No-knead bread

Ahh the infamous no-knead bread. I didn't ever plan on trying it until one day I stumbled upon the most beautiful bread ever on The Kittalog. She was showing a cheddar roasted red pepper bread. I was so pretty! Like I imagined seeing that kind of bread in some artisan bread shop or something. So right then and there I decided to make up a batch of no-knead bread.Then you let it rise.This will make a lot of bread! Just to let you know how much dough this actually is, this is a large bowl. No, this is the largest bowl I have in the whole house. I can fit like three of my heads in the grande sized bowl. So right then I decided that I have to try my hand at this bread. So I took a fourth of it and sprinkled some Parmesan on it and folded it, then shaped it, then sprinkled more cheese on it.It said that you only had to let it sit for like 40 min. But I though that that was insanity! I mean, like how can it rise with big holes in just 40 min!?? So me, being an insecure bread baker, let it rise for more, even though I probably didn't have to. Then I baked it up.This bread was quite yummy.A couple of nights later I baked up another loaf. This loaf was not quite as pretty, but was still good.I decided to leave this bread plain, and it turned out beautifully. All of these breads turned out very nicely, yet somehow I felt that they lacked the depth of flavor, or the texture of some of the other breads that I have baked in the Bread Bible. Don't get me wrong, this bread was great! I'm not really sure what it was, maybe it was just the fact that this bread was so easy! Dare I say it, too easy! For some odd reason, I like a good challenge, and this made my life too simple. lol. I will definitely be making this bread again, but I will continue to bake different breads from the Bread Bible also.

If you have never made bread before, this is another bread recipe that is perfect for you to try! It is so simple, and there is plenty of dough for you to experiment with through out the week!

I got the full recipe for the bread at Gardens by the lake.


No-knead bread
Gardens by the lake
Artisan Bread in five min a day



3 cups lukewarm water (about 100º F)
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour (no need to sift)
Cornmeal for the pizza peel.


In a 5-quart bowl, mix the yeast, water and salt. Add all the flour, then use a wooden spoon to mix until all ingredients are uniformly moist. It is not necessary to knead or continue mixing once the ingredients are uniformly moist. This will produce a loose and very wet dough.

2.Cover with a lid (not airtight). Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse, about 2 hours, but no more than 5 hours.

3. After rising, the dough can be baked immediately, or covered (non completely airtight) and refrigerated up to 14 days. The dough will be easier to work with after at least 3 hours refrigeration.

4. On baking day, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the bread from sticking when you transfer it to the oven. Uncover the dough and sprinkle the surface with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough (serrated knives are best). Store the remaining dough in the bowl and refrigerate for baking at another time.

5. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick.
Create a smooth ball of dough by gently pulling the sides down around to the bottom, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. While shaping, most of the dusting flour will fall off. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out during resting and baking. Shaping the loaf this way should take no more than 1 minute.

6.Place the dough on the pizza peel. Allow the loaf to rest for about 40 minutes. It does not need to be covered. The bread may not rise much during this time.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, place a pizza stone on the center rack of the oven. If you don't have a baking stone, use another baking sheet. Remove any upper racks. Place a broiler pan on a rack below the pizza stone or on the floor of the oven. Preheat oven to 450 F.

8. When the dough has rested for 40 minutes, dust the top liberally with flour, then use a serrated knife to slash a 1/4-inch-deep cross or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top.

9.Slide the loaf off the peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door.

10.Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch. Allow the bread to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack.