Description
This Best No Knead Artisan Bread Recipe offers a simple, hands-off approach to baking delicious, crusty homemade bread with minimal effort. Using basic pantry ingredients and an overnight rise, this recipe yields a rustic loaf with a chewy interior and golden-brown crust, perfect for sandwiches or enjoying with butter.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
- 1 ½ cups warm water (about 110°F)
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, coarse sea salt, and active dry yeast until evenly distributed.
- Add Warm Water and Mix: Pour the warm water into the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until a shaggy dough forms with no dry flour remaining.
- Let Dough Rise: Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours, allowing the dough to rise and bubble slightly, developing flavor and gluten without kneading.
- Preheat Oven and Pot: About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) and place a Dutch oven or an oven-safe heavy pot with a lid inside to heat thoroughly.
- Shape the Dough: After the rise, turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Gently shape it into a round loaf, handling it carefully to preserve air bubbles.
- Place Dough in Hot Pot: Remove the preheated pot from the oven with oven mitts, place the shaped dough into the pot, and cover it with the lid.
- Bake Covered: Bake the bread covered for 30 minutes; this traps steam to create a crispy crust.
- Bake Uncovered: Remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust turns a deep golden brown.
- Cool Before Slicing: Take the bread out of the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack to set the crumb before slicing.
Notes
- Use warm water around 110°F to activate the yeast properly without killing it.
- The long fermentation time improves flavor and texture—do not rush this step.
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, use any heavy, oven-safe pot with a lid to trap steam.
- Letting the bread cool before slicing prevents it from becoming gummy.
- For a crunchier crust, you can bake uncovered for a few minutes longer.
