No Knead Bread in a Pot

I stumbled upon this recipe through the Good Food show on KCRW. I’ll admit, I was rather skeptical, as the dough seems like a wet mess most of the time, but the reader reviews enticed me. I’m always fascinated by the work of yeast, its ability to make dough rise and bubble, and the smell that emanates from freshly baked bread. I made this recipe over the course of a day, starting it the night before for the first long rise, then returning to let it rise on the counter the next afternoon. We did not have any non-terry cloth kitchen towels, but Kevin had the brilliant idea of using an old t-shirt, which nicely insulated the bread for a rise on the counter. We laid the t-shirt down on a cutting board, in the middle coated the shirt with flour and cornmeal, dumped the dough ball on top, and topped that with more cornmeal to keep it from sticking to the top of the shirt.

Either way, probably one of the most no-fuss, easiest recipes I’ve ever made. Also cheap--only requires flour, water, yeast, and salt. I loved tearing open the hot bread from the oven, slathering on butter and some brie, and enjoyed every bite. Add a nice salad and I think its a lovely dinner. You can also experiment with different types of flours, adding more salt, or adding ingredients to the dough, like rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped olives, or walnuts.


No Knead Bread, courtesy of Mark Bittman
yield: one loaf
time: about 1 1/2 hours plus 14-20 hours rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp instant (rapid-rise) yeast or active-dry yeast
1 tbsp sea salt
1 5/8 cups water (approximately)
cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Add the water until too wet to handle, blending well. The dough appears shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise 12-18 hours at room temperature.

The dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.

Dough after first rise, 12-18 hours.

Flour a work surface and place the dough on it, sprinkle with a little more flour and fold over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes. (I found the dough a bit hard to handle, so using a pastry scraper or rubber spatula to fold it over on itself was helpful. Either way, it will be sticky, so its ok to use a fair amount of flour.)

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or your hands, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel, not terry cloth (here we used a t-shirt) with flour or cornmeal. Put the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. Dough is ready when double in size and it does not spring back quickly when you poke it with your finger.

Dough ready to be baked

Half an hour before the dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a 4-5 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) into the oven while it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. Slide your hand under the towel, and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. If unevenly distributed, shake the pot once or twice. It may not look like a beauty now, but it will even out as it bakes. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack.