The crunchiest-crackliest-chewiest-lightest-EASIEST bread you’ll ever bake.
King Arthur Flour.
Water.
SAF yeast.
Salt.
That’s all it takes to make the crackly-crusted, chewy, light-textured, DELICIOUS bread pictured above.
Just stir up a bucket of dough, and stick it in the fridge. That’s right, stir; no need to knead.
Want some bread? Grab a handful of chilled dough, plop it onto a piece of parchment. Let it rise. Bake it to golden perfection.
You can do this.
And this.
And this.
All with this easy recipe for No-Knead Crusty White Bread.
Let’s get stirring!
Combine the following in a large mixing bowl, or food-safe plastic bucket (at least 6 quarts):
3 cups lukewarm water
32 ounces (6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
Wait a minute – exactly how much flour do I use, 6 1/2 cups or 7 1/2 cups?
You want to use 32 ounces, so if you have a scale – or a 2-pound bag of King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour - you’re golden.
If you don’t have a scale, the amount your use depends on how you measure flour. If you measure it the way we do here at King Arthur – the method all of our recipes are written for – you’ll use 7 1/2 cups.
If you measure via the “dip and sweep” method – that is, you dip your cup into the flour canister, tapping the cup to kinda tamp it down, then sweeping off the excess – use 6 1/2 cups.
Why? Because flour you dip out of the canister can weigh about 25% more than flour you measure by the King Arthur “sprinkle and sweep” method. So by volume, you use less of it to achieve the target weight of 32 ounces.
Note to eagle-eyed scale-users: Assuming a weight of 4 1/4 ounces per cup of King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 7 1/2 cups will weigh 31 5/8 ounces. If you’re using a 2-lb. bag of flour - CLOSE ENOUGH!
Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds.
If you don’t have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk till everything is combined.
See how the dough comes together, and starts to follow the dough whisk around the bucket?
Next, you’re going to let the dough rise. If you’ve made the dough in a plastic bucket, you’re all set – just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here.
If you’ve made the dough in a bowl that’s not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it’s going to rise a lot. There’s no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it’s time to bake bread.
Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
It’ll rise quite vigorously.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you’re pressed for time, you can skip the initial room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge).
Over the course of the first day or so in the fridge, it’ll rise, then fall. That’s OK; that’s what it’s supposed to do. The longer you keep the dough chilled, the tangier it’ll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough.
When you’re ready to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator.
Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk.
Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It’ll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.
Will you look at that gluten?! Gluten, a combination of liquid-activated proteins in flour, is the stretchy matrix that makes it possible for yeast bread to rise.
Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don’t fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can.
Place the dough on a piece of parchment (if you’re going to bake on a hot pizza stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking.
You don’t have to make a ball. Make a longer, baguette-type loaf, if you like.
Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won’t appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it’ll seem to settle and expand.
Preheat your oven (and pizza stone, if you’re using one) to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow pan on the lowest oven rack, with another rack right above it. Have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.
When you’re ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2” deep.
The bread may deflate a bit. That’s OK…
…it’ll pick right up in the hot oven.
Place the bread directly on the pizza stone (complete with parchment)…
…or place the pan on the rack above the lower rack.
No baking stone? No worries. While a stone does give a slightly chewier bottom crust, a baking sheet gives just as much pop.
Carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the lowest oven rack. It’ll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.
So what’s with the steam? It settles on the bread’s crust, making it soft and flexible enough to rise as high as possible during those first few crucial minutes of baking.
Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it’s a deep, golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool.
This loaf is pretty, but I’d call it a bit under-baked; it should really be darker, to ensure the interior is the optimum consistency.
OK, experiment time. I was looking for larger, more irregular holes in the bread, and thought, maybe a wetter (slacker) dough?
Loaf on the left, 24 ounces water. Loaf on the right, 26 ounces water. The slacker dough was MUCH more difficult to work with, and didn’t yield appreciably bigger/more irregular holes. I’d say stick with the 24 ounces water.
Here’s dough shaped in a flattened oval – a ciabatta. Don’t be afraid to try different shapes.
Perfect!
Here’s bread made from dough that had been in the fridge for 9 days. WHOOPS! Would it still work?
You betcha! This dough made a great loaf – perhaps my best yet. It was unbelievably chewy/crusty, and full of those big, irregular holes I’d been seeking earlier.
When it was fully baked, I left it there on the stone, turned off the oven, and cracked the door open a few inches with a folded potholder. Cooling it in the oven made its crust wonderfully crunchy/crackly.
Well, here we are at the bottom line. And what do we all conclude, bakers?
Even if this is your very first encounter with yeast, you can make wonderful, artisan-style bread.
All it takes is this:
King Arthur Flour.
Water.
SAF yeast.
Salt.
And your new favorite recipe: No-Knead Crusty White Bread.
Read, rate, and review (please!) No-Knead Crusty White Bread.
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December 1st, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Looks terrific! I don’t have a pizza stone, but I do have one of your domed Le Cloche ovens. Could you please tell us how to modify the recipe to use it? Thanks!!
Judy, try using just the base of the cloche as a stone. Or add the lid, and bake a bit longer. Same temperature. Should work just fine. PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Yum!
December 1st, 2009 at 4:25 pm
This recipe looks really good and easy. I love how you can make different loaf shapes with it. Could you make it with whole wheat flour? It would be worth a try. Just increase your water by about 2 -3 tablespoons. Let us know how it comes out! Mary @ KAF
December 1st, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I’ve been making these breads since the book first came out and there have been times when the dough has been left in the fridge for an unconscionable amount of time (3 weeks +/-) and it STILL comes out delicious! It’s really good shortly after the initial overnight rise, but it’s very forgiving if you leave it for a while!
Cynthia, I thought 9 days was stretching it - thanks for that information, now I’ll feel free to let it sit awhile longer. PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 4:55 pm
this was the recipe that first got me interested in bread baking a few years ago. I still use it as a basic everyday bread, but have since learned more traditional methods. Now I kind of prefer working with drier, less sticky dough, but this formula is almost failsafe.
December 1st, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Awesome recipe. It’s almost exactly the same as “Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day”, and I was so excited to see you measure the flour in ounces, because I always use King Arthur flour for it, and the measurements were a little uncertain in the book, at least to me. Since I have a very picky five year old who doesn’t appreciate a good crackling crust (oh, the humanity!) I often also use this basic dough to roll out flatbreads or pitas… they only take about 5-6 minutes to bake on the hot stone, and you don’t need to add the steam. Make it slightly bigger, and you’ve got pizza dough! Because I can never leave well enough alone, I usually add some percentage of whole wheat flour or wheat germ, and as long as it’s not too much (no more than 2 cups substitution, I’d say), the bread doesn’t suffer in taste or texture!
Beth, the recipe on the site credit Jeff and Zoe for the basis for this recipe; I’ve simply changed the amount of flour a bit.. Their new “5 Minutes” book is all about whole grains and healthy breads - I’m trying my first recipe from it tomorrow, olive spelt bread. Can’t wait! PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 5:25 pm
I need to call the baker’s hotline for help - I’ve tried a few loaves of bread lately and they have been rising beautifully up until I put them on the sheet pan to do the final pre-bake rise and they spread out more than rise. I’ve made several ciabatta style breads lately when I’ve intended to have taller loaves. Could it be that I used a silicone mat under the loaves instead of parchment or the plain pan? I’m so inspired and would like to be able to bake good bread without the bread machine, too!
Jamie, sounds like either your bread is rising a bit too long throughout the whole process (the gluten eventually weakens); or it’s just a bit too soft/slack. Try using ab it more flour, and not letting it rise quite as long for the first rise, OK? And do call the hotline - they can definitely talk you through it. Good luck - PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 5:34 pm
This makes a dought of about 80% ratio water/flour (by weight 26oz/32oz). I am usually doing a ratio of 70-75% and it is really sticky and does not seem to have enough consistancy to rise vertically (it looks like your wetter/slacker version).
I don’t know I must be doing something wrong. When you are forming the ball/torpedo do you add much flour? How do you get it to keep its shape while rising out and then in the oven?
Not wrong, Julien - just different. I prefer to think there’s no “right” and “wrong” in bread-baking. First, the dough is cold so it’s naturally less sticky. Second, it’s been resting for at least hours, more often days, and it’s gotten less slack and the gluten has continued to develop, giving it more body. Third, I dump the sticky dough onto a fairly heavily floured board, and it does pick up some flour. I thnk the main difference though, is that rest in the fridge. Going in, it’s so slack you really wouldn’t want to work with it. After a day or so, it’s firmed up pretty nicely - still slack, but workable. Give the fridge method a try, I think you’ll like it - PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 5:37 pm
this looks super easy & since this will be my second time with yeast i am going for it!
received my kaf catalogue today & the usa pans are listed…happy holidays to me…
Happy holidays to us all, Linda - enjoy! PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 5:45 pm
You should give credit to ARTISAN BREAD IN 5 MINUTES or the authors (Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois) for this.
I do give them credit, Helen - click through to the recipe. I’m in touch with Jeff often - in fact, just emailed with him this afternoon about his new book, which looks fabulous. I’ll be making my first recipe from it tomorrow. PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Whole wheat? Sure…..just look in Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois’s book HEALTHY BREAD IN 5 MINUTES. Or their website www.artisanbreadinfive.com.
Look for the Master Recipe. They’ve worked it all out. After all, they’re the one’s who came up w/ this technique. Hint: there are a couple of special tricks for wwflour.
Sorry to sound snarky. It’s just the whole credit where credit’s due thing.
