Easter Monday is kind of a weird day. Is it a holiday? I’m pretty sure it is in Canada, many shops and businesses are open but banks, libraries and most offices are closed. I’m feeling a bit torn. I have work to do but I also want to raid the half-off Easter chocolate displays at the local drug store for candy. I’m feeling the pull since we didn’t really do anything particularly Easter-ish this weekend and discount candy should count for some kind of celebration, right?
Maybe I should also feel a bit triumphant because this weekend I did make no-knead bread for the first time. It was amazing. Amazing! Look at it. It’s beautiful, it’s got the perfect crust and the insides were wonderfully soft and tender. It was perfect…but it also was an exercise in patience. There’s not a lot of work involved, but there is a lot of waiting and waiting isn’t one of my strong suits. But as long as you love your kitchen timer (I use the one on our microwave) and you’ve got yourself a cast iron pot/dutch oven, make friends with this bread. It is delicious and simple.
no-knead bread
3 c all-purpose + more
1/2 t instant yeast
1 1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c water
cornmealMix flour, yeast and salt together and blend well. Slowly add water, stirring until dough forms. The dough should be “shaggy” and not to sticky…if it’s too wet, add in some more flour. Oil up a large bowl, dump in dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 15 hrs.
Dump the dough onto a floured surface, folding it gently and let it rest for 15 minutes. Form it into a ball and let it rest for 2 hrs, covered with a clean tea towel. At the 1.5 hr mark, turn on oven to 450F and put cast iron pot inside with lid on top to heat up for 30 minutes. Remove pot from oven carefully (it’s hottt) and add in some cornmeal to dust the bottom. Remove the towel from the dough ball and give it a poke…if the indent takes and closes up slow, the dough is ready. Place dough gently into pot and cover with the lid. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove lid and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before you slaughter the poor thing. Eat with cold butter and a drizzle of honey.
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sounds delish!
YUM! I think I just drooled on my desk.
So weird–after a long hiatus from even thinking about this bread, I was just discussing it with a group of people yesterday. Must be time to bust out the recipe again…
fabulous bread!!
This is such a unique take on bread baking. I’m definitely trying this out. Thanks, and I hope you had a nice Easter weekend!
everyone is raving over this. yes, look at it indeed, looks exactly like artisan bread. love that butter shot
Hurray for you and sucks to be me !
I don’t have the necessary cooking vessel for making this bread. It does look incredible and the butter you’ve added is the cherry on top. I can only imagine how the fresh baked bread made your home smell.
Speaking of Easter, I didn’t do much to celebrate it either as I had to work on Saturday and Monday. Your half priced chocolate idea is a brilliant and one I may have to adopt asap before others catch on to this 😀 …off, I go to Shopper’s Drug Mart!
I’ve seen posts on this intriguing recipe before. They all look so beautifully crusty. Like something out of an Italian or French bakery. I am going to have to try it out!
Ooo this looks good. Especially with that slice of butter.. yum.
Is that really rest for 15 HOURS?? Yikes! I don’t know if I have the planning necessary for this one, but it certainly looks worth it.
By the way: I ran across your blog a few weeks ago have been testing recipes left and right. Most sites get me excited to print the recipe and put it on the shelf, but yours have made it to our plates 3 times in the last week – Haute Egg Sandwiches, Cinncianti Chili, and Bread Soup. Yum, yum, and yum. Thanks!
Sounds great, I’ll definitely be trying it out. Can you tell me what size pot you used for baking? I think I have a 3L dutch oven – big enough?
haha, gini+eric, i can understand why!
nessie, it is.
maven, the bread is out in force once again! make it.
thanks veggie girl, it is.
hayley, you should. it's worth the wait!
dawn, it is very artisan…mmm, butter.
bijoux, that le cruset pot is my best thrift score ($4). i hope you enjoyed your chocolate…i restrained. sigh.
nadia, i was surprised at just how beautiful & crusty it was. try it!
eatme, it is delicious and easy.
alissa, make it in the evening and finish the rest of it the next day. you sleep = the dough sleeps. so glad you've been following along & making my recipes! thanks 🙂
m, i have the large version of the pot and i think it could definitely be made in a smaller pot but I wouldn't go smaller than 4 quart pot.
