Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread
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Crusty, airy, bakery-style bread in your home kitchen? Yes. You. Can. This dough takes 5 minutes to stir together, and from there, time does the work. If you love a rustic boule for dipping in your soup or toasting and slathering with butter and jam for breakfast, this recipe is for you.
** Note to My Readers ** This was the 5th recipe I posted on this blog, way back in 2006. I’ve since updated it with new notes and photos.
Last Sunday evening, wanting to make a dent in a large bag of pizza flour* I had purchased a few months ago, I mixed up a batch of Jim Lahey’s famous no-knead bread dough (recipe below). The following day, after an 18-hour rise, I proceeded with the recipe, turning the dough out onto a floured work surface, folding it into a rough ball, then letting it rise again in a cornmeal-dusted towel. Two hours later I set it seam side up in my screaming hot Dutch oven and baked it.
What a treat!
It truly has been years since I made this recipe, and I had forgotten about all of the joys: the very basic mixing process, which requires no stretches and folds, the very basic shaping process, which requires no skill or practice, the simple trick of baking the loaf seam side up, making scoring unnecessary, removing the lid of the Dutch oven to reveal a rustic, cornmeal-crusted boule, slathering a slice of the chewy, crusty bread with salted butter.
All for what feels like impossibly little effort! If you’ve spent any time toiling over a loaf of sourdough bread, making Jim Lahey’s bread will feel like a breath of fresh air.
*It’s this Petra 0102, which I wrote about over here. Note: JL’s bread is equally delicious with bread or all-purpose flour, too, so don’t feel the need to order a 27-lb bag of Petra! (Although I do love it so.)
Why This Recipe Works
- Time. This recipe calls for a tiny amount of yeast — just 1/4 teaspoon — and a very long slow rise, during which time, gluten develops as well as flavor.
- Baking Method. This dough bakes in a Dutch oven, covered first, then uncovered. When the pot is covered, water in the dough evaporates and transforms into steam. Both the carbon dioxide gas in the dough and the steam push against the gluten structure, causing the dough to spring. During the last 15 minutes of baking, when the lid is removed and the bread is baking in dry heat, the gelatinized surface of the dough dries out, transforming into a crackly crust. The cornmeal helps, too. Read more about this baking method here: How to Make Crusty Baguettes at Home.
How to Make Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread, Step by Step
First gather your ingredients: flour (bread or all-purpose), salt, instant yeast (SAF is my preference), and water:
Combine the flour, yeast, and salt:
Whisk to combine, then add the water:
Stir until you have a sticky dough ball:
Cover the bowl. At this point, you can leave the dough untouched for 18 hours. Or, if time permits, in 15 to 20 minutes, you can perform one set of stretches and folds: simply grab an edge of the dough using a wet hand and stretch it up and in. Repeat this 8 to 10 times, grabbing a different edge each time. I find even performing just one set of stretches and folds gives my dough the teensiest bit more strength and ultimately a bit more loft.
Compare the difference between this dough after 18 hours, which experienced no stretches and folds:
And this dough, also after 18 hours, which experienced one set of stretches and folds:
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface:
Then fold it into a rough ball:
Lightly dust a tea towel or flour sack towel (I love these Flour Sack Towels) with cornmeal and place the shaped round cut side down on the towel. Sprinkle with more cornmeal:
Incidentally, this is the cornmeal I buy:
Wrap into a bundle and set in a small bowl (an 8-inch banneton or Pyrex bowl or anything similar) will work. Set aside to rise for 2 hours.
Forty-five minutes before you plan on baking, place a Dutch oven in your oven and preheat it to 450ºF. I’ve used my 5-Qt Lodge and my Challenger Bread Pan here with success.
When you are ready to bake, open the towel, and remove the bowl.
Lay a round of parchment over the top of the dough and lay one hand on top; then slide your other hand underneath the towel, and carefully flip the round onto the parchment, so that the seam side is up. (Note: The seam will be hard to see, but it will open up in the oven.) This will make a mess of cornmeal everywhere… simply sweep it away. I love these parchment rounds for both pizza and this bread.