Helen, check out the recipe. I always assume folks will click through to the recipe, which is where you get the weights. Sorry I rubbed you the wrong way here - but as I said, Jeff and I have a very happy, collegial relationship, and I’d never “steal” anything from him, honest - I told him this afternoon to look for this blog, so I’m not hiding anything, honest! PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 6:07 pm
OOOH you have no idea how excited i am to try this! the best part is i can put it all together now and bake it this weekend
question - would the extra 2-3 tbsp of water also apply if using the white wheat flour?
No need for the extra water, Kate - But if you’re using 100% whole wheat, all bets are off - this recipe is written for AP flour. Stay tuned on a report about Jeff & Zoe’s newest book, “Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.” Book is for sale at Amazon now - take a look. PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Actually, the “No-Knead Bread” frenzy–the modern one at least, began with Jim Lahey at the Sullivan Bakery in NYC, with help from Mark Bittman and the NYTimes—and, if you go back far enough in history, we’d have to credit the earliest bakers, who used this very method and a fire to bake their breads. All this interest is great for getting everyone to make bread–the easier and more accessible, the better! (and I am a college educator who teaches citations, so I have a vested interested in giving credit where credit is due—but not needed when it the information is common knowledge and long-standing!)
Thanks, Charlene. And before Jim, as you say, were the legions of ’50s housewives making cottage cheese/dill batter bread. As you say, very slack yeast doughs strecth back to the times of emmer and einkorn… PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I just love that book… I have tried a bunch of the recipes and they all turn out great. The best part was that I can use the recipes and just make teeny tiny breads just for me.
I want to say, though that you really do need the HUGE container for the dough to rise in. I know this from experience and trust me, it was not easy to clean up the next morning.
December 1st, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I just made up a bucket of this dough from the recipe in the Artisan Bread in 5 min book. I didn’t want to sprinkle and sweep six and a half cups, so I weighed the first cup and then multiplied - my cup was 5 oz, so I used 32.5 oz total - glad to see I wasn’t far off.
In the book, it is mentioned that KAF’s All-Purpose Flour has a high protein content in the range of most flours labelled bread flour. Do you think this affects the bread much? Does KAF sell an alternative closer to ‘regular’ AP flour?
Jo, our AP flour is 11.7%, bread flour 12.7%. Our Perfect Pastry Blend (a.k.a. Mellow Pastry Blend) is 10.3%, which puts it right in line with the range for Gold Medal and Pillsbury AP flours. PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I’m going to make sure that my college aged son has this link. I know he has the previous post you did bookmarked. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/06/15/yeast-101-a-required-course-for-new-grads/He’s made many successful loaves based on that entry. That entry was also a plug for Jeff and Zoe’s first book, so obviously you’re giving credit where credit is due. And as Charlene pointed out this technique is as old as stone hearth baking. Thanks for another great entry. Like I said my son will definitely benefit from this.
Great, Sue - bake it forward! I’m loving that the next generation can take and run with this “new” method, which is actually old as old can be - but brought to light again by Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman and Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois and everyone who makes their own tweaks to the basic flour-water-salt-yeast formula. Thanks for connecting, as always - PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 9:17 pm
With regards to the cloche … I’d definitely recommend you give it a try. I cook a no-knead bread in a Dutch Oven … and it has the best crust, no messy water necessary in the oven, either.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Wow - loved all of the tips and info about baking bread. My mom is an expert bread baker, but I have never quite gotten a good feel for it. I will definitely give this a try… It looks like bread that even I can make!
Jen, YOU CAN DO THIS. Totally. And soon you’ll be rivaling your mom! Have fun - PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 11:02 pm
None of my son’s bread books are handy, but does the dough bucket/
container need to be covered while it’s in the refrigerator?
Yes, AJ, cover it - keeps the dough from developing a thick crust. Refrigerators are actually a very dry environment, did you know that? PJH
December 1st, 2009 at 11:06 pm
I’ve been using Cook’s Illustrated’s version (uses beer, vinegar) and love it. I like the idea/option of keeping it in the fridge-inevitably I forget to make it the night before the day I need to use it!
I have trouble with the bottom of the loaves getting too crisp and hard. Maybe your method will work-I’ll try it!
Thanks.
December 1st, 2009 at 11:18 pm
I’ve been playing around with minimally kneaded, refrigerator retarded, high hydration dough for quite a while now. I’ve baked them in dutch ovens, on a baking stone, and on a sheet pan. I’ve added cheese cubes (asiago is great), and sprinkled with seeds. This is a great concept and appears to be nearly foolproof.
This recipe is quite a bit dryer than my current favorite - I bet it’s MUCH easier to work with. I’m off to the kitchen to mix up a batch tonight! -Tom
Tom, you’re ahead of me - I’m mixing up my spelt/olive dough this morning. Let us know how your new hydration works out. P.S. Still glowing?
PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:08 am
My Mother made a recipe similar to this in the 50s and 60s. I will try keeping this in the refrig a week or so. I have been playing around with my sour dough starter to make a half whole wheat bread. Made chocolate cranberry sour dough recently; added walnuts to the second loaf.
I will try this with part whole wheat. I wonder how it would as rolls or buns?
Marcia, it works fine as rolls - it seems to work fine any shape you like! Just remember it’s a “lean” dough (no fat), so it won’t make a soft roll or sandwich loaf; much more suited to crisp/crunchy/chewy type loaves. Enjoy - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:57 am
Question for all you Dutch Oven users–I’ve just started playing around with that idea. I’ve read different versions of it–with a pre-heated DO, and without. Which do you prefer? The pre-heated makes the most sense to me!
Jeri, preheated works well IF you’re sure your Dutch oven can take being heated to a high temperature with nothing in it. Cast iron - no problem. Stoneware? Check the manufacturer’s instructions. Some stoneware’s OK; some, danger of breakage. The other tricky issue is turning that risen bread into the hot pan - you need to be very careful; for safety reasons, of course, but also that the loaf doesn’t stick to whatever it’s been rising in/on, and is able to settle happily into the hot pan. All in all - it’s worth trying if you know you Dutch oven can take the heat. Good luck - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:02 am
I have enjoyed Jeff and Zoe’s first book and recently sent it to my daughter in California. I look forward to mixing up some bread on the weekends so I can relax after work with a slice of great bread from the oven! What a great recipe for the holiday season.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:04 am
I have been making ABin5 for a while now and sometimes the dough came out too wet and sometimes too dry. What I did figure out is that I was measuring the flour differently from the book’s directions. I’m so used to measuring by scooping a measuring cup and then pouring that flour into another measuring cup but their directions state to just scoop the flour into a cup. The latter method provides more flour than my method (mine provides a fluffier fill if that makes sense). Since I realized this difference, my bread comes out perfect…
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:20 am
Can’t wait to make this. I love the rye that was in your catalog a while ago that you can let sit for a week. My family loves crusty chewy rolls, and now I can make just enough for a meal at a time. I really have to invest in the artisan bread in 5 minutes books, since you are all raving about them. I have had great luck with all kinds of batter breads and no knead breads from KAF, website, cookbooks and Baking Sheet. I made bread mixes from Kneadlessly Simple for Christmas gifts with loaf pans. I made a chocolate one yesterday from KS and it is yummy! And I can always fit the no knead recipes into a busy schedule because they are so forgiving. Love it!
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:40 am
This recipe is GREAT! Thanks for the pictures of the variations in the bread. I have been baking this recipe (along with the other ABin5 and HBin5 too!) since the book first came out - it definitely is impressive with the crunch and the chewiness! I just made the 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich dough from the new book in my KA Pain de Mie pan - FANTASTIC!!!
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:41 am
Hi PJ. Just last night I put 2 lbs. of KAF AP in my bread bucket and was planning on adding the remaining ABIF ingredients this morning. So it’s perfect timing to try your version! I’m just curious about the amount of water and salt. That’s obviously where you varied it, as theirs calls for 1.5 T kosher salt (and I assume you mean 1 T. table), and Jeff and Zoe specifically mention increasing the water from 3 cups to 3.25 if using KAF’s high protein AP flour. So can you share what those slight variations cause in terms of the finished product compared to the original recipe? Thanks!
Most all purpose flour has a gluten level of 10%, our King Arthur AP Flour has a gluten level of 11.7% , hence the increase in liquid for the higher gluten or protein level. Our testing found the 1 T. (tablespoon) of salt gave the flavor we were looking for in this recipe. Irene @ KAF
Emilie, Jeff and Zoe measure their flour differently than we do here; theirs weighs more per cup. I’ve worked the recipe out to take into account flour weighing 4 1/4 ounces per cup; and the amount of water for 32 ounces of flour - at this time of the year - is perfect. (You’d use less water in the summer, when the atmosphere is more humid). Since I’ve never made the recipe using flour other than KA, I can’t really comment on the difference between the KA version and a version using a lower-protein flour. All I can say is, the recipe here works with the ingredients/amounts as listed - as Irene commented above. Yours in good bread (however you arrive at it!) - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:11 am
I have a friend who took some cooking classes in France–her bread class instructor told the class to just throw two or three ice cubes to the bottom or floor of her oven for the moisture and steam for crusty breads–been doing that now for years and it works great. I’m such a klutz I’d probably spill the water or get burned trying to pour it into the pan…Ice cubes do the trick and are real quick and easy so you can get the door closed real fast!
Joni, some oven manufacturers don’t recommend the ice cubes thing - they say it may warp the oven’s floor. That’s why I don’t advise it here, but everyone’s certainly welcome to try in their own oven - glad it’s worked for you. You can also throw ice cubes into a cast iron pot or frying pan that you’ve had heating in the oven. - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:59 am
I cannot stress enough the word *careful* for pouring the water into the pan. I was less than careful and ended up making a $300 loaf of bread (the cost to replace my oven glass, which promptly cracked into a bunch of pieces when I spilled water onto it — cool water and hot glass are a bad combination). I’ve actually stopped putting the water in, and the bread still bakes up fine, just with a bit less crunch.
