No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread

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I have to open this post by saying, I think Celia over at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial will be proud of my first attempt at this lovely recipe which I saw over at Georgia’s, The Comfort of Cooking.  For some strange reason I have not been receiving Georgia’s updates for a while (sorted now) so missed this wonderful recipe.  I have never seen a recipe for a loaf of bread where you leave the dough to rise for between 8 and 24 hours; a novel and interesting idea I thought, plus being baked in a Dutch oven was also a new concept to me.  This is guaranteed to be a winner of a recipe in any home and highly recommend you bake a loaf.


No knead crusty bread 2

I left my dough to rise for 18 hours before baking.

No knead crusty bread 1

This loaf is guaranteed to take your low-carb, low fat eating habit and throw it right out of the window.  I enjoyed slice after slice of this warm from the oven with lashings of cold butter, cut thick like cheese!  The crumb is moist and slightly chewy like a ciabatta with a fabulous crispy crust and base.  Not sure if the chewiness was due to the flour I used.  All the same, I would enjoy it again, exactly the same way.

No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
2-3 teaspoon kosher salt – I found 2 tsps way too salty so reduced this to 1 tsp
½ tsp dry yeast – I used instant yeast
1½ cups lukewarm water – I used approximately 1¼ cups

Method

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and yeast.
  2. Add the water and stir using a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a shaggy but cohesive dough.  You may not need the full amount of water so start with 1 cup and slowly add more until you have a nice soft dough.
  3. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the dough sit at room temperature for 8-24 hours.
  4. After dough is ready, preheat the oven to 230°C.
  5. Place a Dutch oven or casserole dish uncovered into the oven for 30 minutes.  I left my casserole dish in for 15 minutes.
  6. While your dish preheats, turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and with floured hands form the dough into a ball. Cover the dough loosely with cling film and allow to rest.
  7. After the 30 (15) minutes remove your dish from the oven and place the dough into it and place the lid on.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes covered then remove the cover and bake for an additional 7-15 minutes.  The loaf is ready when it is golden brown and crispy.

No knead crusty bread 4

38 thoughts on “No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread”

    • Thanks Celia. It’s probably in my uneducated ignorance that I was able to pull it off – hmm, wonder if I could do it again. Right, back to the kitchen I go. Have a super day. 🙂 xo

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  5. That is a seriously beautiful loaf! And I bake mine in a casserole dish with a lid (dutch oven) as it produces the steamy atmosphere for a good crust without all the fuss of baking trays filled with boiling water and sprizting water over the loaf. You should be very proud of that loaf 🙂

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  9. Congrats on baking your own bread. Celia is such an incredible talent in the kitchen, isn’t she. I love what an instinctive cook she is and how there wouldn’t be a day when there isn’t some baking going on – she must give her oven the biggest work-out xx

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  10. That’s a great looking loaf of bread, Mandy, and if it tastes anything like the no-knead loaves that I’ve enjoyed, it’s a real treat! A slightly warm piece with a bit of butter is about as close to perfection as we mere mortals can hope to achieve. 🙂

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    • You know John, now that I think about it a good drizzling of olive oil in place of the butter wouldn’t go amiss either. Oh well, I will just have to bake another loaf to test my theory. Have an awesome day. 🙂 xo

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  12. I could make a meal of that – warm, with butter…yes! I like the no knead part a lot but that’s really interesting leaving it to rise for so long. Now that I think of it, it could be perfect for old forgetful me.

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  16. An 18-hour rise? Wow! But I do love that there’s no kneading involved. That’s where I get into trouble with bread. This looks perfectly crusty and delicious Mandy. I can just taste it dipped in some olive oil with a tad of balsamic. Mmmm!

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    • I know, the l o n g rising also had me! Must do something, as it works like a charm Kristy. Next loaf I bake will no doubt be finished with lots of dunking in olive oil and balsamic. Have a super weekend> 🙂 xo

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  18. Mandy! I just cut a piece of this bread and dipped it in olive oil … I am in love. I couldn’t be sure until I tasted it, it didn’t rise much and I was affraid it would be too dense. You see, I used a new flour I ordered last week — sprouted Einkorn flour — it is an ancient wheat, untouched my modern GMO practices, so I couldn’t be sure how it would perform. I am so very happy with it! Yesterday I put it to the test to make dinner rolls, pizza dough, and your Crusty Artisan Bread. It was hard to wait, but it really is an easy recipe with stellar results. I’m a happy girl right now. 🙂

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    • Hi Judy – Fantastic! I am so pleased you enjoy this very moreish bread as much as I do! I make it far too often!
      Sprouted Einkorn flours sounds so interesting and how fabulous that you had a day of breading in the kitchen.
      Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed this.
      Have a beautiful bready weekend. 🙂 xo

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    • Hi Mary, thanks for stopping by. This really is a scrumptious bread. I haven’t used Red Star yeast – we don’t get it here in SA, well not that I have seen. I googled it and it looks like a great yeast. Have a super day. 🙂 xo

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