That bread really is beautiful. It looks better than anything you would pick up at any artisanal bread shop. Do you have a convection oven?
I just got a Cast-iron Dutch oven on the weekend for my birthday and picked up some 00 flour from Gourmet Warehouse.
I’ll have to give this one a try.
That looks so great! Why do you haev to have a lid on it? I’ve made plenty of pie and pizza doughs, but not regular bread. I would assume it could just go into a bread pan. Would that ruin it?
please do, kitchenscraps! it’s a good bread with a lovely crust and i just made it with my plain old 1980s apartment-issue oven!
JC the thing with this bread is that it really does need a cast iron dutch oven with a lid. it’s all part of the magic!
any chance to make bread i’m always up for!
I’ve made this using the recipe in “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day”. It makes enough dough to last a week stored in the fridge. Then you just cut off the amount you need to bake a loaf. That way the baking and rising time is only about an hour and half commitment, each time.
This looks wonderful!
Isn’t this bread brilliant?? Every single time I make it I run for my camera and have to take pictures. I’ve cut myself off making it for awhile, after polishing off more than one entire loaf by myself (the last one with butter and plum jam or Lyle’s golden syrup).
I’ve been dying to make a “dutch Stove” bread for ages, in South Africa we do it on open coals during a BBQ. Thanks for reminding me about it, defintiely going to give it a go this weekend.
1st time on your blog, and it’s great, thanks.
Your bread looks delicious! I just made no knead bread for the first time too just recently. We love it here too!
If you are a chili fan, can I make a suggestion for a truly fabulous ingredient? Pumpkin Pie Spice.
Pumpkin Chili is a staple at the Circleville, OH pumpkin show and I’ve found that adding a little bit to a pot of chili is the most delicious autumn comfort food ever!
oh wow…that last picture of the bread with the butter just completely sold me. I NEED this no-knead bread right now!
YUMMY!
I’ve been thinking about making no knead bread for quite some time now, and I’m glad to know it’s as good as it looks!
I love the pic with all the butter … exactly the way I like my bread! The recipe is so simple — love it.
Discount candy?? Where? Where??
PS. Gorgeous bread, really.
hecatskillkiwi, i'm with you completely!
shai, i'm totally going to get that book!
thanks ashley, it is 😉
Julie, i understand your compulsion.
Inge, sounds delicious!
sarena, yay for no-knead!
thanks ann, sounds a little like the cinnamon i added to the cinncinati chili a little while ago!
burp & slurp, ooooh butter is totally necessary!
Ulla, yup!
Jodye, it is, now get to it!
Allen, it's not bread without the butter!
haha, thanks aimee!
I read this last night at 10pm and threw it together before going to bed. Just got home (2pm) and I’m beginning the rest of the recipe. I can’t wait to eat this tonight with a potato and zucchini omelet!
Gorgeous bread!
i wasn’t crazy about my no-knead… glad yours worked out well. I think want to try other recipes now that I’m hooked on making my own! 🙂
Oh, I love bread! No Knead bread especially! I was on a real kick of making it (3+ times a week) a few months ago.
I just discovered you through Twitter! I really enjoy your blogs!
Isabella, hope you enjoyed your loaf 🙂
Thank you, bakergirl!
Radish, I’m just happy to have freshly made bread! I’m definitely curious about others tho.
thanks for stopping by, Melinda!
wonderful! I made one today and it wasn’t quite as lovely asI expecyted…I bought the standard grovery store packages of yeast…is this a problem?
Kristen, I used store bought yeast as well. This is the first time I’ve made bread with yeast, so maybe I was easily satisfied! Or maybe you didn’t let the dough rise for an extended period?
I made a second loaf and it was perfection! Thanks for the advice 🙂
What do I do if my dough doesn’t bounce back at all after poking?
Madeline, sorry for the late reply, I was away on holiday. It should be fine. Let me know how it turned out.