Oh my, this simple and easy to make Crunchy No Knead Bread is for all bread lovers, hands down.
And believe me, this rustic loaf is the simplest bread I know how to bake at home. And, it requires no stand mixer, no starter, no special knowledge, and no kneading. We’re going to achieve flavor by allowing for a slow rise and a perfect crust by baking this bread in a pot with the lid on.
You are about to make bread like a Boss.
You will need an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven to bake this bread. Why a Dutch oven? Because its weight holds heat well and keeps the steam created by the bread inside the pot for a crisper crust.
If you are like me, like things from the oven that are simple, delicious and most importantly difficult to screw up! This is it.
This Crunchy No Knead Bread is already my favorite! Will it be yours?
You are about to make bread like a Boss
A few tips:
- Big holes in the crumb – loose dough from less flour, high oven temp and preheated pot allows the yeast to give the bread a great rise boost, creating big air pockets. Also the use of bread flour rather than normal flour helps – you get less large holes using normal flour.
- Super forgiving dough – too stiff, add water. Too wet, add flour. Dough not rising? Move it to a warmer place.
- Use fresh yeast. Check the date
- Let it cool for 15 minutes before slicing. This is important – to let the center of the bread finish cooking (if you slice too early, it will seem a bit doughy)
- Sugar or honey: I added extra sugar to help the yeast do its work a bit more quickly.
Crunchy No Knead Bread
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 6 dl all-purpose flour
- 25 g yeast
- 1 tbsp honey optional
- 1 tsp salt
- 3.5 dl lukewarm water, about 40-50° C
Instructions
- Prepare the few ingrediencies
- Combine flour, yeast, honey and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the luke warm water until the dough is well mixed.Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for at least 3 hours (it does not hurt with longer rise time, 6-10h)
- After 3 hours dough will become puffy and dotted with bubbles. Transfer it to a well-floured surface and sprinkle dough with a little flour. Using a scraper or by hand, fold dough sides towards the middle 8-10 times and shape into a rough ball. Turn the bread facing down.Remember: No knead
- Place in a parchment paper-lined bowl and cover with a towel. Let stand on counter top for about 30-45 minutes.
- Meantime place Dutch oven with lid in a oven and preheat to 230° C.
- When oven reaches 230° C carefully, the Dutch oven is very hot, use use oven mitts or gloves, lift the parchment paper and dough from the bowl and place gently into the hot pot (parchment paper goes in the pot too) Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove lid and parchment paper. It already looks nice but wait…Return, uncovered, to oven and bake 15-20 more minutes.
- Let it cool at least 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy a warm slice of hot bread with butter.Cuisine is Happiness!
