No Knead Bread | Artisan Yeast Bread | Dutch Oven baked Bread

This is probably one of the easiest Bread recipes there ever is. This no Knead yeasty bread is every bit as true to it's title...really quick and easy to make. Just mix all the ingredients together and leave it to rise for about 3-4 hours and bake in a dutch oven closed with it's lid. We loved its beautiful crust and soft spongy texture that's perfect to dunk in some soup or sauce. It tasted somewhat like a sour dough bread.

After baking it reminded us of the crusty bread that is offered at one of our favorite Italian restaurants here. At the restaurant the crusty loaf is served with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil and we love to season with some salt-pepper or parmesan cheese and enjoy the bread by dunking it into this mix. So my son did not waste any time in gathering up some of those and we ate half the loaf just as is....sooo good!

The rest of the loaf we dunked in some Chicken Noodle soup that I had made for dinner that night and my baby girl loved to munch on the slices with some Butter on it and the loaf didn't see another day as we polished it right off...lol!

Since I had a Dutch oven it was easy to bake this bread. If you do not have a Dutch oven here are some alternatives :
1. Using an Oven safe (upto 500F) Casserole dish with an Oven safe lid or cover with Aluminium Foil.
2. Using a baking pan to place the dough and place another oven safe pan under the baking pan filled with water. This steaming effect is required to get that lovely crust for the bread.
3. Using Oven safe heavy Metal pot with a lid.

I have followed the recipe from RecipeTinsEats. Fresh homemade bread tastes so good, you have to eat one to really know what that means. Do give this a try and you will be making it several times for sure.

Easy no knead Yeast Bread

You’ll Need

3 cups All-purpose Flour (bread flour or plain)

2 tsp instant or active dry yeast

2 tsp salt

1.5 cups very warm water (ie up to 55°C/130°F)

1.5 Tablespoon flour, for dusting and shaping dough

Directions

Make the dough:

1. Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water (atleast 130F warm water), then use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix until all the flour is incorporated. Dough will be wet and sloppy.

2. Cover the bowl with cling wrap or plate, leave it on counter (or inside the oven with lights on) for 2-3 hours or until it doubles in volume.

3. Once dough has risen well, Preheat oven to 450F and place a dutch oven in oven with lid on while it is preheating (I used my Le Creuset Oval shaped dutch oven).

Shape the dough:

1. Sprinkle counter top with 1 Tablespoon flour. Scrape dough onto the counter top and sprinkle top of the dough with ½ Tablespoon flour.

2. Fold the sides of the dough inwards to roughly form a roundish shape.

Transfer to parchment paper:

Transfer the dough to the center of the parchment paper. Shape it again if needed to form a round or oval shaped dough. Dough may be sticky.

Baking the bread in Dutch Oven:

1. Remove the hot dutch oven from oven. Place the dough in parchment paper into the dutch oven and place lid on.

2. Bake for 30 minutes covered with lid, then remove lid and bake for 12 minutes or until outer crust looks deep golden and crispy.

3. Cool on rack for 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes:

1. Make sure the water used to make the dough is NOT boiling or super-hot. 120F-130F is recommended. This temp is good for proofing the yeast.

2. Dough can be prepared in morning and baked in evening , similarly it can be made at night, left to rise, refrigerated and baked in morning. When taking out of fridge, let it sit out until it loses its chill and then bake.

You can find other bread recipes on the blog in the 'My Recipes' section but here are 2 of my favorite:
Focaccia with Herbed oil


Herbs and Cheese Garlic Pull Apart Bread


-Manju