No Knead Herbed Artisan Bread
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This herbed crusty bread is perfect for the cooler months for dipping in your favorite soup, serving alongside melty cheeses, made into croutons for a warm salad, or using as a bread for grilled cheese. All you need is a large bowl and a baking scale to make this crusty versatile bread. Makes two 2 lb loaves.
I have been making this bread on repeat since I first developed this recipe—it’s that good.
Fall is my favorite season, both because it’s an excuse to make soups, grilled cheese, and stews, and also because it’s the first sign that the holidays are here. Going into this upcoming holiday season, I really want to branch out and try new versions of traditional recipes to make our holiday tables more interesting.
It was this attitude that lead me to play around with adding all of the herbs I owned into the reliable crusty artisan bread that I love to make. This will no doubt be the last variation of the no knead artisan bread that I will make, but I am absolutely delighted with how comforting, interesting, and versatile this herbed version turned out. I will definitely continue to make it forevermore.
Just like the other recipe, you’ll need a small amount of patience and to learn a few new little techniques if this is your first time with a no knead loaf. From start to finish, it will take just under six hours (including if you only can bake one at a time). I realize that six hours is by no means a last minute “I want to make bread for dinner” type of recipe, but this recipe does make two loaves, and one can be easily stored in the freezer and revived in a thirty minutes turn around time, which is just as good as a round trip to the grocery store for me.
While you do need one piece of special equipment, a dutch oven, I have seen a few ways to get around needing one if you don’t have it already. Though I will say a good dutch oven is a workhorse in the kitchen. My dutch oven is used for tomato sauces, soups, jams and who chicken one pot meals. A friend of mine owns an extremely successful sourdough home bakery, and she uses the Amazon Basics Dutch oven, which is a very affordable option if you can’t afford one of the nicer brands.
Other reasons you’ll love this recipe:
The bread can be made in advance and frozen
The perfect bread for avocado toast or a grilled cheese
It only takes a few ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, water, herbs)
Every single soul I have ever met is thoroughly impressed by homemade bread
Pairs wonderfully with pasta, soup, stew, a charcuterie board, lasagna, and alongside salad
Use extra dough as a beautifully chewy herbed pizza crust or use the second half for focaccia
How you can serve this recipe:
This bread is perfect for avocado toast.
When serving as a bread alongside salad or a larger meal, I cut into slices and place in a basket at the center of the table alongside salted butter
An excellent bread to be cut into chunks for a charcuterie board
Croutons: If I ever happen to have leftover focaccia or loaves that has gone a bit stale, quickly run it under water in the sink and microwave for 30 seconds to soften. Cut into 1” cubes and toast in some butter with salt or shredded parmesan cheese in a frying pan until golden brown.
Special Equipment Needed
Large bowl: For mixing the dough
Food scale: To make sure you are accurately measuring the flour and water. If you do not have a food scale, use a ballon whisk or fork to sift the flour and gently scoop into a measuring cup then level by scraping the flat edge of the knife over the top. Do not shake to level.
Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid: To bake the bread
Step By Step Instructions with Pictures
Yield: Makes Two 2 lb bread rounds
Time: 6 hours start to finish
Storage: Leave on counter for the first 24 hours, then store in a plastic or sealable bag for up to three days
INGREDIENTS
500 Gr (3 3/4 c) all purpose flour
500 Gr (3 3/4 c) bread flour*
1 tsp instant yeast**
21 Gr salt (3 1/2 tsp)
720 gr (3 1/8) cup lukewarm water
2 tbl fresh sage, minced
1 tbl minced fresh rosemary
1 tbl thyme
1 tbl dried basil
1 tbl dried oregano
*Can sub all-purpose flour if you don’t have bread flour
**If you only have active yeast, activate in 1 cup of the water you were planning to add to the dough)
Mix the dough: Use a food scale if you have one for the most accurate result. Whisk flours, salt, herbs, and yeast (unless you’re using active dry yeast, then activate it first) in a large bowl. Add water and mix with a fork, then when it’s mostly combined, wet your hand and use it to grab underneath the dough and mix until you can’t find any dry flour at the bottom. Wet your hand periodically to avoid dough from sticking to it.
Hydrolyze: Once it’s fully mixed, cover with a dry lint-free towel and let it hydrolyze for 25-30 minutes.
Fold: Now you will begin folding the dough to build tension. See the photos below, which illustrate the folds. Grab underneath the dough and pull to the opposite side of the bowl. Turn the bowl a quarter of the way clockwise and repeat three more times, turning the bowl after each fold. You will do a total of four folds. Cover with the dish towel in between rests.
Rest & Fold: Wait 5 minutes and fold.
Wait 10 more minutes and fold.
Wait 30 more minutes and fold.
Long Rise: Now for the long rise, which will be over about four hours from initial mix. Shape before large bubbles start to develop on top of the dough, which is a sign it’s over proofed.
Prepare a banneton by covering the surface with flour. If you don’t have one, put a lint free dish cloth in a bowl & dust thoroughly with flour.Store in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.