I have your Artisan Bread Baking Crock — could you give me instructions on how to bake this bread using it?
If you check out the recipe here it will tell how to use the crock. Again, be careful when adding the bread to the dutch oven and pushing it back into the oven. Irene @ KAF
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:17 am
Could you use this dough to make pizza?
Sure! No need to use steam in the oven. You might also want to check our blog on sourdough pizza for tips and ideas! Irene @ KAF
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Hi all! Just wanted to let you know I’ve made this recipe before and frozen it for up to 6-months. It still works fine but doesn’t have the crisp flavor you get when baking it within a week or so. You can’t beat the convenience and simplicity of this method, which produces a very good tasting bread with a great chew.
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
A thought…I like the ice cube hint. Why not throw ice cubes in the lower
pan rather than the oven floor? Ice cubes would be waaaay easier for
me to use!
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
What about using your bread flour instead of the unbleached all purpose?
Use some bread flour (like 1/4 the amount) and see what your results are…then decide if adding more will still meet your needs next time you bake. Irene @ KAF
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I’ve had wonderful success with all your recipes, from your Bread Bowls to your No-Knead Harvest Bread. I’m getting ready to try “No-Knead Crusty White Bread,” but just realized I am out of parchment paper. Would it work if I used a silpat mat or shall I just stick with a baking sheet?
Also, is there any danger in the dough drying out while rising if it’s not covered well with flour?
It’s disturbing to me to read criticisms of your work, i.e., not giving credit to others. You are much appreciated for your unselfishness in sharing recipes, tips and all kinds of advice. Many thanks to all of you for all your help and kindness.
Hi Adele,
You can certainly use the Silpat mat under the bread, it will help with the sticky-ish dough. The coating of flour is light, like sifting sugar on a cookie. You just want to provide a light layer of protection from drying out. Thanks again for your kind comments, we aim to please! ~ MaryJane
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I have a question about the SAF instant yeast. Is this the yeast that you have to let sit in the water and froth first, or is it really the instant yeast that’s ready to go?
Instant yeast is good to go….no proofing required. Mix it right in with the dry ingredients. Irene @ KAF
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Can I use Active Dry Yeast instead of instant? If so, how much?
Sure, Rose. Use the same amount; dissolve it in the water first. PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I need to make a bread that is at least 50% non-wheat…what kinds of flours can I just to achieve that? I’m dying to hear how the spelt came out!!!
Spelt isn’t non-wheat, Kari - if you’re talking celiac or gluten issues. Spelt is a type of wheat whose gluten does seem easier to digest, but it’s still wheat. Non-wheat flours that bakers use include rice, tapioca starch, and potato starch. However, you can’t just substitute them for wheat flour willy-nilly. best to follow a specific recipe. There are lots of good gluten-free baking books out there; we offer Gluten-Free Baking Classics online here. And we’ll also be offering our own delicious King Arthur gluten-free mixes beginning this winter sometime. Good luck - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
My son and I have dreams about bread like this! I can’t wait to make it!!!
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Thanks for all of the no-knead recipes. A freak custard cup accident has taken my Kitchen Aid Pro 6 out of commission for a month or so, so I’m glad to have some “stir and go” recipes.
(The mixer is no longer under warranty, but the KA repair people are very nice, and I expect that they’ll do good work for far less than the price of a new mixer. Note: if adding stuff to the mixer via a hard secondary implement, turn off the beater, no matter how quick and easy that stuff seems like it will be to add.)
OMG Daria, “a freak custard cup accident” struck my funny bone and had me in giggles! It reminded me of my “freak toast incident” Thanks for the smiles today! ~ MaryJane
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Your timing is impeccable. Received the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes book just two days ago and have been reading/studying it. (Just made a loaf of bread a couple of days ago plus the fridge is rather full at the moment. No room for a big bucket of dough.) But I was looking at the 6 qt. dough rising bucket just this morning and figuring to maybe start some dough to have ready in a couple more days. I live alone (the cat doesn’t like bread) so a loaf lasts most of a week. It’ll be great to have all your pics when it’s time to shape and bake. I got a second copy of the book to give my niece. Hope she or one of her kids will try this. I’ll put in a note referencing this blog.
Carolyn
P.S. I buy my cookbooks from ‘Jessica’s Biscuit’, a division of the New England Book Fair in Newtonville, MA. Great prices and I think they have every cookbook in print. Amazing selection.
C.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:20 pm
What a win, win! Nothing could be better than the combination of KA Flour and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes. I have been using KA for years and the Bread in Five Minutes since I found the book months ago. PJ and this recipe show you how you can have great “fancy Artisan” breads so easily anytime you want it. I have done this bread, a fried bread, an olive rosemary bread, a topped by the works bread, several variations more. They are all very good and so easy. This is a great fit for a busy work week schedule and a family who wants every meal special.
You can freeze the dough. Mornings, I raid the freezer for soup and bread dough, thaw in the fridge and come home to an easy finish up of soup and bread for super. I forgot the dough once for three weeks and got a gorgeous sourdough bread.
The only real limit here is your creativity, KA flour gives you great results. I hope you’ll try this recipe, it is a nice to have in your fridge.
Thanks for sharing your success with all of us, Susan - sounds like dinners are mighty tasty at your house! PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I love no knead bread! But I clicked over here hoping for a recipe I could use in my new Zo (which is on it’s way to me from KAF). Do you all have an index of recipes that are bread machine friendly?
Beth, all yeast breads are bread machine friendly, if you simply use the bread machine to knead the dough. Take a look at our Yeast Breads category in the recipe archive; scroll down, and you’ll find categories for both breads baked in the machine, and breads baked out of the machine, written specifically for bread machines. PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Looks like a great chance to take a break from being kneady. Would it work as well if I were to use your white wheat flour? Would it be better if I’d add a few tablespoons of gluten?
Thanks for the guidance.
Don’t know, Hal; haven’t tried it. It would certainly be different - not as high-rising, different flavor. Give it a whirl, let us know how it goes. I think you’d want to add about 3 tablespoons more water, if you’re using 100% white wheat… PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
what is your opinion on baking bread in a conventional oven VS convection? If you prefer convection, do you have to adjust the temperature and the time is takes to bake?
Sorry, Lorna, I’ve never used a convection oven. I hear they bake more quickly, and something like “bake for 20% less time” sticks in my mind… Readers, does anyone have any advice for Lorna? PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I enjoyed the idea of “Artisan Breads in Five Minutes” but the method resulted in having a great deal of dough in my fridge, which didn’t really work for my small family of two. Also, I found that if I made a “normal” size loaf the results would often be somewhat gummy. And the smallish loaves that book produces were just not enough to last the workweek or to serve at a dinner party.
I have had better luck with Nancy Baggett’s “Kneadlessly Simple” book, in which you mix up a batch (for one and sometimes two loaves) and just leave it in a bowl on the counter for 12-18 hours and then bake it off (or you can refrigerate it after mixing too). Her method produces generous-size loaves with no gumminess or heaviness. Her book also offers an amazing variety of breads, from artisan (including “dutch oven” breads) to old-fashioned white loaves to dessert breads. A great addition is a section in which Baggett offers tips on converting any favorite bread recipe into one using her method. By the way, Lahey didn’t invent the no-knead method, it’s been around forever; he just revived the method and made it popular again.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Using a cast-iron Dutch oven that’s preheated works wonderfully, and you can put your shaped dough on a square of parchment paper to make it easy to transfer. Once the dough is set, peel off the parchment and finish baking the bread. (It’s fine to leave the parchment the whole time, but it may get very crispy and break into small pieces when you remove the finished loaf.)
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I’ve been making bread like this for a while now. While I agree that the book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” is the basis for my current method, I wouldn’t agree they came up with this idea. I’ve seen similar ideas before in other books. (Wet dough in the refrigerator overnight…)
Don’t get me wrong, I love the book, and am glad to see the recipe here with weights.
The only problem with this bread is that it’s so darn good my wife has told me to stop making it as she’s eating too many carbs… DOH! I have a batch going right now that has some of the KA Harvest Grains mix thrown in. Should get some baked tomorrow morning. (Sorry dear… :))
Tony, I feel your pain… and your wife’s, too! I love carbs… too bad they’re not no-calorie. But surely you have friends and neighbors who’d appreciate some of your bread largesse?
PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Great blog! I’ve been using America’s Test Kitchen version of no-knead bread and their version uses only 1/4 tsp instant yeast for each 15 ounces of A/P flour. This recipe uses 1 1/2 Tbsp yeast for 32 ounces of flour. What’s your take on such a large variance in the amounts of yeast?
My version rises perfectly but I bake mine the next day. I’d really like to make a bigger batch now and take some as I need it. Great idea!
Julie, yeast is so easy to work with - you can use more, less, it ends up doing its thing one way or another. I’d guess Cook’s recipe has you letting the dough rise longer than 2 hours before using? This recipe, you can actually bake bread 2 hours after making the dough. That might be what the difference is. PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
maybe a silly question - but I am a novice yeast bread maker….would it be ok to halve the recipe? Is there a reason this makes so much? For me it would be difficult to find a large enough container to hold all that dough!
Sure, Jen, not a problem. Halve, or cut in thirds, though I wouldn’t cut down more than that. Yeast baking is very friendly! PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Regarding using a dutch oven for baking this bread: I’ve been making my ABin5 this way for over a year. I give the dough its pre-baking rest on parchment paper, then use the parchment paper to lift the dough and place it into my preheated duch oven. Then I use the parchment to lift the loaf out of the dutch oven when it’s finished baking. It makes is safe and easy.
