jim lahey

Check out the video below for tips on stretching, topping, and baking your dough: This recipe works well with Jim Lahey's No Knead Broccoli Rabe, Garlic, Ginger, and Thai Chili Pizza. Note from Lahey: While I'm not picky about the...

Jim Lahey's No Knead Pizza Dough Recipe

(17 ½ ounces

(1/4 teaspoon) active dry yeast

(2 teaspoons) fine sea salt

(1 ½ cups) water

In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and, with a wooden spoon or your hands, mix thoroughly.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temperature (about 72°F) for 18 hours or until it has more than doubled. It will take longer in a chilly room and less time in a very warm one.

Flour a work surface and scrape out the dough. Divide it into 4 equal parts and shape them: For each portion, start with the right side of the dough and pull it toward the center; then do the same with the left, then the top, then the bottom. (The order doesn’t actually matter; what you want is four folds.) Shape each portion into a round and turn seam side down. Mold the dough into a neat circular mound. The mounds should not be sticky; if they are, dust with more flour.

If you don’t intend to use the dough right away, wrap the balls individually in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Return to room temperature by leaving them out on the counter, covered in a damp cloth, for 2 to 3 hours before needed.

I've never seen what I consider to be a really satisfactory explanation of the science behind the No-Knead Bread recipe, so I'm gonna try and fill that hole here. And what cool science it is. In 2006, Mark Bittman introduced the world to a recipe from Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery, which had a whole bunch of home cooks opening up their Dutch ovens and exclaiming oh my goodness—I can't believe I just did that! It certainly had me thinking that. Even more interesting to me than that it works is how it works, because by understanding the how, we can then modify the recipe to fit many different baking situations, even improving its flavor.

Better No-Knead Bread Recipe

(10.5 ounces, about 2 cups) bread flour or all-purpose flour

(about 3/4 teaspoon) salt

(about .5 teaspoons) yeast

(7.5 ounces, about 1 cup minus 1.5 tablespoons) water

Combine flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add water and stir with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

Transfer container to refrigerator and let sit for at least 3 and up to 5 days.

Remove dough from refrigerator and turn out onto well-floured surface. Turn once or twice and form into loaf shape. Cover with a well-floured kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temperature for at least two hours, and up to 4.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 450°F, with a heavy cast-iron or stainless steel Dutch oven placed inside it.

When dough has risen, slash top with a floured knife into two or three slashes, 1/2 inch deep. Remove Dutch oven from oven and working quickly, drop dough inside. Place lid back on Dutch oven and return to oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove lid and continue to bake until center of bread registers 209°F on an instant read thermometer, about 30 to 45 minutes longer (time will vary depending on shape of loaf).

Remove Dutch oven from oven and remove loaf of bread with a spatula or tongs. Allow to rest on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Unused bread can be stored at room temperature wrapped in foil for up to three days, though it may need to be refreshed in a hot oven or toaster before serving.

An incredible recipe for no-knead artisan bread baked in a Dutch oven. I like to make the dough in the evening (after dinner) to rise overnight. It's fantastic for sandwiches, crostini, and to mop up delicious sauces! Recipe adapted from Jim Lahey's No-Knead Artisan Bread.

Jim Lahey'S Easy No-Knead Artisan Bread

flour

yeast

fine sea salt

(about 1 1/3 cups) water

Jim Lahey's Easy No-Knead Artisan Bread

In a large bowl add the flour, yeast, salt and water. Stir until a rough dough forms. If it seems very dry, add more water.

Transfer to an oiled container and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise for 14 hours- overnight, at room temperature (about 70 degrees). Your dough is ready when it has puffed up in volume, about 1 1/2 -2x its original size. *See note below.

Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper and place the dough on top. Fold dough in half and then fold it in half again.

Shape the dough into a ball by tucking the sides underneath itself, and place onto the paper, seam side down. Cover and rest again until puffy but not fully risen, about 30 minutes- 2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Preheat your oven to 500 F. Put a (6 quart) dutch oven pot inside for 20 minutes. When ready to bake, remove pot from the oven. Place your hand underneath the parchment paper and invert the dough into the pot. The seam will be facing up. Cover the pot with the lid.

Place your bread into the oven, and reduce the temperature from 500 to 400 F. Bake for 40 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

To make sure that the bread is completely cooked through, take its temperature. Carefully tip the bread onto its side and insert a thermometer into the bottom. It should read 200-205 F. If not, place it back into the oven until it is ready (extra time in bread baking is a good thing). If you&#8217;re worried about the top getting too brown, put the lid back on.

When your bread is ready, transfer to a wire rack to cool. It should feel light and make a hollow sound when you give it a knock underneath. Let it cool for at least 1 hour. Cutting it too soon might ruin the texture resulting in a gummy crumb!

Omg thank you for responding! 
Waiting for my flour and yeast to be delivered today cant wait to start. Im using my plain Lodge cast iron dutch oven (just a 2qt) for my very first loaf. So excited. Im going to check out some enameled dutch ovens (wish I could afford the Le Creuset!) Thanks again!

Whoops, I totally missed the step about turning the oven down after you put the bread in. I baked it at 500 for about 25 minutes with the lid on, at which point it smelled VERY done. I checked the recipe, kicked myself and took it out. And you know what? It's still fantastic.

Hello. Thanks for such a simple, well thought out recipe....
Just wondering, how much is a Cup in Grams ? 

