No-Knead Yeast Bread

 No-Knead Dutch-Oven Bread

Karri Perry-Blue Ribbon Favorites 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tsp instant quick-rise yeast (I use Red Star brand)

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups warm water (not hotter than 110 degrees)

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use King Arthur brand)

Use a 4qt Dutch Oven with lid for best results. (I use a Lodge 4.5 qt Dutch Oven)

Directions:

In a medium bowl measure the flour and add the salt.  Set aside.

Measure 1 1/2 cups warm water, add the instant yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 4 minutes-it should become bubbly and foamy.

Pour the warm yeast and sugar water into the bowl of flour and salt.

Gently stir together, creating a shaggy sticky dough. 

Stir just enough to incorporate all the dry flour—then stop.

Cover dough and let rise until doubled in size-usually about an hour.

Turn oven on to 400 degrees, placing the empty Dutch-oven with lid on the middle rack of the oven to heat up.

Once dough has doubled in sized, turn dough out onto a very well floured parchment paper.

Shape into a round ball.

Dust with flour, score bread and allow to sit for 20 minutes as oven heats up. 

(Sometimes I add a sprinkle of flake sea salt to the top of the bread-after I score it…-just before it’s baked… not necessary-but it a nice addition to the crust)

Carefully, with oven mitts, remove hot Dutch-oven from the oven, remove the lid, lift the parchment paper with the bread into the hot Dutch oven. Add the lid.

Bake for 25-30 minutes with the lid on.

After 25-30 minutes, carefully remove the lid— and return the bread back to the oven for an additional 12-15 minutes-until loaf is puffed and golden brown.

Place bread on a cooling rack to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting. (Cutting warm bread can cause a gummy texture.)

Because this bread doesn’t contain any fats-it’s best served the same day that it is baked.

Leftover bread is great made into croutons or bread pudding or a breakfast casserole.

Save leftover bread in a closed brown paper bag.