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Why when making bread do you use all purpose flour and not bread flour. I noticed this in the potato roll recipe posted last week too. (Great rolls even made with bread flour). Just wondering!
Sara, our all-purpose flour is truly ALL-PURPOSE - good for all your baking, from pie crust and biscuits to yeast bread. King Arthur is a higher percentage protein than other national brands, because it’s made from more expensive wheat; thus it’s suitable for bread. Our bread flour, with its even higher protein, is good when you want to make very high-rising loaves; or combine with whole grains to give them some lift. PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:37 pm
In an earlier post Kate asked:
question - would the extra 2-3 tbsp of water also apply if using the white wheat flour?
No need for the extra water, Kate - But if you’re using 100% whole wheat, all bets are off - this recipe is written for AP flour. Stay tuned on a report about Jeff & Zoe’s newest book, “Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.” Book is for sale at Amazon now - take a look. PJH
Might she have been referring to KA’s White WHOLE Wheat flour and whether it needed the extra water?
I was wondering about substituting some KA White Whole Wheat Flour myself - Dan
Yes, I’m assuming Kate was talking about white whole wheat. All I can say is, give it a try - if you’re only adding a tiny bit of white wheat, don’t adjust the water. If you’re going 100% white wheat, you’ll probably need to increase the water a bit, though I don’t know how much, as I haven’t tried it. I also don’t know how the bread will rise and bake, using 100% white wheat. I’d start with 3 tablespoons extra water, see if that gives you the hydration you like, OK? then take it from there, see if it works. Good luck - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I tried the ice in a cast iron pan for steam and the seasoning is gone. Next I tried the hot water in the pan with some success. I heard that some oven windows will break if water is spilled on it. I like my cast iron Dutch oven the best. I pre-heat it (no plastic knob) and use parchment to make a sling for the loaf to rest on and go into the pan. I dry fit it to remove the excess parchment so that it will go in smoothly. My pan has a black coating on the cast iron, I think that this might be the cause for the very dark bottom crust. I will experiment with something in the pan to raise the bread off the bottom.
I use KAF bread flour at 7000 feet for stronger dough.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I am using your yeast and it works great. But I am no mathmatician, and some of my recipes say to use the yeast you have to proof. My problem is using the correct amount of red yeast to equal two packets of yeast.
I know that I have not used enough yeast in some of the receipes,usually after the dough isin the oven, but it comes out ok anyway. How do I make sure I convert correctly from packets to the SAF measure?
I am loving this new hobby of making Artisanal Breads (I love saying that), and I have made the no-knead crusty bread dough. It comes out great and your online step by step pictures are so helpful for us newbies.
What I really want to know is the conversion table from proof type yeast packets to SAF yeast.
Hi Sandy - A packet of yeast has 2 generous teaspoons, by measurement. Use about 2 1/4 teaspoons SAF Red instant yeast to equal each packet of active dry. Do you need to use less, because it’s instant? No; go ahead and use the same amount. Hope this helps - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I have been using the ABin5 Peasant bread variation (substitute 1/2 cup your rye flour and 1/2 cup white whole wheat for one cup of the AP flour–healthier and more flavor!
For the question on too hard bottom crusts, (which I prefer), try leaving the loaf on a parchment sheet for the whole baking period and it won’t be as dark or hard. I remove the parchment from the baking stone as soon as the loaf is firmed up enough to do so, so that the bottom will be more like the top and sides.
Thank you for giving the flour in ounces, which I didn’t find in the book!
I’m eager to hear about the breads in the second volume!
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Ahhh, just in time. I’ve been experimenting with a couple of different formulas for bread bowls (to be filled with yummy soups - I’m an addict, don’t ya know), and the look of these loaves is exactly what I’m after. I’m going to get the dough going tonight so it’ll be ready for the weekend.
You GO girl! I LOVE soup too and I’m on my way to check out your site. Thanks for sharing! ~ MaryJane
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Uh-oh! I usually stir and “fluff” my flour before measuring. It helps avoid really heavy finished products. Should I perhaps go with 7 cups?
You can go with the 7 1/2 cups - stirring and fluffing and then spooning is the way we do it here, too. PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
I love Jeff and Zoe! I’m hoping to get their new book for Christmas (I’ve certainly dropped enough hints!).
I appreciate having the measurements in weights here. Their books are great, but they are definitely a little more “casual” in terms of directions than I like my baking! Can’t help it when you’re a scientist…
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I’ve been a fan of ABin5 for over a year now and have started on the new HBin5 though I’m reluctant to stray far from my favorite buttermilk dough in the first book….what’s not to love from dough that will give you wonderful loaves of traditional and cinnamon raisin bread!
I haven’t read all of the post here but did notice a mention of salt. I believe I read that Jeff and Zoe have reduced the salt in the new HBin5 book and as you chose to use less, they too suggest people use whatever amount they prefer.
I seldom use water any more, I went from the pizza stone and adding the water, to using a enamel covered Dutch oven, to simply using a couple of clay baking containers I bought from P.C. 15 or so years ago. One is standard loaf pan and one tall and round, similar to baking in a can …for a round loaf of bread. It is perfect for making small loaves to be used up in a couple of days. When I use the loaf pan I do two “balls” of dough and bake them side by side, perfect to keep one and share one without slicing a loaf in half.
And by all means, for all who can, buy the dough whisk here! I love my KitchenAid but I don’t love cleaning it when I don’t have to and it’s been my experience that it’s really not necessary with this dough. I find the large whisk perfect for mixing the dough and my smaller one gets its share of use with smaller batches of things like cookies, muffins, cupcakes, scones. They are two of the most often used tools in my kitchen…worth every penny!
ABin5 also has a terrific website and like everyone here at KAF, they are most generous in communicating with those who post on their site. It amazes me to find sites like these two…these are what make the internet better than I would have ever dreamed it would be. From all of the talented bakers here to Jeff and Zoe at ABin5 and even world renowned Dorie Greenspan…it’s truly amazing. I can’t speak for the other internet communities but the baking world is blessed by all of these people!
So true, LaJuana - I’ve found the online baking community to be a generous, warm and friendly group, all in all. Thanks for joining in the fun! PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I’m so glad to see so many fans of AB in 5. I’ve picked the book up several times but never actually purchased it. I consider the opinions on this blog a ringing endorsement and won’t hesitate to grab it the next time I see it!
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
(Referencing my earlier post)
Never thought y’all were hiding anything. It’s just……there’s a world of folks who read this blog that might not know about the original book (or the new one) that came up w/ this technique.
It’s so easy to forget to reference our sources. And so important to keep copyright real (as I’m sure you can appreciate w/ your own writings/photos). Thanks for the lovely blog here.
You’re welcome, Helen. I probably should have mentioned Jeff in the blog as well as the recipe. But as I said - we have a good working relationship, and he’s fine with sharing - we sell his book on our site, and will soon be selling both of them. We ALL benefit when we bake bread. And I always liked what Julia Child said - “If you don’t want to share your recipe, don’t write it down.” There are specific copyright laws covering a recipe’s written directions, but nothing legal for the ingredients.
Ethically, as recipe writers, we credit someone else if the ingredients we use are the same; if we change 2 or more, no need to credit, though it’s considered good manners to give a tip of the hat to the original author. Thus I cited Jeff and Zoe in the recipe; but simply didn’t think to do it in the blog, as I figure most people will get to the blog via the recipe once the blog sinks down beneath the weight of ever-oncoming new blogs. Anyway, that’s what happened. I’ve got their Spelt-Olive bread dough in the fridge right now - will bake it tomorrow and see how it does. Thanks for connecting - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I may have goofed. I left my dough in the bowl for my stand mixer during the room temp. rise. Will I ruin it by transferring it before I put it in the refrigerator?
Oh no, Jenn, not at all! Yeast is endlessly forgiving. There’s seldom such a thing as “ruined” when you’re baking with yeast (unless you pour boiling water over it). Just cover and stick it in the fridge - you can keep it in the mixing bowl - if it’s proven large enough so far, it should be fine. Have fun - PJH
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:19 pm
This recipe is marvellous and the easiest possible. It has never failed me and I bake a whole wheat version every week! The original recipe didn’t use instant yeast, but I noticed no difference in the two loaves.I am so glad that KAF is sharing these fabulous recipes. They can give anyone the confidence to bake (and everyone should
)
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Could I cut this recipe in half (it’s only me and my hubby in the house)? Would it come out the same if I just used exactly half of the amount listed for each ingredient?
I halve cookie recipes all the time, but I’m always leery about messing around with bread recipes.
Sure, Shannon - not a problem, it’ll work fine cutting everything in half. Enjoy - PJH
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:59 am
You mentioned using a shower cap over the container for the initial rise. Could it be used in the refrigerator, too? Sometimes, with both the Cambro and a Rubbermaid canister I also use, my dough will develop an alcohol smell and flavor — not yeasty, but alcohol-y, even in just 2 or 3 days — and I’ve wondered if I should use a different top. I believe that both the Cambro and my particular Rubbermaid are considered NOT air tight, so I don’t know what the problem is.
Thanks for a great blog!
Sure, I use those cheap, giveaway shower caps everywhere. You can get them at the dollar store for like 10/$1.00. Your dough doesn’t have to be covered airtight; just enough that it doesn’t develop a dry crust. Alcohol is the result of yeast growing too fast; not sure why yours might be doing that. But give our hotline a call, 802-649-3717 - they talk with folks about odd yeast things all the time, so they might have a handle on it. PJH
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 am
I want to make this, but I always add flax seed to my breads instead of the oil could I still add that? and I would love to add the White whole wheat flour to it..could I add a cup of that and would that be beneficial enough or would I need to add a bit more.. my hopes it to make it not even seem like the wheat is in there for the kids. thanks
Gina, go ahead and add the flax. Experiment with the white wheat - start by substituting it for 1/3 of the all-purpose and working your way up from there if it gets the kids’ approval… Any amount is beneficial. PJH
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Someone mentions baking this in a dutch oven. How would I do this in my cast iron dutch oven?
