Soft, chewy bread with a golden crust with only 10 minutes of hands on time? This easy recipe doesn’t require kneading and is made the day before. Proofing in the fridge helps develop flavour and baking in a hot steam oven creates a thick, golden crust.
If you’ve ever wanted to bake your own bread but felt intimidated by the process, we’ve got the perfect solution! This method requires minimal effort, allowing you to enjoy fresh, homemade bread without the hassle of traditional kneading. Just take the dough out of the fridge and bake for fresh, crusty bread. Serve warm with butter, marmalade, jam or vegemite!
Why No-Knead Bread?
No-knead bread is a game-changer for both novice and experienced bakers. By relying on a long fermentation process, this technique develops incredible flavor and texture without the need for kneading. You’ll create a crusty, artisan-style loaf with a chewy interior that rivals your favorite bakery – all while saving time and effort.
The Process
Start by mixing a few simple ingredients and letting the dough rise. Then you’ll shape it and let it rest again in the fridge overnight. While it’s rising, preheat your oven and a Dutch oven for that perfect crust. In just a few steps, you’ll have a beautiful loaf ready to bake. The best part? It requires no special equipment or baking skills.
The Joy of Fresh Bread
The aroma of baking bread is a sensory delight, and this no-knead bread delivers incredible flavor and texture. Whether it’s for sandwiches, toast, or simply enjoying with butter, this loaf will elevate any meal.
So why not give it a try? Set aside some time tonight, mix your ingredients, and let the magic happen while you sleep. In the morning, you’ll wake up to a warm, crusty loaf that’s sure to impress. Enjoy the process and the delicious results! Happy baking!
Easy Overnight Bread – No Knead!
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 kitchen scale
- 1 spatula or wooden spoon
- 1 spray bottle
- 1 banneton or bowl for proofing
- 1 baking tray
- 1 bakers lame or sharp knife
- gladwrap
- baking paper or silicon baking sheet
- oven
Ingredients
- 700 g bakers flour (substitute plain or all purpose flour)
- 15 g fine salt
- 6 g instant dry yeast
- 455 ml filtered water (substitute tap water)
- 4 tbsp semolina flour (substitute plain or all purpose flour)
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a large bowl, combine the 700 g bakers flour, 15 g fine salt and 6 g instant dry yeast.
- Pour in the 455 ml filtered water and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until the dough comes together. There will probably be some flour left in the bottom of the bowl. Using one hand, push the dough around the bowl to combine the last of the flour.The dough will still be quite rough and feel like it has little bits in it. Don't worry, this is normal and will change as it rises.
- Cover the dough with gladwrap or an airtight lid and leave to rise for 4 hours or until doubled in size.
Stretch, fold, shape and proof
- Spray the inside of the banneton or bowl water. You're looking for an even coverage so there's something for the flour to stick to, but not so wet it's dripping.
- Add the 4 tbsp semolina flour for dusting to the banneton or bowl and roll around until there's an even coverage of flour. Tip the excess out onto a clean workbench.
- Scrape the dough out onto the floured workbench using a dough scraper, spatula or spoon.
- Stretch and fold the dough to develop the bread:1. Stretch the dough out sideways, then fold one side over a third. Fold the other side over the top so you have three layers of dough.2. Stretch the dough out sideways, then fold the front and back over using the same technique as above.3. Stretch the dough out sideways, then fold the sides over using the same technique as above.4. Stretch the dough out sideways, then fold the front and back over using the same technique as above.
- Stretch the dough out so it roughly fills the banneton or bowl, the place into the banneton or bowl and dust with leftover semolina fr.
- Cover with gladwrap and refrigerate for 12 hours to proof.
Bake
- Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat oven to 230℃ fan forced. If your oven has a steam setting use this for a better lift and crust.
- Once the oven has come up to temperature, take the dough out of the fridge and turn onto baking paper or a silicon baking sheet.
- Using a knife or bakers lame, make a cut along the top of the bread. This will allow steam to escape and help shape the bread as it bakes.
- Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and slide the bread and baking paper onto it. Place back in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.The bread is cooked when it's golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped from the bottom.
- Leave to cool on wire rack for 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Filtered water helps the bread rise better than tap water, but it isn’t necessary.
- Bakers flour is stronger than plain or all purpose flour (i.e. has more gluten), so will make stronger, chewier bread.
- I prefer semolina flour for dusting as I think it’s a nicer finish, but you can use the same flour you’ve used in the bread.
- The dough can be left for more than 12 hours to proof and allow the flavour to develop.
