A very popular bread recipe that is incredibly simple to make. The recipe was originally created by American baker Jim Lahey, but I simplified it even further — though it's hard to imagine how it could get any easier :-) This bread requires no kneading; the great rise and texture are achieved through a long, slow rise. The bread turns out absolutely delicious, with a thin, crispy crust and a soft, moist, open-crumb interior — in flavor it's similar to thick lavash (matnakash). You can increase the amount of salt to 2 tsp, depending on your personal taste and the size of your particular teaspoon.
Ingredients:
- 400 g flour
- 350 ml water
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 0.3 tsp dry yeast
How to cook no-knead homemade bread
Pour in the water and mix well with a spoon. Let the dough rest for 12–24 hours (I let mine go for 18 hours). Once I left it for nearly 24 hours and, in my opinion, the result wasn't as good — so aim for around 18 hours.
This is what the fully risen dough looks like. Ideally, you want to catch the dough right at its peak rise and bake it then.
You'll need a heavy, oven-safe vessel with a lid. I use a regular heatproof glass pot, but a Dutch oven or similar works great too. Place the vessel with its lid in the oven and preheat both together to 230–250°C. In the original recipe, the dough is shaped before baking: on a floured surface, gather the sticky dough with your hands, fold it into an envelope shape, then transfer it to a towel dusted with bran or semolina, and use the towel to lower it into the hot vessel. Personally, I'm not a fan of getting my hands, the counter, and a towel all messy when I don't have to. So here's what I do instead: quickly brush the hot vessel with a piece of butter using a pastry brush, then carefully tip all the dough in using a spatula.
Cover the vessel with its lid and quickly return it to the oven. Bake for about 30–40 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 10–20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
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