Same as any Dutch oven, Maren - skim through these comments, you’ll find lots of good tips. Most people like to use parchment as a sling, and lower the bread into the hot oven that way. I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it would work just fine. PJH
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
There is nothing so gratifying as baking something that is not only so easy but also so professional looking. This will be my new go-to bread recipe for all occasions.
So true, Jackie - the result feels like so much more than the effort warrants, doesn’t it?
PJH
December 3rd, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Would I need to do anything different…we built a outdoor brick pizza oven. Cooking times?
Cheryl, I’d think it might cook much faster, though if you put it in a falling oven (lowering, cooling temperature), it might be about the same. Give it a try - you’ll probably need to do one test loaf to nail the time exactly. Good luck - PJH
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Made this tonight for the first time. A beautiful loaf. My friend & neighbor said she LOVED this one better than my sourdough loaves.I prefer the twangy sour, but was super impressed with the ease, appearance and flavor.
To up the nutrition, I used a mix of unbleached AP and unbleached white whole wheat and no one was the wiser. Will make again for gifts.
Donna, how much white wheat did ou use? Just curious how much you subbed, and no one noticed… PJH
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:39 pm
I have alternately used a baking pan with water or just a apray bottle filled with water to provide steam.
I fill the baking pan with 1 inch of hot water and place it in the oven as it preheats, so the oven fills with steam.
Or if I’m feeling lazy, as I put the bread in I spritz the oven walls and floor with the spray bottle - but I have an all metal oven with no window, so there’s no danger - and the oven has to be sparkling clean.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Hi PJ,
I’m not commenting on the bread, although it looks fabulous. I am commenting on KAF all purpose flour, and I wanted to do it publicly. Forgive me for intially being skeptical about “what could the difference REALLY be between KAF all purpsose and other brands? I mean, ap flour is ap flour, right?” Those were my uninformed thoughts. So when KAF was on sale, I bought a 5 lb bag. And then I put it to the test. I made your Chocolate Snaps from the Cookie Companion, hoping for a cookie like Nabisco Chocolate Wafers ($4.49 for a 9oz package in my local store in NY.) I made a batch with KAF all purpose and a batch with a store brand all purpose. And….. the KAF was smoother. It felt better in my mouth. The dough was easier to work with. It tasted…nicer, smoother is the word that keeps coming to my mind. Just better. So I am sold that KAF is really better than other flours. It is worth paying more for it.
The Chocolate Snaps were better than I had hoped for and better than the Nabisco wafers and not full of chemicals. I loved them, as did my family. I tweaked the recipe slightly using KAF ingredients - instead of 3/4 c of cocoa I used 1/2 c double dutched dark cocoa and 1/4 c black cocoa. Fabulous!
I am a big fan of KAF, I have bought many items from the catalog and love the specialty things that I can’t get elsewhere. And if you ever stop selling your white whole wheat I will be in serious trouble because it is my go-to everyday flour for almost everything (including chocolate chip cookies, banana bread & pancakes. The family doesn’t know they’re eating more healthfully. They just love it.)
So forgive my being skeptical about all purpose. It was great to find out that I was wrong! Thanks for a great product!
Bridgid, I’m SO glad your skepticism has been dashed - we love it each time a baker discovers for herself that there IS a difference, it’s not just marketing hype. We buy the best wheat, have the tightest milling specs in the industry, and we stick by them assiduously; the other guys don’t. Simple as that. In this case, at least, you get what you pay for. I always say, who among us can afford the best car in the world, or the biggest diamond? But the best bag of flour? A lot more attainable. I’ve loved KA since I was in college, and am happy I ended up working here so I could see from inside that the good flour is backed up by a good business owned by a whole bunch of good people - us, 167 of us at the moment! So, thanks for sharing here - I’ve forwarded your comment to our sales team, so they can show it to the supermarket folks they sell to. The customers speak - supermarket buyers listen. And you’ve spoken beautifully here - thank you! And glad those wafer cookies came out - black cocoa is cool, huh? PJH
December 4th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I just mixed up the ingredients and the dough is on the rise. Can’t wait to slice into a loaf of this wonderful looking bread.
It’s bread like this that makes me wish I had a brick oven in the back yard!
December 4th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Thank you for suggesting I call your hot line concerning why my wet dough bread sometimes was becoming alcohol-y, not yeasty, in the refrigerator after just 2 or 3 days. Frank put out the idea of wild yeasts in our kitchen. Normally a nice contribution to bread, but in our particular case, not. Our house has a mold problem that has not been resolved. We are running HEPA air filters in the meantime which are wonderful, but evidently not getting rid of enough airborne bad guys on certain days (perhaps after a rainy spell). His suggestion was to stick to conventional breadmaking, with its shorter rise prior to baking, rather than refrigerated wet doughs until our mold is eliminated.
So, this is a heads up! We know the mold is very bad for our own health, but I never thought about it affecting our bread! Of course.
(I still love your idea of the shower caps - at the dollar store! - and look fwd to getting a nice supply!)
December 4th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
PJ-Thank you for directing me to your Yeast Breads section! hip hip huzzah for recipes!
I second that emotion! PJH
December 4th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I made this today and it looks like it has risen properly but I just realized that I forgot the salt!!!! Is this going to be a problem for this bread??? I am getting ready to bake a portion of it, I am very upset with myself that I forgot the salt can anyone tell me what problems this may cause.
No problem, Patti - it’ll just taste “flat.” Tuscan bread is made without salt because they serve it with salty cured meats and cheeses; just be sure to serve with salted butter, or something aggressively flavorful, to hide the fact the bread has no salt… PJH
December 4th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
This is for DM who posted on December 2nd. What is the recipe for your whole wheat version that you wrote you make?
December 5th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
hub and I used to bake bread all the time, BK (before kids). I’ve made this twice, but the loaves are flatter than we’d like. Terrific ciabatti, but not so great for taller loaves for PB&Js.
Made it once with wh wh flour, added a bit of water (maybe 2T). Tasty, easy to handle, but still short.
Is height of finished loaf related to water content? You might want to try baking it in a 2 1/2quart covered casserole dish. That will help contain the spread and give you a higher rise, better for those pb and J’s. Mary @ KAF
December 5th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
I just pulled my first loaf out of the oven, and it is delicious. I was too lazy to slash the bread, and neglected to add the steam, and it still was a fantastic loaf of bread. So so simple. Thank you, PJ! I can’t wait to make another with the dough that’s waiting in my fridge…
HA!!! Pie crust, artisan bread - what worlds will you conquer next?! PJH
December 5th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
We have made two half-batches batches so far, because I don’t have room for a humongous bucket in my fridge.
The first was exactly to the letter of the recipe, using weights instead of cups. It made fantastic ciabatti and a big baguette.
Second batch I used 1 cup of whole wheat and the balance of flour (to one pound).
But hub likes a taller loaf. Any advice for getting it taller instead of so spread out? Is it too wet?
great recipe to play with–I love kneading and used to bake a lot BK (before kids) but don’t have bandwidth for the mess or the planning it requires. This recipe seemed perfect. But we need bread for sandwiches and can’t use milk in baking. any ideas?
Hi - Adding whole wheat will always results in a shorter, flatter loaf. And yes, a dough that’s gone a bit too far towards the slack (wet) end will result in a flatter loaf, too. If you strike just that right balance, you’ll get a nice, round, high-rising loaf; try adding 1/4 cup less water next time, OK? See if that does the trick. Good luck - PJH
December 6th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Can I bake at a lower temp? My parchment paper box says that I can’t go over 420 degrees.
Bake at just below 420°F, Homa. Should be fine. PJH
December 7th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I gave up on making bread, they were all terrible. I looked at the King Arthur site to see what recipes they had and found an easy bread recipe made in the food processer. Winner! First time I ever made a decent loaf of bread. When I saw this recipe I had to try it, AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT WORKS PERFECTLY!!. My bread looks just like the picture, I was elated. I couldn’t believe I made that bread. I was so excited that I had to send pictures of the loaves to friends via my cell. I would only add that maybe it could use a little bit more salt. Although the inside is soft and the outside is just crunchy enough, it is a little tasteless. But that all goes away when I dip it into my pasta sauce, or make toast with butter, and life is good again. I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. I trust the King Arthur company wholeheartedly with their recipes and fine quality products. I look forward to new recipes in the future. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, I’m now the envy of my group of friends!!!!
Sharon, thanks so much for sharing your enthusiasm with us - and your bread success with your friends! Feel free to increase the salt by 1/2 teaspoon - some people prefer saltier loaves, some fairly unsalted, so I usually go right down the middle… PJH
December 7th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I’m so excited to try this! This will be my first yeast bread experience. I have two questions. First, I was unclear on how many loaves I can make from this recipe. Second, what are the risk of causing damage to my oven? If I use a pan of hot water should I be OK? Thank you so much!
You’ll make 3 or 4 smallish loaves, Jana; depending on what size chunk of dough you scoop out. And a pan heating in the oven, with hot water poured into it, should be just fine. Follow the directions - I’m sure you’ll have a great experience and end up with wonderful bread. Good luck - PJH
December 7th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
To avoid shattering the tempered glass on your stove door try holding a cookie sheet over the window with one hand and pour with the other.
OR - you could try to do this: A home made steam injector using a modified pressure cooker:
http://cookingwithcrack.com/bread/steam/index.html
I so want to try that~~
December 8th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I’ve followed the recipe as exactly as possible, but the crumb is coming out slightly dense and uniform without those large holes you show in the photos. Would a longer rise just before baking make it lighter and more open? Or, is my humid environment (Florida) causing it?
