Sandra This Alton Brown No Knead Bread recipe is a crusty and chewy artisan loaf, which uses a long 19-hour fermentation instead of kneading. It’s the easiest way to bake bakery-quality bread, ready in about 24 hours (mostly hands-off time).
Alton Brown No Knead Bread Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz (approx. 2 cups) bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 4 ½ oz (approx. 1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt (or fine sea salt)
- ¼ tsp instant yeast (rapid rise yeast)
- 1 ½ cups warm water (approx. 100°F)
- Cornmeal or wheat bran (for dusting)
How To Make Alton Brown No Knead Bread
- Weigh and mix: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and instant yeast. Weighing the flour is highly recommended for accuracy.
- Add water: Pour in the warm water. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hands just until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. Do not knead. If it is too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time; if too wet, add a sprinkle of flour. It should be tacky.
- The long ferment: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm, draft-free spot (like inside a turned-off oven). Let it sit for 19 hours. During this time, the yeast will work slowly to create bubbles and gluten structure.
- Shape the dough: After 19 hours, the dough should be bubbly and dotted with holes. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the corners of the dough into the center a few times to create a rough ball. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Final proof: Generously coat a smooth cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Shape the dough into a tight ball and place it seam-side down on the towel. Dust the top with more flour/bran. Fold the towel over the dough loosely. Let it rise for 2 hours until doubled in size.
- Preheat the pot: About 30 minutes before the dough is ready, place a 6-quart enameled Dutch oven (with lid) into the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). The pot needs to be screaming hot.
- Bake covered: Carefully remove the hot pot from the oven. Uncover the dough and gently tip it into the hot pot (seam-side up is fine for a rustic look). Shake the pot once to center it. Cover with the hot lid immediately. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Bake uncovered: Remove the lid. Bake for another 15–20 minutes until the crust is deep chestnut brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
- Cool: Remove the loaf from the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. (Slicing warm bread will make the crumb gummy).
Recipe Tips
- Dutch Oven: A heavy cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven (like Le Creuset) is essential. It traps the steam released by the wet dough, creating the professional crispy crust that home ovens usually can’t achieve.
- Flour mix: Alton uses a mix of bread flour and all-purpose flour. Bread flour provides the chew and structure, while AP flour keeps it tender. You can use 100% bread flour for a chewier loaf.
- Yeast amount: Use only ¼ teaspoon of yeast. Because the fermentation is so long, you don’t need much. Too much yeast will cause the dough to over-proof and collapse.
- Timing: Start this bread the day before you want to eat it. For example, mix the dough at 6 PM on Friday to bake it for dinner on Saturday.
What To Serve With Alton Brown No Knead Bread
This bread is perfect for dipping and slathering.
- Salted Butter: Good quality butter is all you need.
- Soup: Serve with Lentil Soup or Tomato Soup.
- Stew: Perfect for mopping up Beef Bourguignon.
- Cheese: Toast it for a grilled cheese sandwich.
How To Store Alton Brown No Knead Bread
- Room Temperature: Store the cooled loaf in a paper bag or bread box for up to 2–3 days. Plastic bags will soften the crust.
- Freeze: Slice the bread and freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Toast slices directly from frozen.
Alton Brown No Knead Bread Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 160kcal
- Protein: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fat: 0.5g
- Saturates: 0g
- Sugar: 0g
- Salt: 0.6g
Nutrition information is estimated per slice (based on 10 slices).
FAQs
Can I use a Pyrex dish?
You can use a glass Pyrex casserole dish with a lid, but ensure it is oven-safe at 450°F. The results may not be as crusty as cast iron.
Can I add mix-ins?
Yes. In step 1, you can stir in ingredients like roasted garlic, rosemary, grated cheese, or chopped olives.
Why is my dough runny?
This is a high-hydration dough (wet dough). It is supposed to be sticky and loose compared to traditional kneading dough. Use plenty of flour on your hands when shaping.
Alton Brown No Knead Bread Recipe
Description
A revolutionary bread recipe that uses time instead of effort to create a crusty, airy artisan loaf baked in a preheated Dutch oven.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Whisk flours, salt, and yeast.
- Stir in water to form a shaggy dough.
- Cover and rest for 19 hours.
- Fold dough on floured surface; rest 15 mins.
- Shape into a ball; rise in towel for 2 hours.
- Preheat Dutch oven at 450°F.
- Drop dough into hot pot; cover.
- Bake 30 mins; uncover and bake 15 mins.
- Cool on rack.
Notes
- Weighing the flour is highly recommended; cup measurements can be inaccurate, leading to a dough that is too dry to ferment properly.
- The 19-hour fermentation period allows the gluten strands to align naturally in the wet environment, replacing the need for physical kneading.
- Preheating the Dutch oven is the secret to the crust; the intense heat shock when the dough hits the pot causes “oven spring” and creates steam instantly.
Alton Brown No Knead Bread Recipe