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and set it on a cooling rack. Remove the lid and carefully lower the bread, parchment paper and all into the pot:
Cover the pot and transfer to the oven for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid:
Return the pan to the oven for another 15 minutes or until browned to your liking:
Transfer bread to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
The bread made with half bread flour and half Petra 0102:
The no-knead loaf will feed a crowd but should you find yourself with leftovers, it makes delicious toast and freezes beautifully:
Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread
- Total Time: 22 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
Description
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s “The Minimalist” column in The New York Times: Dining In November 8, 2006 / Recipe from Jim Lahey
Notes:
Flour/Salt: I’ve adjusted the recipe by adding a touch more salt than suggested in the article and converting the recipe to grams. In the years since this recipe has been published, Mark Bittman has updated his recipe to add grams, and his quantities are slightly different than mine. The key here is to use roughly an 80% hydration dough, so regardless of how much flour you use, be sure the water amount is roughly 80% the amount of flour. Similarly, the salt should be roughly 2 to 3 % the weight of the flour, which for this recipe is 7 to 11 grams.
Time: Be sure to read the recipe through entirely before endeavoring to make this bread: you need 12-18 hours initially in rising time and 2 more hours subsequently for a second rise.
Equipment: You’ll need a lidded vessel to bake this loaf. I use my 5-qt Lodge Double Dutch Oven for this one. Parchment paper is helpful as well or transferring the dough from the towel to the preheated Dutch oven.
Ingredients
- 385 grams (about 3 cups) bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 gram (¼ teaspoon) instant yeast
- 11 grams (about 2 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 308 grams (about 1 5/8 cups) water
- Cornmeal, wheat bran, or oat bran as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water, and stir until blended. The dough will be sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 12-18 hours at room temperature. (Note: Optional Step: If time permits, 15 to 20 minutes after you cover the bowl, perform one set of stretches and folds: simply grab an edge of the dough using a wet hand and stretch it up and in. Repeat this 8 to 10 times, grabbing a different edge each time. I find performing a set of stretches and folds gives my dough the teensiest bit more strength and ultimately a bit more loft. See photos in the post above.)
- After the 12 to 18 hours, or when the surface of the dough is dotted with bubbles, lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Sprinkle a little more flour on the dough and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, lay a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) on a counter or tabletop in a draft-free area. Generously coat it with cornmeal, wheat bran, oat bran, or any combination of the three. After the 15 minutes, using as much flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers and the work surface, quickly shape the dough into a ball and place seam side down in the center of the prepared towel. Dust with more cornmeal, wheat bran, or oat bran. If the towel is large enough, fold the sides up over the bread so that it is completely covered. Otherwise, cover it with another towel. Let rise for another 2 hours. (I like to set my towel-wrapped dough into a bowl or banneton to provide a little more support during these 2 hours.)
- Forty-five minutes before the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a 6- to 8-quart heavy-covered pot (I use this Lodge Double Dutch Oven) in the oven while it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. This is tricky — I find that parchment paper helps: open your towel, lay a sheet of parchment paper over the dough, place your hand on the parchment paper and carefully flip the dough over so that the seam side is up and the dough is resting on the parchment paper. Use the overhanging parts of the parchment paper as handles, then lay the bread, parchment paper and all, into the Dutch oven.
- Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven, and turn out onto a cooling rack.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Dutch Oven
- Cuisine: American
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95 Comments on “Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread”
Hi Alexandra,
I made the bread according to your instructions, but my dough was a bit wetter than yours. It came out okay, just slightly moist. What do you think I did wrong? Was I supposed to leave it in the oven longer? I waited longer than 30 minutes before cutting it.
Thank you!
Hi! Did you use a scale to measure? What type of flour did you use? Do you live in a humid environment?
I used a cup of whole wheat flour for one cup of bread flour, used a heavy stainless steel pot and ultimately had to put the dough in the fridge for the 2nd rise but it came out delicious and crusty. Thanks!
Great to hear, Monica! Thanks for writing and sharing these notes 🙂
As always, you take an excellent recipe and make it even more splendid! I find something about doing the stretches and folds to be so satisfying as the glob of dough becomes springy and elastic and lovely to the touch. The crumb really does improve with the stretches, and for such little effort, there’s a very nice payback. And, when you start to experiment with various flours, stone-milled, especially, but also flours from non-commercial farms as you advocate, the flavor improves as well. I think I’m a bit of a flour fanatic these days, cradling by new flour arrivals like a newborn. When I make too much bread, neighbors could not be happier!
You usually perform more than 1 set of stretch and fold on your breads. Would that work on the Jim Lahey bread also? So should I do 1 set of stretch and fold or up to 4 times. What’s your thought on how many times and how far apart.
