KING ARTHUR FLOUR NO-KNEAD CRUSTY WHITE BREAD

KING ARTHUR FLOUR NO-KNEAD CRUSTY WHITE BREAD image

Yield 3-4 loaves

Number Of Ingredients 4

Ingredients

3 cups lukewarm water
32 ounces (6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

Steps:

Mix and stir ingredients together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If using a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. Move to greased bowl or bucket and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours -'til about double. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If pressed for time, skip the initial room-temperature rise, and put it right into the fridge). Over the course of the first day or so in the fridge, it'll rise, then fall. The longer you keep the dough chilled, the tangier it'll get; after 7 days it will taste like sourdough. When ready to bake, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour, making it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough (14oz to 19oz piece) about the size of a softball or large grapefruit. On a floured work surface round it into a ball or a longer loaf shape. Place dough on parchment (if using stone) or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking. Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won't rise upwards much. Preheat your oven & stone to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow pan on the lowest oven rack, Have 1 cup of hot water ready to go. When ready to bake, take sharp knife and slash the bread about 1/2" deep 2 or 3 times. The bread may deflate a bit. Place the bread -with parchment-directly on the stone or place the pan on the rack above the lower rack. Carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the lowest oven rack. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly. The steam settles on the bread's crust, making it soft and flexible enough to rise as high as possible during those first few crucial minutes of baking. Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool.