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NO-KNEAD CRUSTY ARTISAN BREAD

Makes 1 loaf
Cuisine: French
Servings: 10
Calories: 138kcal
Author: Ella Ricci

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt not table salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast active dry or highly active dry work best
  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • Special cookware needed: Dutch oven or any large oven-safe dish/bowl and lid*

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and yeast. Stir in water using a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a shaggy but cohesive dough. Do not over-work the dough. The less you "work" it, the more soft, fluffy air pockets will form.
  • Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough sit at room temperature for 8-24 hours*. Dough will bubble up and rise.
  • After dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place your Dutch oven, uncovered, into the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
  • While your Dutch oven preheats, turn dough onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, form the dough into a ball. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rest.
  • After the 30 minutes are up, carefully remove Dutch oven. With floured hands, place the bread dough into it. (You can put a piece of parchment under the dough if your Dutch oven isn’t enamel coated.)
  • Replace cover and bake for 30 minutes covered. Carefully remove cover and bake for 7-15 minutes* more, uncovered.

Notes

Uncovered baking time depends on your oven. Just keep an eye on it!
Preheating your Dutch oven to 450 degrees F will not damage it, or the knob on top.
This dough can rise anywhere between 8-24 hours and it will bake up beautifully. Just make sure it has risen and appears to “bubble” to the surface.
There’s no need to grease the Dutch oven/baking dish/pot. If there is concern o fit sticking, put a piece of parchment paper under the dough before placing into the pot.
Using whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour is NOT recommended in this recipe. The resulting bread will be very dense, and not as fluffy and delicious.
I used a 5.5 quart enameled cast iron Le Creuset pot, but any large oven-safe dish and cover will work. All of these also work: a baking dish covered with aluminum foil, crockpot insert, stainless steel pot with a lid, pizza stone with an oven-safe bowl to cover the bread, and old cast iron Dutch oven.
Add any mix-ins you like - herbs, spices, dried fruit, chopped nuts and cheese all work well. I recommend adding them into the initial flour-yeast mixture to avoid over-working the mix-ins into the dough. The less you "work" it, the more you're encouraging soft, fluffy air pockets to form!
Adapted from The Baker Chick via Simply So Good

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 466mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 2mg