.
- Step 3 – After the rise, empty the bowl onto a flour dusted surface. Start creating a boule by stretching the surface of the dough and tuck it around the ball onto the bottom. The bottom may look a little bit like a bundle of dough pieces together, but that will mostly disappear during baking. Once you have created a smooth cohesive ball, place it on top of the parchment paper in the Dutch oven. Dust the top with flour and cut the top of the loaf with a knife; make a cross or make a few cuts side by side.
- Step 4 – Cover the Dutch Oven with the lid (if it is oven resistant) or alternatively with aluminum foil and bake the bread for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.
- Step 5 – Take the Artisan No-Knead Country Bread out of the Dutch oven and place it on a baking sheet and bake 5 more minutes. Allow to cool before you cut it. Enjoy!
Other Bread Recipes to Try
Artisan No-Knead Country Bread
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
- 1.5 cups water, lukewarm
- 1/2 tablespoon active yeast
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 1/4 cup Chef’s 00 Flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal, or flour for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Add the yeast to the (luke) warm water and add a pinch of sugar.
- Allow yeast to work its magic until surface is frothy.
- Add salt and flour and mix with a spoon until well-mixed. You can of course you a stand mixer of hand mixer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for approx. 2 hours.
- Prepare a Dutch oven by cutting a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom of the pan. Dust with cornmeal.
- Empty the bowl on a flour dusted surface. Start creating a loaf by stretching the surface of the dough and tuck it around the ball onto the bottom. The bottom may look a little bit like a bundle of dough pieces together, but that will mostly disappear during baking.
- Once you have created a smooth cohesive ball, place it on top of the parchment paper in the Dutch oven. Dust with flour and cut the top of the loaf with a knife; make a cross or make a few cuts side by side.
- Dust the loaf with flour and cut the top of the with a knife, make a cross or make a few cuts side by side.
- Cover the Dutch Oven with the lid (if it is oven resistant) or alternatively with aluminum foil and bake the bread for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes. Take the loaf out of the Dutch oven and place it on a baking sheet and bake 5 more minutes. Allow to cool before you cut it.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I think your 91% hydration level must be a mistake.
Hi John; Thank you for your comment/question. The ratio is correct – it is half of the recipe from the book ‘The New Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day’ by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois and I never had a problem with it.
Full recipe asks for 3 cups of water and 6.5 cups of flour. I have made this bread more than once and never changed the recipe. Did you already try it?