No Knead Artisan French Bread
This bread must be mixed at least 8-10 hours in advance of the final process - preferably 12-24 hours in advance. But there is very little work involved and the final result is delicious. As stated below, the "kneading" instructions really mean that you roll the dough gently in flour for a few minutes at the most, incorporating some of the flour, but not all. No elbow grease required for this bread - the lighter the touch, the better.
The recipe below produces a large loaf, developed from New York baker-extraordinaire Jim Lahey. Check out the stages in the pictures below. I divide the finished loaf into 4 and freeze sections until I want them. For a smaller loaf and Jim's instructions, click here. I weigh the flour and salt for this recipe. It turns out better that way - perhaps adjusting for the humidity.
I also use cake yeast because it's convenient. I buy a pound at a local bakery, divide it into 10 pieces, then wrap and freeze them individually. They can be used right from the freezer or thawed for an hour or so. I use this yeast because it keeps for a long, long time and have never found its potency reduced, as can happen with granulated yeast. If you use granulated yeast, make sure it has distant expiry date. It's disappointing when you want to make a bread, but the yeast was too old to make the dough rise.
This bread can be baked in a few ways: on an open oven on a baking sheet or pizza stone or in a cast iron pot. If you use the open baking method, I recommend placing a metal baking pan with boiling water in a corner of the oven to produce a chewy crust outside and big holes and a soft texture inside. To kick the taste and texture up a notch, bake the dough in a preheated cast iron or Le Creuset-type pot with the cover on for the first part of the baking, removing the top for the second stage. No boiling water needed with this method. The pot cover will make the bread steam.
More bread recipes: Challah, No-Knead Artisan Rye or Whole Wheat, No-Knead Irish Brown Bread (with Stout), Crusty Baguettes, Soft Baguettes, New York Style Bagels, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns, Classic Sticky Cinnamon Buns, Foccaccia, Classic White Bread, Pillowy Buttermilk Buns, Flax and Honey Bread, Portuguese Cornmeal Bread, Olive Bread, One-Rise Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Babka, Pumpernickel Bread, Italian Bread (Pani di Terni)
Ingredients
1 pkg. granulated yeast or 1/10 lb. cake yeast
2 1/2 c. lukewarm water
800 g. flour (3 1/2 c. white flour)
20 g. salt (1 tbsp.)
Method
In a very large bowl or soup pot, mix the yeast and water, add the flour and salt. Combine well. Cover and let sit for 8-24 hours.
Cover a counter top with another 1 cup of flour. Scrape the dough out and toss gently in the flour for no more than 3-4 minutes. Don't knead in the ordinary sense - just roll the dough in the flour several times, keeping any air bubbles that have formed. Spread a lot of flour on a piece of parchment paper, place the dough on top and wrap in a towel, Let sit for 1-2 hours.
At least 30 minutes before baking, put a cast iron pot (covered) in the oven and heat at 450 degrees. When the pot is ‘smoking’ hot, dump the bread in, cover and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the top and lower the heat to 400 degrees, bake for a further 20 minutes. It will be golden brown on top.
For method using a baking sheet or pizza stone, see notes above.
Cool on a rack.
This bread must be mixed at least 8-10 hours in advance of the final process - preferably 12-24 hours in advance. But there is very little work involved and the final result is delicious. As stated below, the "kneading" instructions really mean that you roll the dough gently in flour for a few minutes at the most, incorporating some of the flour, but not all. No elbow grease required for this bread - the lighter the touch, the better.
The recipe below produces a large loaf, developed from New York baker-extraordinaire Jim Lahey. Check out the stages in the pictures below. I divide the finished loaf into 4 and freeze sections until I want them. For a smaller loaf and Jim's instructions, click here. I weigh the flour and salt for this recipe. It turns out better that way - perhaps adjusting for the humidity.
I also use cake yeast because it's convenient. I buy a pound at a local bakery, divide it into 10 pieces, then wrap and freeze them individually. They can be used right from the freezer or thawed for an hour or so. I use this yeast because it keeps for a long, long time and have never found its potency reduced, as can happen with granulated yeast. If you use granulated yeast, make sure it has distant expiry date. It's disappointing when you want to make a bread, but the yeast was too old to make the dough rise.
This bread can be baked in a few ways: on an open oven on a baking sheet or pizza stone or in a cast iron pot. If you use the open baking method, I recommend placing a metal baking pan with boiling water in a corner of the oven to produce a chewy crust outside and big holes and a soft texture inside. To kick the taste and texture up a notch, bake the dough in a preheated cast iron or Le Creuset-type pot with the cover on for the first part of the baking, removing the top for the second stage. No boiling water needed with this method. The pot cover will make the bread steam.
More bread recipes: Challah, No-Knead Artisan Rye or Whole Wheat, No-Knead Irish Brown Bread (with Stout), Crusty Baguettes, Soft Baguettes, New York Style Bagels, Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns, Classic Sticky Cinnamon Buns, Foccaccia, Classic White Bread, Pillowy Buttermilk Buns, Flax and Honey Bread, Portuguese Cornmeal Bread, Olive Bread, One-Rise Buttermilk Bread, Chocolate Babka, Pumpernickel Bread, Italian Bread (Pani di Terni)
Ingredients
1 pkg. granulated yeast or 1/10 lb. cake yeast
2 1/2 c. lukewarm water
800 g. flour (3 1/2 c. white flour)
20 g. salt (1 tbsp.)
Method
In a very large bowl or soup pot, mix the yeast and water, add the flour and salt. Combine well. Cover and let sit for 8-24 hours.
Cover a counter top with another 1 cup of flour. Scrape the dough out and toss gently in the flour for no more than 3-4 minutes. Don't knead in the ordinary sense - just roll the dough in the flour several times, keeping any air bubbles that have formed. Spread a lot of flour on a piece of parchment paper, place the dough on top and wrap in a towel, Let sit for 1-2 hours.
At least 30 minutes before baking, put a cast iron pot (covered) in the oven and heat at 450 degrees. When the pot is ‘smoking’ hot, dump the bread in, cover and bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the top and lower the heat to 400 degrees, bake for a further 20 minutes. It will be golden brown on top.
For method using a baking sheet or pizza stone, see notes above.
Cool on a rack.