Bake bread from scratch

Making bread sounds like a project, but a no-knead loaf is mostly waiting. You stir four ingredients together, leave them alone, and bake the dough in a hot pot. Here’s how to make bread at home that crackles when you slice it.

Plan the day

Start in the late morning, and you’ll have warm bread in the afternoon. The dough needs a few hours to rise, then a short rest after shaping, and about 45 minutes in the oven. It’s not hard work, but it does need you nearby, so choose a day when you’re home.

Bread needs warmth to rise. A kitchen around room temperature is fine, and a cold one just takes longer.

What you need

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (about 400 grams)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast (also sold as rapid-rise). If you only have active dry, use the same amount and stir it into the warm water for 5 minutes first.
• 1 1/2 cups warm water, about the temperature of a warm bath
• A heavy pot with a lid, about 5 quarts, that can go in a 450°F oven
• Parchment paper

Check that the lid’s handle can take 450°F. Some plastic knobs can’t, and you can usually swap them for a metal one or wrap the knob in foil.

Make the dough

1. Stir the flour, salt and instant yeast together in a large bowl.
2. Add the water and stir until there are no dry patches. It will be wet and shaggy, which is correct.
3. Cover the bowl with a plate or a damp towel.
4. Leave it somewhere warm for 2 to 4 hours, until roughly doubled and bubbly on top.

Shape and rest

1. Flour your counter and tip the dough out. It will be sticky.
2. Fold the edges into the centre a few times to make a rough ball, and set it seam-side down on a sheet of parchment.
3. Cover it loosely and let it rest for 30 to 60 minutes.
4. Put the empty pot, with its lid, in the oven while it rests, and heat the oven to 450°F.

Bake

1. Wearing oven gloves, take out the hot pot, lift the dough by the parchment and lower it in.
2. Put the lid on and bake for 30 minutes.
3. Take the lid off and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden. The inside should reach about 205°F, if you want to check.
4. Lift the loaf out and set it on a rack. Let it cool for about an hour before you cut it.

The pot is very hot, and so is the steam when you lift the lid. Keep your face back and use thick gloves.

What goes wrong

• It’s dense. The dough didn’t rise enough. Let it go longer, or find a warmer spot.
• The crust is pale. Leave the lid off for a few more minutes.
• The bottom is too dark. The pot ran too hot. Use a rack position a notch higher next time.
• The inside is gummy. You cut it too soon. The loaf is still setting as it cools.
• The dough is too sticky to handle. Use plenty of flour on your hands and the counter, or a dough scraper. Stickiness is normal.
• It doesn’t rise at all. The yeast may be old, or the water too hot. Use fresh yeast and lukewarm water.

Keep it

Bread is best on day one. Keep the cut side down on a board, or wrap it in a clean cloth, for a day or two. It’s also easy to slice and freeze, then toast from the freezer. Don’t store it in the fridge, because it goes stale faster there.

For a slower version with more flavour, use only 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and let the dough rise for 12 to 18 hours overnight.

Make it a winter day

Put the dough on in the morning and let the house smell like bread by the afternoon. Eat the first slice warm with good butter, or save a few for dunking in onion soup later.