Shape the dough: Pour dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a circle. Sprinkle a trail of flour down the center of the circle, and use a dough scraper or knife to cut in half.
Take the first half of the dough and pull out from the bottom to shape into a square. Then you’ll do the envelope fold by pulling the top down to the middle (see the video), bringing the bottom up to the middle, and then bring in opposing corners one at a time.
Build tension in the dough: Flip the dough over and put it in front of you as far as your arms can reach then pull it towards you. Move it away and pull it towards you again. Rotating as you go to maintain the round shape. Repeat about 20 times to build tension in the dough and then place in prepared basket. And cover with lint free towel. Repeat with second part of dough. If you only can bake one bread at a time, then put the first dough in the fridge and let the other one rise at room temperature. Bake the second loaf within 24 hours.
Preheat the oven: Turn on oven to 475 and place both Dutch ovens (or just one if that’s all you have) in it to preheat. Make sure the rack is as close to the middle of the oven while still giving room for the Dutch oven to be in there with the lid on. From the time the oven is fully preheated to when you put the dough in, it should be about 45 minutes.
Place the dough in the dutch oven: Remove the dough from the banetton by flipping it out onto parchment paper cut to 10x10 inches (this will make for easier removal later). You can score the bread it if you like with a sharp knife or razor, but I notice that it doesn’t make much of a difference in the final bread. Carefully remove the lid from the dutch oven and gently drop in the dough still resting on the parchment paper. Place the lid back on the dutch oven and put it back in the oven.
Bake: Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and bake for 15 more minutes until golden brown. Let the bread cool on a wire rack. Wait 30 minutes or until it feels just warm to the touch before cutting. If you are baking a second loaf, let the Dutch oven and lid reheat in the oven for five more minutes before repeating the process.
No Knead Herbed Artisan Bread Loaf
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix the dough: Use a food scale if you have one for the most accurate result. Whisk flours, salt, herbs, and yeast (unless you’re using active dry yeast, then activate it first) in a large bowl. Add water and mix with a fork, then when it’s mostly combined, wet your hand and use it to grab underneath the dough and mix until you can’t find any dry flour at the bottom. Wet your hand periodically to avoid dough from sticking to the dough.
- Hydrolyze: Once it’s fully mixed, cover with a dry lint-free towel and let it hydrolyze for 25-30 minutes.
- Rest & Fold sequence: Now you will begin folding the dough to build tension. (Look at the photos in the recipe description to see the motion of the folds.) Grab underneath the dough and pull to the opposite side of the bowl. Turn the bowl a quarter of the way clockwise and repeat three more times, turning the bowl after each fold. You will do a total of four folds. Cover with the dish towel in between rests.Wait 5 minutes and fold.
- Wait 10 more minutes and fold.
- Wait 30 more minutes and fold.
- Long Rise: Now for the long rise, which will be over about four hours from initial mix. Shape before large bubbles start to develop on top of the dough, which is a sign it’s over proofed.
- Prepare a banneton by covering the surface with flour. If you don’t have one, put a lint free dish cloth in a bowl & dust thoroughly with flour.Store in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.
- Shape the dough: Pour dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a circle. Sprinkle a trail of flour down the center of the circle, and use a dough scraper or knife to cut in half.
- Take the first half of the dough and pull out from the bottom to shape into a square. Then you’ll do the envelope fold by pulling the top down to the middle, bringing the bottom up to the middle, and then bring in opposing corners one at a time.
- Build tension in the dough: Flip the dough over and put it in front of you as far as your arms can reach then pull it towards you. Move it away and pull it towards you again. Rotating as you go to maintain the round shape. Repeat about 20 times to build tension in the dough and then place in prepared basket. And cover with lint free towel. Repeat with second part of dough. If you only can bake one bread at a time, then put the first dough in the fridge and let the other one rise at room temperature. Bake the second loaf within 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven: Turn on oven to 475 and place both Dutch ovens (or just one if that’s all you have) in it to preheat. Make sure the rack is as close to the middle of the oven while still giving room for the Dutch oven to be in there with the lid on. From the time the oven is fully preheated to when you put the dough in, it should be about 45 minutes.
- Place the dough in the dutch oven: Remove the dough from the banetton by flipping it out onto parchment paper cut to 10x10 inches (this will make for easier removal later). Carefully remove the lid from the dutch oven and gently drop in the dough still resting on the parchment paper. Place the lid back on the dutch oven and put it back in the oven.
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and bake for 15 more minutes until golden brown. Let the bread cool on a wire rack. Wait 30 minutes or until it feels just warm to the touch before cutting. If you are baking a second loaf, let the Dutch oven and lid reheat in the oven for five more minutes before repeating the process.
Notes
If you over proof the dough, I recommend shaping into rounds and immediately refrigerating while the oven is preheating, then baking straight from the fridge. You may not get the same rise, but the bread will still turn out pretty good.
Adapted from Ken Forkish Saturday White bread recipe from Flour Salt Water Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza
