No Knead Rustic Round Loaf Food

NO-KNEAD 5-MINUTE ARTISAN BREAD

Steps:

• Warm the 3 cups water just a little so that it feels just slightly warmer than body temperature. That should put it at about 100°F (40°C).
• In the large bowl of a standing mixer or a 6-quart container with a lid, mix the yeast, warm water, and salt. Don't worry about getting the yeast to dissolve.
• Add the flour to the yeast mixture all at once, then use a spoon or stand mixer to mix until the flour is completely incorporated and you have a blobby dough. (If you're hand-mixing the dough and it becomes too difficult to incorporate all the flour with the spoon, just use very wet hands to press the mixture together.) Don't knead the dough! It's not necessary. You just want the dough to be uniformly wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container. All you need to do is be certain that there are no dry patches of flour.
• Loosely cover the container and let the dough hang out at room temperature until it begins to rise and collapse or at least flatten a little on the top, about 2 hours. (Relax. It's bread dough, not a newborn. You don't need to monitor it constantly. And don't worry about the dough being precisely double or triple its original volume as you would with a traditional bread recipe. Just walk away, go about your business, and come back in 2 hours. Seriously.)
• After 2 hours, stash the container of dough in the fridge. That's it. (If your container isn't vented, you want to ensure the gases can escape by leaving the cover open a crack for the first couple days in the fridge; after that, you can seal it.)
• You can use the dough anytime after the initial 2-hour rise, although the refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than dough at room temperature, so it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight before handling it. Once refrigerated, the dough will seem to have shrunk back upon itself as though it will never rise again-that's normal. Whatever you do, do not punch down this dough. You're trying to retain as much gas in the dough as possible, and punching it down knocks gas out and results in denser loaves. Just be certain to use the dough at some point within 14 days.
• When you want to bake a loaf of artisan bread, dust a pizza peel or a baking sheet turned upside down with cornmeal or line it with parchment paper.
• Grab a hunk of the dough and use a serrated knife or scissors to cut off about a 1-pound piece of dough. Hold the dough in your hands and, if necessary, add just enough flour so the dough doesn't stick to your hands. (What you're trying to do is surround the surface of the dough with flour so that it can be handled. You're not trying to incorporate more flour into the dough, so for the love of all things good, resist the temptation to get rid of all the dough's inherent and lovely stickiness by working the flour into the dough.)
• Gently stretch the surface of the dough, tucking the ends underneath the ball and rotating it a quarter turn as you go. (See video above.) Most of the dusting flour will fall off, and that's okay, because as we just said, it's not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the ball of dough may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The rest of your round loaf should be smooth and cohesive, and the entire shaping process should take no more than 20 to 40 seconds-don't work the dough any longer or your loaves may be dense.
• Place the ball of dough on the prepared pizza peel or baking sheet, seam side down with all the collected bunched ends on the peel or board. Let it rest for about 40 minutes. It doesn't need to be covered. (You may not see much rise during this period, but don't fret. It will rise much more during baking.)
• Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat a baking stone (or an upside-down cast-iron skillet or baking sheet) on a middle rack for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any rack that won't interfere with the rising bread. (Do not use a glass pan as it could shatter.)
• Dust the top of the raised loaf generously with flour and, using a serrated bread knife, slash a 1/2-inch-deep cross or a couple gashes or a tic-tac-toe pattern in the top. There's no need to dust the flour off the loaf.
• Place the far edge of the peel or the upside-down baking sheet in the oven on the baking stone or cast-iron skillet or upside-down baking sheet a few inches beyond where you want the bread to land. Give the peel or baking sheet a couple quick back-and-forth jiggles and then abruptly pull it out from under the loaf. The loaf should land on the baking stone with very little drama.
• Quickly but carefully pour about 1 cup hot water into the broiler tray and immediately shut the oven door to trap the steam. Bake the bread for a total of 20 to 35 minutes, until the crust is richly browned and firm to the touch. Because the dough is so wet, there's very little risk of it becoming dry despite how dark the crust may become. (If you're using a baking sheet rather than a baking stone, you may need a little extra time-up to 50 minutes total-for the bread to be done.)
• Remove the bread from the oven and let the loaf cool completely, preferably on a wire rack for the best flavor, texture, and slicing. (Crazily enough, a perfectly baked loaf will audibly crackle, or "sing," when initially exposed to room temperature.) The crust may initially soften but will firm when cooled.

