No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

Before you start

No-knead bread swaps effort for time. A wet dough made with only a quarter teaspoon of yeast sits on the counter overnight, and in those long hours the gluten organizes itself and the slow fermentation builds flavor that a quick loaf never gets. In the morning you fold it into a round, let it puff, and bake it in a very hot covered pot.

The Dutch oven is the clever part. Its lid holds in the moisture escaping from the dough, which keeps the crust soft long enough for the loaf to expand fully; then the lid comes off and the crust turns deep brown and crisp. Hydration is high at 75 percent, so the dough will be slack and sticky. Flour your hands and the surface, not the dough itself.

Ingredients

• 400 g (3⅓ cups) bread flour — plus more for shaping
• 8 g (1⅓ tsp) fine salt
• 1 g (¼ tsp) instant yeast
• 300 ml (1¼ cups) cool water — about 20°C (68°F)
• 2 tbsp wheat bran, cornmeal or flour — for the towel or parchment

Method

1. Whisk the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and stir with a spoon or your hand for about 30 seconds, until no dry flour is left. The dough will look shaggy and very sticky.
2. Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature, ideally 20 to 22°C (68 to 72°F), for 12 to 18 hours. It is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles, it has more than doubled and it jiggles when you shake the bowl.
3. Flour the counter well and scrape the dough onto it. With floured hands, fold the edges into the center four or five times, then flip it seam side down and cup your hands around it, dragging it toward you to tighten the surface.
4. Set the round seam side down on a well-floured towel or a sheet of parchment dusted with bran. Cover and proof for 1 to 2 hours, until it is puffy and a floured fingertip leaves a dent that fills back slowly.
5. About 30 minutes before the dough is ready, put the covered Dutch oven in the oven and heat to 245°C (475°F).
6. Carefully take out the hot pot and remove the lid. Tip the dough into it seam side up (or lower it in on its parchment). The seam opens naturally into a rustic split. Shake the pot once if the dough is lopsided, cover and return it to the oven.
7. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until the crust is deep chestnut brown and the loaf reads about 96°C (205°F) inside.
8. Lift the loaf onto a rack. You may hear the crust crackle as it cools. Wait at least 1 hour before cutting.

Tips for success

• In a warm kitchen above 25°C (77°F), the dough can overferment by morning. Use cooler water or move the bowl somewhere cooler.
• Dark-baked crust tastes better than pale crust. Leave the loaf in until it is a deep brown, not just golden.
• A Dutch oven knob may not be safe at 245°C. Check the manufacturer's rating or swap it for a metal knob.

Substitutions

Bread flour

All-purpose flour works with 15 ml (1 tbsp) less water. The loaf spreads a little more and the crumb is slightly softer.

Some of the bread flour

Replace up to 100 g with whole wheat or rye flour for a heartier flavor; add 15 to 30 ml (1 to 2 tbsp) water.

Instant yeast

Active dry yeast at the same ¼ tsp works. Stir it into the water first so it disperses evenly.

Variations

Olive and rosemary

Fold 80 g chopped, drained olives and 1 tbsp chopped rosemary into the dough during shaping.

Cheddar and jalapeño

Fold in 80 g cubed sharp cheddar and 1 seeded, diced jalapeño while shaping.

Troubleshooting

Loaf came out flat and spread

The dough overfermented or was under-shaped. Shorten the room-temperature rest in warm weather and shape it with more surface tension.

Dough stuck to the towel

Not enough flour on the towel. Use a cotton (not terry) towel rubbed with flour, or proof on parchment and lower the dough in on the paper.

Bottom crust burned

The pot sat too low or the oven runs hot. Bake on the middle rack and slip a baking sheet onto the rack below the pot for the uncovered stage.

Dense, tight crumb

The fermentation was too short or the room too cold. Wait until the dough is bubbly and well over doubled before shaping.

Storage

Keep the loaf at room temperature, cut side down on a board or in a paper bag, for up to 2 days; a plastic bag softens the crust. Freeze in slices for up to 3 months. Revive a whole loaf at 180°C (350°F) for 8 minutes.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw dough; uncooked flour can carry harmful bacteria. Use thick oven mitts; a preheated cast iron pot is extremely hot. Contains wheat.