Tough to say, Jim; yeast has a mind of its own. A longer rise might help; and make sure your oven is as hot as it says, and that you don’t neglect to add the hot water in the pan on the lower rack. Also, you could try spritzing the loaf with water just before putting it into the oven. I seem to get bigger holes the longer I let the dough rest in the fridge - try baking it after 5 or 6 or 7 days in the fridge, see what happens. Good luck - PJH
December 8th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Wow! This turned out great…baked and shared with friends. Now everybody wants more of this delicious bread. Can this recipe be doubled or is there a limit before it doesn’t work any more?
Sure, Jodie, go to town. Just make sure you have enough storage space and enough rising room… PJH
December 8th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
I have made the dough for this artisan bread and can’t wait to actually bake it. It seems that you do not need to preheat the stone at 500
for one hour. I was just wondering why?
Just because I think 500°F for an hour is overkill and a waste of energy, Cheryl. I get fine results using the preheat method as written - but of course, feel free to heat the stone longer and hotter, if you like. It should be able to take it just fine. PJH
December 10th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Great idea! I gonna try it this weekend.
I haven’t got any luck on bread yet, always not rise enough and hard as stone (my husband said it can kill a bird if we throw at them…). Wish me luck this time. =)
Good luck, Van - you can do this!
PJH
December 10th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I have tried making bread (both wheat and white) and never felt I had done well. I have both books by Jeff and Zoe. I can say now I do a wonderful bread in both. It is so easy. Thank you so much for these receipes.
December 11th, 2009 at 2:23 am
Thanks for this recipe. My 10 year old daughter has been wanting to bake artisan bread….and heres the recipe!
December 11th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
For Homa - I always use parchment paper for baking and start most of my breads at 500 degrees. The parchment paper gets a little brown around the edges but it doesn’t burn.
I love KAF and wish I could bake for a living. Sadly, I am only a weekend baker; however, we have not purchased bread for years because of my weekend bread baking. I’m not sure I could eat store-bought bread anymore! Thanks for all the great recipes and I will definitely be stirring this one up tonight.
Incidentally, I made your favorite fruitcake last weekend and it was delicious. I substituted my favorite dried fruits (dried blueberries, cherries, apricots and cranberries), left out the candied cherries and included dates. I don’t like regular fruitcake but this was superior.
Thanks for letting us know about your fruitcake, Anne - and your bread - and thanks for sharing that pachment hint. I’ve set parchment on fire - but only by putting it (inadvertently) over the gas flame on our stovetop. Whoooooopssss….. PJH
December 11th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
What if I add a small amount of my sourdough starter?
Absolutely - go for it. Assume your starter is half water/half flour by weight, and substitute accordingly (i.e., 1 cup starter = 4 ounces flour and 4 ounces water). PJH
December 11th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
I love how simple this recipe is. Have made it several times since you posted it. Do you think it could work with whole wheat flour? Thanks.
Wouldn’t be the same, Rena. I fear it would be dense and flat. I’m in the process of testing recipes from the new “5 Minutes a Day” book, featuring whole grains. Stay tuned… PJH
December 12th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
OK, I’ve bought the covered dough bucket; the dough stirrer-upper stick; the SAF yeast with the cool storage container and measuring spoon…and a pizza stone - and have just mixed up my very first batch of dough. Um…but I just HAD to get creative and used AP flour (5 cups) and some oat flour (2 1/2 cups) - I noticed the dough was dry, so I added an extra teaspoon of water. Everything else I left the same as the instructions. So, what havoc will I go through because of my walk on the wild side use of oat flour??
It’s rising very nicely in its new bucket…
I LOVE KAF website and the fact that most commenters here get a personal reply! I, too, wish I could bake all the time, but that’s one reason I love the holiday season! (Too cold to ride my horse, so I can stay in and bake Christmas gifts for my friends and neighbors!)
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Valerie
Greenville, SC
And happy holidays to you, Valerie. I expect your bread won’t rise as high (it’ll spread sideways rather than rise), nor have as crisp a crust, but it should be very moist inside, and quite tasty. Let us know what happens, OK? PJH
December 13th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I’ve made 3 batches of this recipe with part whole wheat and it does NOT get dense or flat. The crumb stays even throughout the loaf, and while it doesn’t have the airiness and big bubbles of the all-white loaf, my kids and our au pair (who has only eaten square white bread from a plastic bag in the 1.5 years she’s been with us) all love it. Seriously, this is the first bread with a whole grain that has passed her lips. That’s an endorsement.
I use one heaping cup of whole wheat and then the balance is white flour (I use a scale). thanks!
December 13th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I can’t make this bread fast enough to suit my husband. He has absolutely fallen in love with it. Phenomenal for French toast, too.
December 13th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I tried this a couple weeks ago, with 2 cups KA White WWheat. Baked it after about 4 days. It came out flavorful, but no big holes in it.
I just mixed up another batch, by weight, and with 2 lb flour and 24 oz (by weight) water it was a dry crumbly mass, took another cup and a half at least to get a dough that resembled the picture. Maybe the scale is off (or the guy running it), we’ll see next weekend when I try to bake this stuff.
It’s always a balancing act, Shawn. If you used whole wheat, that absorbs water more slowly. Mix it up, then let it sit for 20 minutes, then mix again to see the “real” consistency before adjusting with more liquid. Also, this time of the year (winter), flour can be quite dry, and will absorb more liquid. Should be interesting watching it progress in the fridge. PJH
December 15th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Have been baking this bread since the Jeff’s book came out. A loaf would quickly be divested of all the crust as we would cut each end then the sides and then the top. Yum. We now make all our loaves about the size of a large hard roll. We call them “personal loaves” and we get to eat tons of crust!
December 15th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
this is amazing and also this is a good website
December 17th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Bridget,
I simply MUST have the recipe for Chocolate Snaps. It is not on the KAF website and I do not own the Cookie Companion. I have been having an increasingly difficult time finding those cookies in my local stores and when I do find them they are close to $5 a box. My kids LOVE the icebox cake (AKA Zebra cake) made by stacking those thin chocolate wafers with layers of whipped cream and chilling. I often thought I should be able to make them. I’d appreciate the help.
Here’s the Chocolate Snaps recipe - it just got renamed Chocolate Wafers. Enjoy - PJH
December 18th, 2009 at 11:21 am
OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! MERRY CHRISTMAS! WE EXPECT SNOW TOMORROW!! YEAH!! STAY HOME AND BAKE!!!!
December 18th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
How’d the spelt bread come out?
Pretty well - didn’t rise high, it was a flatter bread, but you’d expect that. The 100% whole wheat honey sandwich bread is probably the best I’ve ever made. Killer easy recipe. Looks like the book is going to be another hit for them - we’ll have it in stock next week, blog to follow in February, I believe… PJH
December 18th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I just bought two pizza stones for my two ovens. However, I was wondering if it is alright to use the pizza stones for pizza and then for bread. Since the stone is porous would it keep ahold of the pizza flavors? Should I designate one specifically for bread and the other for pizza? I just don’t want to make a french bread and have it contain pepperoni flavors! Also, any tips on washing the stone? I have heard from others that the stone gets discolored, but I am expecting that is natural considering the heavy use mine will soon be under.
Thanks again for your help! I have had the book for a few months now (Artsian Bread…) but since I was finishing up my degree I had no time to bake! Now I am in full mode (and my husband and children are loving it!).
Depends what pizza stones you bought, Laura - some are washable with soap, but most aren’t. I usually put anything I’m baking not on the stone, but on a piece of parchment. Then I put the pizza, bread, whatever onto the stone WITH the parchment - prevents any spills from hitting the stone, and makes it easy to get stuff into and out of the oven without sticking. And I’ve never noticed any significant difference with/without parchment, so why not use it? Hope this helps - PJH
December 18th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
PJ -
I bought two of the larger pizza stones from KAF (of course!). I had not thought of using parchment, but that makes sense since it would make clean up a snap. I will give it a try! I am going to be baking all weekend, and cannot wait to bake these wonderful loaves of bread to give to friends along with cookies, cinnamon buns, and other goodies!
Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my questions!
Laura
OK, then you don’t want to wash them with soap - if they get crusty, just wash in hot water with a scrubbie or steel wool. But parchment is really a life-saver… Enjoy - PJH
December 21st, 2009 at 12:10 am
I use the last of this dough to make the boule. I thought that the flour left somewhat of a bitter taste on the crust. I would just rather cover the dough to keep it from becoming dry. Is it okay to cover rather than using so much flour.?
Sure, Cheryl - I’ve done it without covering and without flour, too. This is a VERY friendly dough… PJH
December 21st, 2009 at 9:14 am
I made this dough early Saturday and baked two loaves for Sunday dinner. WOW did they come out great!! I plan on using the remaining dough for a pizza or foccacio.
Side note: When I showed my son the receipe for the Chocolate snaps with the chocolate whipped cream he said that instead of Zebra cake it would be a Black Bear cake. What an imagination.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I’m concerned about the use of parchment paper. Anybody who’s read Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451″ knows at what temperature paper ignites. Does parchment paper ignite at a higher temperature than regular paper?
