King Arthur No Knead Rustic bread half recipe

 

• 3.75 cups (450) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 
  
• 450° 30 mins 
• 1.5 cups (340g) water, lukewarm
• 1/2 tablespoon (9g) table salt
• 1 tablespoons ) instant yeast or active dry yeast

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1. RECIPES 
 
2. BREAD 
 
3. CRUSTY BREAD 

No-Knead Crusty White Bread

RECIPE BY  PJ HAMEL

1354 REVIEWS

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The most basic of all no-knead loaves, this is a wonderful way to get into yeast-bread baking. The easy stir-together dough rests in your refrigerator, developing flavor all the time, till you're ready to bake. About 90 minutes before you want to serve bread, grab a handful of dough, shape it, let it rise, then bake for 30 minutes. The result? Incredible, crusty artisan-style bread, worthy of its 2016 Recipe of the Year title.

Our thanks to Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, whose wonderful book, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day," is the inspiration for this recipe.

PREP

5 mins

BAKE

30 to 40 mins

TOTAL

5 hrs 35 mins

YIELD

3 or 4 loaves, depending on size

Ingredients

 Shop this Recipe

• 7 1/2 cups (900g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3 cups (680g) water, lukewarm
• 1 tablespoon (18g) table salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (14g) instant yeast or active dry yeast

Instructions

Bake Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

1. The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe, so measure carefully. Your best bet is to weigh the flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.

2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine; "OUCH, that's hot!" is not. Yeast is a living thing; treat it nicely.

3. Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk until everything is combined.

4. Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.

   Subnav: Recipes

   1. RECIPES 
    
   2. BREAD 
    
   3. CRUSTY BREAD 

   No-Knead Crusty White Bread

   RECIPE BY  PJ HAMEL

   1354 REVIEWS

   SHARE

   •  Share on Facebook
   •  Share by Email
   •  Share on Pinterest
   • Share on Linkedin

   

   The most basic of all no-knead loaves, this is a wonderful way to get into yeast-bread baking. The easy stir-together dough rests in your refrigerator, developing flavor all the time, till you're ready to bake. About 90 minutes before you want to serve bread, grab a handful of dough, shape it, let it rise, then bake for 30 minutes. The result? Incredible, crusty artisan-style bread, worthy of its 2016 Recipe of the Year title.

   Our thanks to Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, whose wonderful book, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day," is the inspiration for this recipe.

   PREP

   5 mins

   BAKE

   30 to 40 mins

   TOTAL

   5 hrs 35 mins

   YIELD

   3 or 4 loaves, depending on size

   

   

   

   

   

   Ingredients

    Shop this Recipe

   • 7 1/2 cups (900g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
   • 3 cups (680g) water, lukewarm
   • 1 tablespoon (18g) table salt
   • 1 1/2 tablespoons (14g) instant yeast or active dry yeast

   

   Instructions

   Bake Mode

   Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

   1. The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe, so measure carefully. Your best bet is to weigh the flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.

   2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine; "OUCH, that's hot!" is not. Yeast is a living thing; treat it nicely.

   3. Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk until everything is combined.

   4. Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.

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      No-Knead Crusty White Bread

      BY PJ HAMEL

   5. Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do.

   6. When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 400g to 540g piece, if you have a scale. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

   7. Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can.

   8. Place the loaf on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the bread moist as it rests before baking. Drape the bread with greased plastic wrap, or cover it with a reusable cover.

   9. Let the loaf warm to room temperature and rise; this should take about 60 minutes (or longer, up to a couple of hours, if your house is cool). It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven to 450°F while the loaf rests. If you're using a baking stone, position it on a middle rack while the oven preheats. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.

   10. When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven.

   11. Place the bread in the oven — onto the baking stone, if you're using one, or simply onto a middle rack, if it's on a pan — and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.

   12. Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown.

   13. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack.

   14. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. For longer storage options, see our blog post, Freezing no-knead bread dough, for details.