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Easy, No-Knead Bread

Using Alexandra Stafford's easy recipe, I made homemade bread in about two hours, and it was delicious!
Prep Time1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Keyword: bread, easy bread, homemade bread, no knead
Servings: 2 Loaves
Author: Nicole Coudal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups All-purpose, unbleached flour (or bread flour)
  • 2 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 2 cups Lukewarm water (1 1/2 c. cold water + 1/2 c. boiling water)
  • 2 tsp. Granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. Instant yeast (or active-dry yeast - See Notes)
  • 2 Tb. Unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions

  • If using instant yeast, add flour, salt, sugar and yeast to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine (*If using active-dry yeast, see Note below). Add the lukewarm water to the bowl and mix until the dry ingredients are absorbed. The dough will be very sticky.
  • Cover the bowl with a towel (or plastic wrap) and place in a warm area to rise about 1 hour.
  • After it has risen to twice its size, preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease two 1 or 1.5 quart oven-safe bowls with 1 Tb. of butter in each bowl.
  • Using two salad forks, punch down the dough and scrape the dough down from all sides of the bowl. Using the forks, separate the dough into two even portions (it may be tricky since it's very soft and sticky). Carefully lift one half out of the bowl into the first buttered bowl, then transfer the other to the second buttered bowl. Try to just scoop it up quickly and dump into the bowls (yes, it will be messy).
  • Let dough rise another 20-30 minutes, in a warm place, covered with a towel or plastic wrap. The dough should rise to just above the lip of the bowl, or just below it, if it's a little deeper (like a 1.5 quart bowl).
  • Place bowls directly onto the rack of pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to 375 degress and bake another 15-17 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and turn onto a cooling rack (the loaves should pop out easily).
  • Cool for about 10 minutes before cutting/serving.

Notes

If using active-dry yeast, start the process by adding the lukewarm water to a small bowl and dissolve the sugar in it.  Then sprinkle the dry yeast into the bowl (no need to mix it) and leave it alone for 10-15 minutes until foamy and/or bubbly (this ensures it's active).  When ready, add it to the dry ingredients and follow the recipe as written.  (P.S. if the yeast doesn't respond as expected, try another batch).  
Using instant yeast saves you about 10 minutes of preparation time :)