No-Knead Sourdough Bread

I have been sharing quite a few sourdough recipes… and I have quite a few more. 😉 I made many of these baked goods while waiting for my sourdough starter to become fully active- which took a full month!

Now it’s (finally) time to share the most simple and delicious sourdough bread recipe I’ve made thus far. It is a sourdough version of the famous Dutch oven “no-knead” bread. Heavenly.

The recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen. I weighed the ingredients. I liked that the bread bakes on a piece of parchment paper inside the Dutch oven which is an improvement from the classic Sullivan Street No-Knead Bread. The preparation process begins the night before baking the loaf.

Yield: 1 large round loaf

Time: 1 1/4 hours, plus 14 hours resting

• 18.3 oz (3 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur or substitute any brand bread flour)
• 1 3/4 tsp fine sea salt or coarse salt
• 12.6 oz (1 1/2 cups plus 4 tsp) water, room temperature
• 3 oz (1/3 cup) mature sourdough starter

1. Ideally, feed your starter the morning you are planning to make the dough. Leave it at room temperature for up to 12 hours. (I weighed and fed 3oz of starter with equal parts water and flour and left it loosely covered at room temperature for 10 -12 hours.)
2. Whisk flour and salt together in medium bowl. (I try to start the process at 7pm)
3. Whisk room-temperature water and starter in large bowl until smooth.
4. Add flour mixture to water mixture and stir using wooden spoon, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until dough comes together, then knead by hand in bowl until shaggy ball forms and no dry flour remains.
5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours or up to 18 hours.
6. Lay 12 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper on counter and spray generously with vegetable oil spray.
7. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead 10 to 15 times. (I lightly flour my hands as well.)
8. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. (For the best rise, you want to create a smooth, round, somewhat taut top.)
9. Transfer dough, seam side down, to center of parchment.
10. Pick up dough by lifting parchment edges and lower into heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Cover with plastic wrap.
11. Adjust oven rack to middle position and place a metal loaf or cake pan in bottom of oven.
12. Place pot on middle rack and pour 3 cups of boiling water into pan below.
13. Close oven door and let dough rise until doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with your floured finger, 2 to 3 hours.
14. Remove pot and water pan from oven; discard plastic from pot.
15. Lightly flour top of dough (I use a small sieve) and, using razor blade, kitchen shears, or sharp knife, make one 7-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. (Using kitchen shears, I made a large # on the top of the dough instead.)
16. Cover pot and place on middle rack in oven.
17. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake bread for 30 minutes (start timing as soon as you turn on the oven).
18. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. (I baked mine for an additional 22 minutes.)
19. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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