EASY NO KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and yeast. Create a well in the center; add water. Using a wooden spoon or your hand, stir until a wet, sticky dough forms, about 1-2 minutes. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at a warm place until doubled in size and surface is dotted with bubbles, about 6-8 hours. Working on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, fold dough over itself 3-4 times, turning after each fold; gently shape dough into a round. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let stand at room temperature until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a 4-qt Dutch oven, covered, in the oven for at least 30 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from the oven; working carefully, place dough into the Dutch oven using the parchment paper as a sling. OPTIONAL: Using a sharp knife or bread lame, make a few shallow cuts on the top. Cover and place in the oven; remove the lid after 30 minutes. Continue baking until golden brown and completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 210 degrees F, about 15 minutes more. Let cool 30 minutes on a wire rack Serve warm.

NO-KNEAD RUSTIC ROUND LOAF

Steps:

• In a large glass, pottery, or hard plastic mixing bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of the yeast, 1 cup of tepid (95°F) water, and 1 cup of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for at least 5 hours or overnight, until bubbly.
• Stir in the remaining package of yeast, 2 cups tepid water, and 2 cups of the flour along with the salt, and beat until the dough is smooth. Stir in the remaining 2 to 3 cups of flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. With a large scraper or with your hand (oil your hands first), fold the dough over onto itself once or twice to make a smooth ball.
• Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. The dough should be shiny and contain big bubbles. Fold the dough over onto itself again, cover, and let it rise once more for 40 minutes.
• Dust a work surface with flour. Turn the dough out onto the surface, being careful not to deflate the air bubbles. With a pair of scissors, cut the dough in half.
• Gently shape each half into a round loaf and transfer each onto one of two lightly greased, dark, noninsulated cookie sheets. Let them rise for 40 minutes or until puffy. With a sharp, serrated knife, make three diagonal slashes across the top of each loaf, about 1/4 inch deep, cutting at a 45-degree angle. Bake the loaves one at a time if using Baking Method #1, or bake both pans at the same time if using Baking Method #2.
• Baking method #1: Position the oven racks on the very bottom and in the center of the oven. Place a rimmed cookie sheet filled with lake or river rocks on the very bottom level. Center a baking stone or 6 unglazed tiles on the rack (place the tiles 1 to 2 inches away from the sides of the oven for air circulation). Preheat the oven at 465°F (regular bake) for at least 20 minutes. Reset the oven to convection bake at 400°F.
• Using a spray bottle filled with plain water, spritz the loaf generously. Place the loaf on top of the stone in the oven. Pour 3/4 to 1 cup cool water into the pan of rocks beneath (a sport water bottle works well). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the loaf is shiny and crusty.
• Baking method #2: With this method you can bake two to three pans of bread at one time. Position the oven racks so that they are equally spaced, with the second rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to convection bake at 450°F.
• Shape the loaves and let them rise as in step 5. Using a spray bottle filled with water, spritz the loaves generously. Reduce the temperature to 400°F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and crusty. Remove the bread from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

NO-KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• 1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Make sure it's really sticky to the touch; if it's not, mix in another tablespoon or two of water. Cover the bowl with a plate, tea towel, or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature (about 72 degrees F), out of direct sunlight, until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size. This will take a minimum of 12 hours and (my preference) up to 18 hours. This slow rise-fermentation-is the key to flavor.
• 2. When the first fermentation is complete, generously dust a work surface (a wooden or plastic cutting board is fine) with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the board in one piece. When you begin to pull the dough away from the bowl, it will cling in long, thin strands (this is the developed gluten), and it will be quite loose and sticky-do not add more flour. Use lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula to lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
• 3. Place a cotton or linen tea towel (not terry cloth, which tends to stick and may leave lint in the dough) or a large cloth napkin on your work surface and generously dust the cloth with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Use your hands or a bowl scraper or wooden spatula to gently lift the dough onto the towel, so it is seam side down. If the dough is tacky, dust the top lightly with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, making an indentation about 1/4 inch deep, it should hold the impression. If it doesn't, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
• 4. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third position, and place a covered 4 1/2-5 1/2 quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.
• 5. Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel, lightly dust the dough with flour or bran, lift up the dough, either on the towel or in your hand, and quickly but gently invert it into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution-the pot will be very hot.) Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
• 6. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. Don't slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes at least an hour.