Of all the foods I enjoy, bread is quite possibly the food I enjoy the most. There is nothing better than a chunk of good bread with butter or cheese. Bread is so simple and comforting, and yet I’ve always been a little scared to make it because you have to mess with yeast. This is my favorite bread recipe because it creates a delicious, soft, thick bread with a really good crust, and the best part is that you don’t even have to worry about blooming the yeast! No fussing with water temperature, no worrying that the yeast is going to die, none of that. Five ingredients is all it takes to make bread that competes with anything a professional bakery can make.
Artisan Bread (No-Knead Recipe)
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 1/2 cups flour
cornmeal (you can use flour of you have to, but make sure you scrape the excess off the bottom once it’s done baking)
1. Add salt and yeast to warm water (you want it to be warm to the touch, but comfortable). You don’t need to worry about the yeast dissolving all the way, but I still like to let it bloom for a while.
2. Throw in all the flour, and stir to combine. You don’t need, or want to knead this, as the dough will be rather sticky.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for two hours, then refrigerate overnight. This dough gets better the longer it ages, so don’t worry about using it all immediately. I baked two loaves, one aged in the fridge overnight, and one aged for two nights; the second loaf was better. The dough will remain usable for 14 days.
4. When it’s time to bake, first prepare your baking sheet by either sprinkling cornmeal or flour on the surface. Then sprinkle a little flour on the dough, and cut out a portion to bake.
5. Spend less than 60 seconds shaping the dough; sprinkle flour as needed so it doesn’t stick to your hands. Then transfer to prepared baking sheet and allow dough to rest for 40 minutes before baking.
6. After 20 minutes, turn the oven on to 450 F (232 C). Dust the top of your loaf with flour and slash an x on the top, about 1/4 inch deep. If you have a stove top kettle that takes forever to boil like mine does, start your kettle. You’ll be placing an oven safe baking vessel with steaming water in the oven as your bread bakes.
7. Once the preheat is done, place the bread into the oven. Then place an oven safe baking vessel in the oven, and pour about a cup of the steaming water in. Bake for 30 minutes, until crust is brown and firm to the touch. Allow bread to cool completely on a wire rack (I can never do this. I must have warm steamy bread!)