Hi! I do more than one set of stretches and folds for my sourdough bread recipes, but I don’t think doing more than one set here is necessary — with the 18 hour rise, plenty more gluten and strength will develop. There is no harm, of course, in adding another set, but I don’t think you’ll see that much difference here between doing one set and 4 sets.
Hi Ali,
What size round parchment paper are you using in the Lodge Dutch oven?
Hi! 12 inches: https://amzn.to/4jgjop7
Came out perfect!
Question – could I let it sit longer than 18 hours? For example, make the dough at 8am and bake the next day, well over 24 hours?
P.S. you taught me how to make sourdough <3
So nice to hear this, Audrea 🙂
Yes, I think you could. I would be sure to use 1/4 teaspoon or even a scant 1/4 teaspoon, and cold water and store the bread in a cool spot (like your basement or another cool spot).
I have definitely let this dough rise for close to 24 hours before shaping and letting it sit for another 2-3 hours.
Loved the base of this recipe – tried a change: added 100 g ripe sourdough starter (subtracting 50 g from both water and bread flour) – let it sit for 12 hours….beautiful action. Shaped into a 9×5 loaf pan – sit for 2 hours…baked with lid on (another loaf pan) at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, removed lid and baked an additional 30…. turned out wonderful!
Fun! Love the sound of this. Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂
So easy and delicious! I’ve been making your mother’s peasant bread for awhile, but have been wanting to try this recipe. Finally did and it’s my new favorite. I used wheat germ instead of the cornmeal and it gave the bread a toasted wheat flavor.
Thanks for all your great recipes.
‘
Great to hear, Lori! Thanks so much for writing and sharing these notes 🙂
Hi Alexandra, this looks great but I don’t have a Dutch oven and I make my bread in conventional British oblong tins, using a no-knead method. Would this rec ipework as well if baked in tins?
Many thanks.
Barbara
Yes, it should be fine! Are you using a 9×5-inch loaf pan? Or is the oblong tin lidded?
Hi Alexandra. It’s a 9x 5 loaf pan with no lid. Do hope it will work. I’ll try it at the weekend and let you know, for future reference.
Thanks
Barbara
I think it should work really well! It’s possible you might need to scale it up. For instance, I use 500 grams of flour in this sandwich bread recipe that I bake in a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
I find that using a three quart pot gives the bread a higher rise.
That makes sense. Does the loaf expand to touch the sides, or is there still space once it has sprung to its full volume?
Yes it expands to the sides then rises higher. Better loaf in my opinion.
Great recipe.
Nice, great to hear 🙂
My bread does seem somewhat wet, no matter what I do,
I always follow the exact recipe.
Are you located here or abroad? Are you using a scale to measure? And what type of flour are you using?
I live in Boston, MA, I weigh the flour, I use all purpose king Arthur Flour.
OK, a few thoughts: when you run out of your ap flour, try using bread flour. Or, with your next loaf using ap flour, you could hold back 25 grams of water and see if that helps. But if you are happy with the end result, don’t change a thing — this is a wet dough and that’s part of the reason it works so well.
Would there be a way to adapt this for making bread rolls?
I think you could, but I worry about the process being potentially frustrating because the dough is so wet… I think shaping the rolls will be tricky. The other tricky step is the baking: would you preheat a Dutch oven and try to carefully lower the rolls into the hot DO? Or would you bake them in a baking dish? I think a baking dish would be easier, but they might not have the same crust as the Jim Lahey Dutch oven bread.
Thank you for your reply. I might try experimenting and will let you know how it goes!
Ali, I do not have a stand mixer and don’t plan on getting one. I’m wondering if you could apply this stretch and fold for most bread recipes. In other words, do you think one could substitute stretches and folds instead of kneading (hand or mixer) for any bread recipe? What would be the considerations and are there any caveats? I have your blog bookmarked and it’s the first place I go for recipes and inspiration!🥰
Thank you Mary Ann 🙂 You are too kind. Yes, I do think adding one set of stretches and folds, 30-60 minutes after you mix your dough could replace all kneading in most bread recipes. I do think this works best when you use a smaller amount of yeast (1/2 teaspoon or so) and plan for a longer, slower rise, because time allows gluten to develop as well. Hope that helps!
This recipe is SO brilliant-works every time and is just delicious.