Best Americas Test Kitchens Take On No Knead Bread Recipes

ALMOST NO-KNEAD BREAD FROM AMERICA'S TEST KITCHENS

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using a rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 8-18 hours.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured board; knead lightly 10-15 times to form a smooth, round ball; shape into round by pulling edges of dough up onto the middle. Lay on the counter 12" x 18" sheet of parchment; spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough round on parchment, seam side down and gently place in a dutch oven. Mist lightly dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise about 2 hours, until double. (If you poke a finger into the dough and the dent remains, it's double.)
• Lightly flour top of the loaf (I forgot to do this -- still worked) Using a sharply serrated knife, cut ½ -inch X into the top of the loaf (Yes, I forgot this too). Remove plastic wrap from dough
• Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Cover the pot and put it in a cold oven. Heat oven to 425F. Once the oven reaches 425 degrees, bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove lid and bake, uncovered, 20-30 minutes longer, till bread is deep brown and the center of the loaf registers 210F on an instant-read thermometer. Carefully remove bread from the pot and place it on a wire rack to cool. Let cool 2 hours before slicing.
• Note: This bread is best eaten the day it's made, but will keep wrapped in a double layer of plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. To re-crisp crust, place unwrapped bread in a 450-degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Freezes well for up to 3 months.

ALMOST NO-KNEAD BREAD 2.0

Steps:

• Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.
• Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times.
• Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle.
• Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.
• About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough.
• Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid.
• Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge).
• Cover pot and place in oven.
• Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes.
• Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 200 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer.
• Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.