How to Bake Almost No Knead Bread

Making No Kneed Bread At Home

This bread is considered by many to taste just like artisan bread made by renowned bakers, and has even achieved its own "cult status" .[1] It doesn't need much kneading; just a little will suffice and the rest of the work is done by the dough itself and the cooking method. Just be aware that the dough needs time to rise, either during the entire day or better still, overnight – and that you need a Dutch oven or heavy cast-iron pot.
The bread is delicious, so be sure to have plenty of people to enjoy it on the day it's baked,otherwise it loses flavor after each day.
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Ingredients

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces / 425g)
  
• 1/4 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
  
• 1 1/2 tsp table salt
  
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp water (7 ounces / 200ml ), at room temperature
  
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp mild-flavored lager (3 ounces / 85g)
  
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
  

Steps

• Remove the dough ball from the work surface and place it onto the parchment-lined skillet. Place it seam-side down. Spray the surface of the dough with non-stick cooking spray.
  
• Cover the dough ball loosely with plastic food wrap.
  
• Leave the dough to rise for about 2 hours, until it doubles in size, and doesn't spring back when poked with your finger.
  
1. Mix the ingredients to make the dough. Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add the water, beer, and vinegar.
   
   • Fold the mixture with a rubber spatula. Use the spatula to scrape off the dry flour from the bottom of the bowl until a raggedy ball forms.
     
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours. If leaving it overnight, take care not to leave near an open window if there is a cold breeze.
   
3. Prepare the skillet before proceeding. Place the sheet of parchment paper inside the skillet, and spray the top of the paper with non-stick cooking spray.
   
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured work surface. Knead lightly 10 to 15 times. There is no need to knead it beyond this amount.
   
5. Shape the dough into a ball. Do this by pulling the edges into the middle and creating a seam where the edges meet. Gently push the ball together.
   
6. Prepare the oven. About 30 minutes before baking, put the oven rack in the lowest position. Place the Dutch oven (with lid) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500ºF (260ºC).
   
7. Lightly flour the top of the dough. Make a slit in the dough; take a razor blade and make a 6 inches (15.2cm) long and 1/2 inch (1.27cm) deep slit along the top of the dough.
   
   • Another variation is to make a cross when slitting.
     
8. Move the dough into the Dutch oven. Lift out the pot from the oven with care (wear oven mitts), and remove the lid (keep your mitts on).
   
   • Pick up the dough by lifting the parchment paper from its opposite edges. Lower the dough into the pot gently and fold down any overlapping pieces of parchment paper over the pot's edge. Replace the lid and put the bread dough into the oven.
     
9. Switch down the heat to 425ºF (218ºC). Bake the bread for 30 minutes with the lid sitting in place on the Dutch oven.
   
   • After 30 minutes, remove the lid. This will allow the top of the bread to brown. Continue baking until you can see a deep-brown color. You can also test the center of the dough with a cooking thermometer – the bread is ready at 210ºF (99ºC) in the center. This will take another 15 to 30 minutes.
     
10. Take the bread out of the oven. Remove the bread from the pot and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack.
    
    • Leave it to cool completely on the rack. It will reach room temperature in about 2 hours.
      
    • Serve with butter or other spread as wished.
      

Tips

• This bread is best consumed the day of baking.
  
• If you need to keep this bread longer than the day of baking, wrap in aluminum foil and store in a cool, dry place. Consume within 3 days.
  

Warnings

• Be careful if you have a drafty kitchen; cold breezes will prevent the bread from rising properly.
  

Things You'll Need

• Large bowl
  
• Mixing implement
  
• Rubber spatula
  
• 12" x 18"(30.48cm x 45.7cm) sheet of parchment paper (baking paper)
  
• Oven mitts
  
• 10" (25.4cm) skillet
  
• Non-stick cooking spray
  
• Plastic food wrap
  
• 6 to 8 quart (5.6 litres to 7.57 litres) heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with lid (enameled cast-iron is best) or a heavy stockpot with lid
  
• Wire cooling rack
  

Sources and Citations

• This recipe is adapted from a NY Times article that was passed around the web for a couple years, and was eventually modified with great success by America's Test Kitchen.
  

1. ↑ Chris Preovolos, America's Test Kitchen's Take on No-Knead Bread, http://blog.ctnews.com/lunchbreak/2009/09/12/americas-test-kitchens-take-on-no-knead-bread/

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Bake Almost No Knead Bread. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.