No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

I love cooking. Baking, however, has never come naturally to me. My sister, Lauren, is the true baker of the family. I have been trying to become a better baker over these past few years, practicing a lot of different types of homemade bread but this recipe is the hands-down family favorite!

The best part about this bread is that it is only four ingredients including water, making it very versatile and easy. 

I stumbled upon this recipe a few months ago on Pinterest and it led me to Simply So Good blog.  I was wary of the 12-18 hour proofing that it called for but in this case patience definitely pays off. 

This bread is best baked in a dutch oven but any oven safe pan with a lid will work. You need the lid because that is what makes its signature crunchy crust. If you made it without the lid the steam couldn't be trapped for that crunch. 

No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups water (room temperature)

1. In a big mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients thoroughly. Once combined use a spatula

to incorporate the water. This dough is very sticky so do not be worried that you measured wrong. Cover bowl in plastic wrap or place in a large, air-tight container then plop it on your counter for 12-18 hours. 

2. Place the empty dutch oven in the oven and set the temp to 450 F degrees. 

3. While the pot and oven are heating up sprinkle some flour on to your work surface and work the dough into a ball. Make sure to use plenty of flour on your hands and work surface because the dough is VERY sticky. 

4. This is where I deviated from the recipe slightly. I hate cleaning off tough dishes so I put a piece of parchment in my pot to keep the dough from sticking. It doesn't have to be pretty, the edges were sticking out from under lid when I did it and things were fine. 

5. Remove the hot pot from your oven and place the dough ball on the parchment in the pot. Put the lid back on and pop the whole thing in your oven for 30 minutes. 

6. After the 30 minutes is up remove just the lid from the oven and continue baking the bread for 15-20 minutes.