When making a pizza, do you let the dough rest first, then top it just before putting it onto the stone? Our parchment papaer is safe up to 500*F. I like to prebake my crustfor about 5 minutes, then put the toppings on it and finish baking it for about 5 to 8 minutes. Mary @ KAF
December 21st, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I’ve made a few no-knead loaves, and they’ve turned out fine except for one problem: while baking, different areas rise at different rates. So, if I’m making a round boule (I usually cut an X at the top), it doesn’t stay round. Some are pear shaped, others bulge into free-form shapes. Any ideas for getting more symmetry? Thx. It sounds like there are hot spots in your oven. Try turning it a couple of times during the first 1o to 15 minutes. Mary@KAF
December 21st, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Made this bread for the first time yesterday, couldn’t believe how easy and delicious it was! Baked another loaf early this morning and ran it over to my neighbor as soon as it came out of the oven. It was hot & crusty and smelled mouth- watering good- took a lot of willpower to let it out the door! MmmmmmmMmmmm-Merry Christmas indeed!
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:18 am
I’m curious about the bread recipes, I’ve noticed you don’t use bread flour but instead use AP flour. Why is that? I’ve always thought bread flour would be better, yielding better loaves. I love the blog and the recipes, thank you! This one sounds very good, I’m going to try it.
Jeanine, other companies’ flour, you’d want to use bread flour. But King Arthur All-Purpose Flour is actually the equivalent, protein-wise, of other national brands’ bread flour. So it’ll work just fine in most bread recipes. Bread flour generally gives a chewier loaf, as well as one that might rise a bit higher; personally, I prefer the texture of bread made with AP flour. Our AP flour is the equivalent of the flour European bakers use for bread, protein-wise; so you can certainly make any kind of bread with it. I generally reserve the bread flour for whole-grain breads that need a “boost.” Hope this explanation, scattered though it is at 6 a.m., helps! PJH
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I baked my first loaf last night, after 72 hours in the fridge. Delicious, but I’m hoping for a bigger lift next time. Other than longer time in the fridge (and I’ve still got dough left, so ready on that) what can I do? It seems like even after an hour out of the refrigerator the dough is still cold. I was worried about over proofing so went ahead and baked it but can we do a longer pre-baking rise? Is it OK to put a cold loaf directly into the oven? Would this be a time to use the old instant read thermometer?
Sure, let it rise longer, Abby. Did you do the hot water thing? Try spritzing the bread itself with warm water before putting it into the oven, too. Did you substitute any whole wheat flour? If so, that would affect its rise. You can put a cold loaf directly into the oven (you mean, without letting it rise?) - but it won’t help it rise more. And yes, you can use an instant-read thermometer to measure the interior temperature of the bread when you think it’s done - it should be at least 190°F. Keep trying - you’ll figure out what works for you, in your kitchen, in your oven. Good luck - PJH
December 28th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I am trying to use more whole grains in my baking (I bought the wonderful Whole Grain Baking book) can this be modified to use White WW? I am new to the art of baking and was just wondering. I plan to work my way through that cookbook this year (kind of like the Julie/Julia project) although you have more recipes then I can do in a year…maybe two years : )
I got a gift card to KA for Christmas from my mom….don’t know where to start…the catalog is great but overwhelming : )
Try it! Just increase the liquid by a tablespoon or two as whole grains are more absorbent than all purpose. Molly @ KAF
December 28th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
I made this on 12/23 and pulled the bread out to bake on 12/24. I want to share my experience.
The dough was easy. Shaping the loaves was easy. I preheated the oven with the pizza stone and metal jelly roll pan. Since we were also making meatballs, my husband (an engineer who has taken thermodynamics) pulled out the metal pan and replaced it with a Pyrex pan.
I put my loaves on the stone. I pour the water in the dish. BANG. The Pyrex shattered–no matter how hot the water, it’s not gonna be 450 degrees hot. I put in a metal pan and added the water and baked with the pyrex bits in the oven.
The bread was fine. I found the flavor a bit flat. My girls didn’t love it, and my guests were generally polite about it. I’m making the rest of it tonight and I added my new pizza flavor to it…we’ll see if it helps. And, yes, I did use a metal pan tonight.
So, folks…be careful when you do a steam bath.
Yes - glass is SO not appropriate, even Pyrex… As for taste - the longer it sits, the better the flavor. Next time, give it a few days at least. Or try it after 5 or 6 days… you’ll really taste the difference. Yeast loves to take its time… PJH
December 30th, 2009 at 5:18 am
We made our first batch and my wife baked a loaf after the two hour rise. The loaf was very good, but a little pale (I don’t know who long it baked.) for my taste. A few days later, I turned the remaining dough out and made two ciabatta loaves. I wa not fussy about the temperature, but left the loaves until they were nicely browned. Result: Two spectacular loaves with big holes in the crust with shiny ‘eyes.’ Loaves as good as our ideal loaves from Il Fornaio. They were crusty and chewy. We have not had that success with subsequent batches / loaves. One of areas of concern is that the loaves, regardless of shape, don’t seem to spring as much as we’ve been led to expect. We are trying to analyze what might be going wrong. The bread still has good flavor, but the crumb doesn’t have the big holes, nor is the crust as thick and crunchy. Today we baked a ciabatta loaf from a new batch of dough (made yesterday). Again, great flavor, but small holes. Before the dough went into the oven, I checked the temperature of the pizza stone with my infrared thermometer. The stone temperature was 448 degrees F. Since our house is on the cool side, could it be that the one hour rest is insufficient? That, and the fact that the superb loaves were made with an older dough are the only two differences that we can discern.
Second question: I received a second pizza stone for Christmas. There was an article in the LA Times Food Section on achieving a pizzeria pizza at home by lining the area to the sides and above the pizza stone with firebrick to create the “brick oven” environment. Could / would inserting the second pizza stone on the rack abouve the baking stone provide any advantage? (I’m definitely going to try adding firebrick on the sides the next time I make pizza.)
We purchased both the Artisan bread books, but are trying to perfect the basic recipe before moving on. Thank you so much for your help.
Ralph
Hi Ralph,
Let’s start with the easy question. Yes, you can add a second stone above your first stone to help mimic the brick oven. Radiant heat from above will help with even baking and browning. Now, for the trickier part. Because there can be a few different reasons for the results you are seeing, we suggest you give our baker’s hotline a call, so that they can ask questions and troubleshoot directly with you. Sorry we can’t offer a one-stop-shopping answer right now, but do give them a call, and they will be happy to assist. ~ MaryJane
January 1st, 2010 at 11:16 am
I’ve been baking bread for 25 yrs. Have used so many of your recipes and this is the BEST one so far. It never fails to turn out the best bread ever. I’ve gotten rave reviews from my family and friends who are very particular about their bread…love it!
January 2nd, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I’m the neighbor who received the bread from Anne Tremblay and yes it was hot, crunchy and soooo good right out of her oven. I’m looking forward to making my own now that the hoilday rush is over. Thanks Anne and KAF for the recipe.
January 2nd, 2010 at 9:17 pm
The comment on the superiority of KAF was right on! Living in another state I used another brand of unbleached flour (which was the only one available at the time). It was good, but when we moved to NH more than 25 years ago I switched to KAF and have been happy ever since. I recommend it to everyone who likes to bake - and now even my daughter in that other state is able to get it in her store. One day her husband did the shopping and bought another brand and was educated in the difference - he won’t do that again! I used to use specific bread flour for my breads, but now regular KAF is my flour of choice.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:47 am
I made this bread this weekend - my first experiment with no-knead bread! - and it was wonderful. Crusty outside, tender crumb, lots of holes, and very good flavor. And it couldn’t have been easier! Only thought is that I weighed my flour and followed your excellent instructions exactly, and my dough (after 24 hours and 48 hours in the fridge was very slack. Much too soft to shape into any kind of ball, or to slash - I started with a flattish round (about 1/2 inch high) and ended up with a loaf that looked almost exactly like your 4th picture (’And this…’) I made a half recipe and used 12 ounces of water. Any thoughts? Thanks - GREAT recipe.Did you weigh your water, too? Mary@ KAF
January 4th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Do you know of an online resource where I can find one of those food grade plastic buckets like the one you use in the recipe?
Thank you!!! We carry those buckets. item 5060 Mary@ KAF
January 6th, 2010 at 5:51 am
just wondering whether you need to add the bath if your using a pizza stone?
This recipie is just fantastic!!!
You mean, should you spray it with water? Doesn’t hurt, Angela, even with a stone… PJH
January 7th, 2010 at 10:30 am
I really liked the idea of no knead bread as I’m always pressed with time. However, I usually eat sandwich bread only for lunches and snacks. Can this recipe be used for baking sandwich bread in a loaf pan or a pullman pan? If so, how do I adjust for the amount and baking time? If I want a more tender bread by adding just a couple of tablespoon of oil or butter, or substitute it some milk, would that affect the rise or not work as well? Thanks!!!
Take a look at Jeff and Zoe’s book, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, for a no knead sandwich loaf. Molly @ KAF
January 9th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Appreciate all KAF does. I am going to prepare this recipe today for baking next weekend. Can I use a banneton with this no-knead bread?
You can try, Paul, but it might be too sticky. I tried it with a whole-grain no-knead bread, and the dough was so sticky it got into the cracks and stuck no matter how well I floured it; if you try it and it sticks, just re-shape, and let it rise again on a pan or piece of parchment, no harm done. Good luck - PJH
January 11th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Thanks so much for getting me back into bread baking again. This recipe is the easiest and most delicious bread ever. Now I am on a roll!!!!! Ha! Ha!
January 11th, 2010 at 11:44 am
I finally got to try this recipe over the weekend. I made the dough Saturday. It rose rapidly at room temperature, and I had visions of overflow in the fridge overnight. However, the dough behaved and stayed well within it’s designated space. I pulled out some of the dough Sunday to make a baguette style loaf. It was so nice to simply take dough out of the fridge, shape it, and leave it to rise. It didn’t rise much before baking, but more than doubled in the first minutes of baking. Instead of imperiling my glass oven door by pouring water into a pan (thank you prior posters for the warning!) I spritzed the loaf with water immediately before putting it into the oven. The result was a very crunchy, crackly crust. The loaf was gone before the night was over.
