Categories: Pizza/flatbread
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 11/2 tablespoons salt
- 1 envelope dry active yeast
- 1/4 cup lightly roasted garlic - whole or diced, depending on preference
- 1 tbsp celtic sea salt (optional, but great sprinkled on top for extra crunch).
- 2 tsp Italian herb seasoning blend (rosemary, oregano, thyme), optional for topping
Directions
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In a small bowl, add water and stir yeast packet in (make sure water is warm, but not too hot – if it is too cold or too hot it will not bloom properly).
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Let yeast bloom for about 5 minutes – it will have a light foam on it. In a large bowl, mix flour and salt with a spoon.Make a small well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and when yeast is proofed, slowly pour into flour.
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Mix by hand (either with your hands, or a spoon). The dough will turn begin to come together and pull away from the bowl.
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the dough is too sticky, add more flour in small increments, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too dry, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time. (Be sure to reference high altitude directions for water above if you live over 4,000 feet.) Once the dough has come together, cover it and let it rise until it doubles in size (about 1.5 to 2 hours).
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Uncover the dough and give it a few pokes with your finger. If the dough has risen correctly, it should indent under the pressure of your fingers and slowly deflate.Add roasted garlic to dough, mix well.
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ntly scoop up the dough and make sure to remove it from the sides of the bowl (you want it to fully rise again, if it is still stuck to the sides of the bowl in parts, it won’t). Place back in bowl, cover, and allow the dough to continue to rise for another 1.5-2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees (230 degrees C, gas mark 8) and add skillet to it, (you want it to be incredibly hot). Punch down dough. Generously flour a sheet of parchment paper; transfer dough to parchment and, with floured hands, shape into a ball.
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Place dough on parchment paper and sprinkle top lightly with flour. Top with any extra herbs or a sprinkle of celtic sea salt. Top with a sheet of plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes. Remove skillet from oven.
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Uncover dough and carefully transfer to skillet, with or without parchment paper beneath (if bottom of skillet is not coated with enamel, keep parchment paper beneath dough- I always use parchment paper because it is just the easiest and I never have to worry about anything sticking).
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Bake bread 45 minutes covered, then another 10 to 15 minutes uncovered until dough is baked through and golden brown on top. Cool slightly before slicing.
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How To Make and Store Bread Dough For Cooking Later
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If you want to make this bread for a party, a big dinner, or to have on hand without all of the prep work, you can pre-make the dough and save it in the refrigerator or freezer until you need it!
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To have the best bread from pre-prepped dough, I like to make the bread all the way through the first rise.
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When you would ready your bread for a second rise, tightly wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap (take care to get rid of any extra air bubbles), and place into a fridge immediately if you will be baking the bread in the next 2 days.
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If freezing, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap (be extra sure to have a tight seal on the dough for the freezer – air pockets could cause freezer burn), and then pop that plastic wrap into a gallon sized plastic bag. I like to have it in plastic wrap inside a plastic bag because it helps stave off ice crystals even more – just like how placing ice cream container into a gallon sized plastic bag helps prevent ice crystals from forming, and makes it easily scoop-able!
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en it is time to make your bread, remove from fridge or freezer, and place on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper in a warm, dry place. Let dough come to temperature, and fully rise a second time (rise should be 1.5 – 2 hours, defrosting time will be anywhere from 1 hour – 3 hours, depending on numerous factors).
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After the secondary rise, complete final dough resting period and baking instructions as listed in recipe below.
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High Altitude No Knead Bread Adjustments
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Since I live in Colorado, I am aware of the effect altitude has on my baking. While there are a lot of complicated answers to the how to cook bread at high altitude question, this bread is pretty easy to get right, from sea level to the mountains.
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Add extra water. Add teaspoons full of water, 1 at a time, and mix into dough until it is slightly sticky to the touch (could be up to two tablespoons, but to prevent needing to add more flour, add teaspoons one by one.)
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duce the rising time. Let the bread rise fully (1.5-2 hours for the first rise), and then only 1 hour for the second rise. If you are at very high altitude, you can skip the final resting period as well, and pop the bread into the oven after the second rise.