No-Knead Bread

400 g	flour
2 g (1/4 t)	yeast
8 g (1 1/4 t)	salt
300 ml	warm water

Makes one loaf. Scale it with BRDCLC.

This is Jim Lahey’s original No-Knead recipe. He’s written a whole book about it but I pulled some instructions together from YouTube videos: this original 2006 New York Times video and a later video from WNYC. An updated video from the New York Times discusses how to speed up the fermentation time.

The flour can be white or a mix of flours. The yeast can be active dry yeast or fast-acting/instant yeast. You need a dutch oven or a combo cooker. The freshness of the flour has a big impact on the flavor of the bread—buy the best you can find.

Step 1 — 5min

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Add water and mix until combined. You don’t need to over do it.
3. Cover in cool place.
4. Let ferment for 12–24 hours.

There should be bubbles and it should’ve expanded quite a lot for the fermentation to be complete. Room (and water) temperature will define how long fermentation takes. If you have a particularly cold or hot room the oven or fridge can be used to control this process.

Fermenting in the fridge will probably take 24 hours or longer but it will give it long enough to develop flavor you wouldn’t get with a very quick, warm ferment. If you have a cold room and you’d like to speed it up slightly, turn your oven on for less than a minute then turn it off again—it should hold this slightly warmer internal temperature for hours—don’t go more than a couple degrees over 25°c (80°f).

The first couple times just ferment it on the bench and err on the side of over-fermenting before you start trying to retard using the fridge.

Step 2 — 1.5 hours (mostly waiting)

1. Dust your bench with flour or wheat bran.
2. Wet your hand and pull the dough from the edges of the bowl and drop it onto the floured bench.
3. Fold in half so the now-floured-side forms the outside then begin tucking the sides under to form a good round shape. It’s ok to use more flour on your hands and the bench if it’s sticking. But try to avoid adding too much additional flour to the inside of the loaf.
4. Very lightly coat the inside of a bowl with oil and add your dough seam side down.
5. Cover and leave it to proof for at least 30 minutes.
6. Heat Dutch oven in regular oven at 260°c (500°f). Set the oven to ‘bake’ so the top element is not on.
7. Flip dough into your hand then into Dutch oven so the seam is down.
8. Create a couple slits in the top with a sharp knife or razor blade.
9. Cover and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
10. Remove lid and continue to bake for about 10–15 minutes to form a darker crust.
11. Rest for 10–30 minutes.