Step-by-Step Recipe for No Knead Bread

Earlier this week, my husband asked me if I had ever heard of "no knead bread".  I had not, so I went online and rummaged through recipes for this type of bread.  I found the recipes all very similar in ingredients and directions.  The method is so simple and straightforward (no kneading required), I decided to give this homemade bread a try.  Boy, am I ever glad I did! It was SO EASY to prepare and the bread turned out absolutely perfect!  It's light and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Several friends asked me for the recipe, so I am sharing it on here with you today!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 2/3 cups lukewarm water 

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, dry yeast, and water.  Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. 

The dough will look ragged and messy, just like this.  

Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let the dough sit, untouched, for 15-20 hours.

After 15 hours, the dough will look like this - sticky and bubbly.

  

Sprinkle flour on your counter top and empty out the dough (using a wet spatula) onto the floured surface.  With floured hands,shape the dough into a ball, and with seam side down, 

Place the dough ball in a a large bowl lined with a clean tea towel.  

Fold over the tea towel to cover the dough.  Let the dough sit for another 2 hours.

After 1 hour and a half, place an empty, covered dutch oven in a cold oven.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let the pot sit in there for 30 minutes.

Once dough has sat for two hours, uncover it.  

Remove pot from the oven.  Empty the dough from the tea towel into the preheated pot.  

Wiggle the pot to even out the dough. Cover with lid and bake in the 450F oven for 30 minutes.

Now remove the lid and bake for 15 minutes longer.  The crust should be a golden brown and crisp.  Remove pot from the oven.  

Carefully remove the bread from the pot onto a cooling rack.  

Cool for several minutes (if you can stand the wait!).

Slice the bread and serve warm...

...slathered with oodles of yummy butter!  

And that's it!  Isn't it wonderful?  So simple to make, and so good!

Have any of you baked this type of bread before?  Do you bake bread at home?   If you plan to give this recipe a try, please let me know what you think.   I always love reading your comments!  

The Perks to Being an Angler's Wife...

Many of you already know, but for those of you who don't, my husband, Nuno, is a devoted angler.  When he's not at work or spending time with family, it is safe to say that he's probably out fishing or doing something or other that pertains to the sport.   We live just a few minutes drive from Lake Simcoe.  Nuno takes his boat out to the lake and enjoys fishing in the spring, summer and fall months.  Come winter, the lake begins to freeze over, the boat is stored away, and he excitedly anticipates the start of ice fishing season.   

Nuno belongs to the Barrie Bassmasters club of Ontario and is sponsored by several organizations.  He has different roles and responsibilities for each one.  It's not always easy being the wife of an angler, you know.  I have to share him with the fish on many occasions, but I know that nothing makes him happier than a day out fishing.  So, of course, I support him!  And nothing makes me happier than when he brings home perch!  

Yellow perch are my favourite lake fish.  They are relatively small, in comparison to the larger bass, pike, and trout Nuno catches, and they are absolutely perfect for pan frying!  Last week, Nuno caught so many, we decided to host a fish fry at home!  

I did say there were perks to being an angler's wife, right?  Well, it means we can get free meals!  You definitely won't starve to death with a fisherman living at home!  And, I never have to "fix" the fish Nuno catches.  He always cleans and fillets them himself.  

  Here are all the perch, perfectly filleted by Nuno; free of any skin or bones.

The only thing I have to do, is prepare the fillets for frying...

Here they are; dredged in flour, egg, and cornmeal 

Hot and crispy pan fried perch fillets, layer upon layer

While Nuno fried the fish, I set the table; cooked some rice and put together a garden salad.  

The only thing missing were the guests...

There is nothing like gathering around a table to enjoy a good meal and each other's company...

Here they are...my father-in-law and mother-in-law are sitting in the back, along with cousin Peter, who also came to join us.  My girls, Anita and Annabel, are sitting on the left and Nuno is sitting on the right.  And me?   I'm behind the camera.  You can see my still-empty plate beside Nuno on the table.

If you look closely, on the table, is my mother-in-law's still-warm, homemade bread.  She made it especially for the fish fry.  The meal was delicious!  I am so thankful for my darling husband and my wonderful family.  The blessings at this table are abundant!