One problem I did have was that the crust started to burn before the center was quite ready. Should I adjust my temperature down a few degrees overall, or maybe turn the temperature down after 20 minutes or so and bake a little longer? I’m inclined to try the latter. Do you think it would still have the crusty exterior if I did?
Hi Becky,
Try the high heat first, lowering it after 15-20 minutes. You want a nice hot oven to give you oven spring and get the steam going. Drop the temp by 25°, and continue the bake until the bread is done. Hope this helps. ~ MaryJane
January 12th, 2010 at 9:57 am
I tried to read all the comments, questions, and answers, but I didn’t see this one. I hope I’m not repeating a question.
I mixed up a batch of this dough last night and it’s in the refrigerator right now. I can’t wait to bake a loaf for my girls to enjoy when they get home from school!
My question involves the 6 quart container and lid. I purchased the very one you used for this blog entry. Jeff and Zoe’s book says not to use an air-tight container. I can’t figure out whether I should put the lid on all the way, or leave it slightly open. Can you clarify?
Thanks!
This dough doesn’t need an airtight (read snapped on here) lid - just closed enough so the dough doesn’t develop a dry crust. Irene @ KAF
January 13th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
I am making the dough now for dinner tonight and tomorrow. I have all of the ingredients and a 6 qt bucket from KAF. My question has to do with the storage of the dough - is it alright to put on the lid that comes with the bucket for storage in the fridge? I am a bit confused on the storage, because it says in the 5 minutes a day book to not use an air tight lid, but this could be just for the rising portion. Also, in the book it says thad doubling and tripling is possible. If I were to do this, what bucket size would be required (from KAF of course!)? Thanks in advance for the clarification!
Hi Anne - This recipe, as is, can rise to within a couple of inches of the top of the 6-quart bucket. A little mental math tells me that the medium flour bucket we offer is about 9 quarts, so that wouldn’t allow you to double the recipe. The large flour bucket is about 22 quarts, so you could easily triple your recipe - although the bucket would take up most of your fridge. If you have a BIG bowl, try doubling the recipe, letting it rise, then knocking it down and putting it in the 6-quart. As it rises, keep knocking it down; it should stop rising within a day, at which time it will maybe fit in the 6-quart bucket? Sorry, just not sure… Good luck - PJH
January 13th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Thanks PJ for your answer. Just to make sure though - the recipe as written above is what I am making now. Is this alright to store in the 6 qt bucket with the lid in the fridge? (Also, I have 2 refrigerators in my kitchen so I am not concerned with the space the bigger bucket would take up!)
Thanks again!
That’s right, the original recipe will fit in the 6-quart bucket. And lucky you - TWO fridges!
PJH
January 14th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Wonderful bread and so easy. I made 2 good sized loaves from my first batch. The loaves had a nice crisp crust when they came from the oven, but after cooling the crust was soft. I did bake them 30 minutes on parchment on a pizza stone and had a pan of water below. They tasted great, but why did the crust soften quickly?
Concetta, the moisture remaining inside the loaf migrates out to the crust, where it hits the cold air and condenses - thus making the crust moist, not crisp. To help combat this, when the bread is done, turn off the oven, crack it open a few inches, and let the bread cool completely in the turned-off oven. PJH
January 20th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
This has become my husband’s favorite bread! I’ve been away from home quite a lot due to an illness in the family and wondered how I could keep him supplied in my absence… Of course, the answer was to show him how to make it himself! This bread is so easy to mix, shape and bake, he’s had no problem making perfect, crusty loaves with no help at all. Hmmmmmm,
“See honey, if you can do that, I’m sure you can do the laundry too”………..”
Anne, maybe he doesn’t get as much personal satisfaction out of clean socks as he does out of hot bread. I know - hide most of his socks. Dirty socks (necessity) can be the mother of invention (becoming friends with the washing machine).
PJH
January 21st, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Haha…hiding his socks wouldn’t work either. He’s one of those guys who could take the washing machine apart and put it back together again but has no clue about sorting clothes…..No real complaints here -any man who is willing to bake a fresh loaf of bread to welcome his wife home is OK in my book!
Seriously tho’, I do have a question about getting the bottom of this loaf a bit crustier…..I pre-heat my pizza stone in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes and bake the bread on a piece of parchment paper until it’s dark golden brown (about 30-35 minutes) but sometimes the bottom seems just a tad underdone. Any suggestions?
Anne, how about turning the loaf upside-down with about 10-15 minutes to go? That should work… And I’m so glad your homecoming was marked by fresh bread. You’re right, that’s worth not sorting socks any day! PJH
January 21st, 2010 at 11:29 pm
I am really looking forward to giving this recipe a try! The bread pictured above looks fantastic!!!
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:07 am
I can’t wait to try this recipe, and I’m so happy to have found this blog. I’ve been using King Arthur flour exclusively for a few years now. It’s the best.
Thanks, Will - we (all 167 of us) appreciate it! Welcome - PJH
January 23rd, 2010 at 8:02 pm
My bread is coming out more dense. Not very many holes. I would rather have it with the holes. Why is this happening??
Could be a tiny bit too much flour. Could be a not-hot-enough oven. Could be you didn’t leave it in the fridge long enough for big holes - it takes probably 3 days or so, minimum, for significant holes. Give it another try - several more tries. Practice really does make perfect, in this case p and the practice loaves are tasty, right?
PJH
January 26th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I see that the Artisan flour has ascorbic acid in it, and you also carry ascorbic acid so that a pinch can be added to baguettes. Would this bread benefit from ascorbic acid, or would it just tire out the yeast because of how long it sits in the fridge?
It wouldn’t tire out the yeast, Deb - I don’t think. It just makes the atmosphere more conducive for the yeast to grow and thrive, so I’d think the yeast would be healthier, live longer, and reproduce more? Try adding about 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid and see what happens… PJH
January 28th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Some recipes call for baking bread on a pizza stone. Have you priced them?
$50.00 at fancy cooking shops. I use garden shop clay flower pot
dishes 12″ dia. x1″ deep for $7.00 each!
So long as they’re guaranteed food safe, won’t leach chemicals or unknown toxins into your food, and don’t include any lead, you’re all set, Donald. But do be careful about products that aren’t designed for food preparation; check with the manufacturer about exactly what they’re made from, OK? PJH
January 30th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
My dough is not rising. It’s been sitting at room temperature for 1.5 hours and so far not luck. The only thing I can think of is that I made it with King Arthur Bread Flour. Could that be causing the problem? The other thing is that I used an opened packet of yeast that’s been in my fridge for about a month. Would that effect it?
Laura, it’s no doubt the yeast. You didn’t use really hot water, did you? If you used lukewarm, and the dough is quite soft as described, and you didn’t use too much salt (1 tablespoon), and you used enough yeast (1 1/2 TABLEspoons); then it would have to be that the yeast has died. What kind of packet are you talking about? ONe of the little packets from the grocery store only holds 2 teaspoons to begin with. Was it Fleischmann’s? We recommend SAF instant yeast. Hopefully from what I’ve said here you can figure out what happened. Don’t be afraid to try again - also, please call our Baker’s Hotline, 802-649-3717, if you’d like to talk this over with one of our bakers. Good luck - PJH
January 30th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
I have made several batches of this bread with GREAT success……just recieved my kaf order, wondered if i can add the harvest grains blend into the dough? or will the longer dough storage time affect the texture of the grains??
The grains will be fine but the texture of the rye and wheat flakes may suffer a bit but I would give it a try. It sounds delicious! Molly @ KAF
February 1st, 2010 at 4:19 pm
In December, I received this site/recipe from a friend and have since made 3 batches. I LOVE it! and have passed the site along to several other friends. One reported back to me that his wife says, “Why didn’t we ever know about this before!” Next batch I’m going to try adding fresh Rosemary. I also want to try some fresh dill in another batch. Thank you so much — I am enjoying your site and my new pizza stone and the dough whisk, as well. Kudos!
Thanks for connecting, Suzanne, and welcome. Keep that bread coming! Nothing like hot homemade bread, eh? PJH
February 12th, 2010 at 10:39 am
I tried no-knead bread about 2 years ago and was not at all impressed. Yesterday I made up a batch following your instructions, and this afternoon I baked my first loaf. I am seriously happy with the outcome, although my loaf seems a little small.
I am living in Germany, so have no IDEA what KAF is… I used standard bread flour. It is also only possible to buy small packets of instant yeast here… I have had many problems with my baking here, the baking powder is not the same strength I am used to. My question is (now that I have finished waffling on) - Does anyone know what would be the correct substitute over here for KAF? Is AP Flour, just the ordinary cake flour that we buy here?
In recipes calling for KAF All-Purpose, Type 550 would be the closest match. Frank @ KAF.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:46 am
For those who have asked about whole wheat–I thought I’d share my first experiment. I used half KA all purpose flour and half KA organic white whole wheat. I added one extra tablespoon of water. Other than that I followed the recipe; I weigh my ingredients. I had to switch out my beater blade for the dough hook when I was mixing because the dough was climbing up and getting stuck where the blade attaches to the Kitchen Aid. The dough hook has the large flat piece at the top that solved this problem. This was a problem I had with all all-purpose flour too so I don’t think it had anything to do with the whole wheat. I let it mix a little longer than usual–I had multiple things happening in the kitchen. The verdict–the dough rose beautifully and baked up well. I made a large round loaf and the crust was just perfect. I’ll add another comment when I try with more whole wheat and less all-purpose flour.
Thanks so much for sharing your results, I’m sure many folks will find it helpful. Keep up the good work! ~ MaryJane