:)

Could this bread be baked in loaf pans or make rolls with it.

Thanks

I am 66 years old and have never had any luck with yeast breads.  Never.  
So my dough bubbled and rose the first time, but the second, not so much.  But I carried on.  When I put it in the dutch oven it was gooey and sticky and didn't have any form.  Bottom line though, it turned out great and now I have confidence that I can be a bread maker.
I found the comments extremely helpful.  I did use AP flour.  I did use more than recommended because it was so sticky.  And I did take it's temperature.
Thanks for the recipe, and the comments everyone!

https://www.theclevercarrot.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/IMG_63871.jpg

Hi,
Just wondering where you got that image of the dough in a glass bowl sitting on a timber bench? Stage 2 of the process. Looks very familiar.  Do you know that chef?

Can the recipe be doubled?

I’m asking because I’ve only fallen massively in love with this load. I’ve sent this recipe to a dozen of my friend and we all feel like bonafide bread bakers. It’s delicious and fool proof. I find myself making loaf and after loaf- giving my only Dutch oven a real run for its money. Thanks for the recipe and many good memories already created around the enjoyment of eating this bread.

Hi, I use a ceramic pot with a lid. It doesn't really closes tight, so I put some foil paper between the lid and the pot to seal it. I've heard that you can use pyrex or even a flipped stainless steel bowl as a cover over a baking stone or tray. Good luck!

Once I'm done with the 2nd proofing the dough, can I store the dough in the refrigerator until I need to use it?  I don't mind waiting for the dough rise overnight but I don't want to have to always plan a day ahead. 

I'd like to reach into my fridge (or freezer?) and have it ready to bake.  

How long could I store it for?

I am 81 years snd have not baked bread for many years.   I  am now making my 6th loaf today.  it's fantastic.  All my friends want more so I'm on lock down having the pleasure of making this bread for them.  it gives me a great sense of pleasure to give them every extra loaf.  its so easy if you just follow the instructions.   thank you snd Mr. Lahey!!! 5 stats!!!

Adapted from “The Minimalist,” The New York Times: Dining In November 8, 2006

Note: I’ve adjusted the recipe by adding a touch more salt than suggested in the article, and adding a half a teaspoon of sugar, which I think has improved the bread’s flavor. 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.

Jim Lahey's Overnight No-Knead Bread

bread flour,

instant yeast

table salt

sugar

Cornmeal, wheat bran

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add 1 and 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended. Dough will be sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest 12-18 hours at room temperature.

After the 12 hours, or when the surface of the dough is dotted with bubbles, lightly flour a work surface and place 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 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 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. If the towel is too small, cover with another towel. Let rise for another 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 (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic: I’ve used a ceramic Emile Henry Dutch oven and a circular Pyrex baking dish) on a rimmed sheet pan and place in the oven while it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pan and pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up. This is tricky. The first time I made this I clumsily flopped the dough into the pot and it lay seam side down. If this happens, just leave it: there is no way to fix it without burning yourself, and it ultimately does not matter. So, try your best to let the dough fall seam side up, and don’t worry and if it lands seam side down. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 15-30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven, and turn out onto a cooling rack. This makes a mess. Placing the cooling rack inside another rimmed sheet pan helps catch the crumbs that fall out of the baking vessel.

So good. So easy. Thanks for sharing this one.  Next stop...the famous peasant bread!

I remember when the Lahey/Bittman article was published, I was so excited and set out to try it immediately. I had the same seam side flop but got a decent result.  The hot pot idea always bothered me because I tended to get burned when I forgot I was a hot pot (during the pandemic I realized that came with not being a seasoned cook/Baker and now I rarely burn or cut myself by accident).  Your peasant bread helped me get to a place that when I tried this again, I felt more comfortable with every step and had much better success.   Bittman was my go to guy back then. 

Tried this twice and make bread often. Not enough yeast in recipe. I had to add 1 1/2 teaspoons?? 

hello, thanks for the clear directions! I made this loaf and it came out really nice but i  was not able to get an ear on it. It is about 80% hydration... 
I did the first rise for 15 hours at room temp, then shaped it and proofed for 1.5 hours, then shaped it one more time and was able to form more tension the second time, and let this proof again for 1.5 hours. I scored the bread with a razor blade but it felt kind of pointless because it felt like a very wet dough and it was kind of warm. The bread came out nicely in my dutch oven and i got  something like a very tiny micro-ear lol. I am really wanting to get an ear. Is 80% hydration too high to get an ear? Or should i incorporate the refrigerator at any point to help with firming up the dough before scoring? how would you alter the recipe/process if i wanted to end up with an ear? Thank you so much for your help

Also, if i want to incorporate the refrigerator at any point during this recipe, how should i do that? so i can have more control over the temperature if it is super hot/humid in my house during the summer, etc. how would this affect the amount of yeast / and timing of each step? Thank you!!

Ok thank you so much for your very clear explanation, i will do it exactly how you said. by the way, in the summers my house gets super hot and humid. instead of a 12 hour rise at RT is there a way to make this dough and put it straight into the fridge for the first rise? Is there any way i can do an entirely fridge or at least mostly fridge bread? and then perhaps the final proof at RT? You have been the only source that i trust for making bread for years now! Lol. thanks again.

Hello, Alexandra and thank you for your website.  I have been baking my own bread, rolls, and pizza dough since 1967 and then happened upon Jim Lahey's recipes a few years ago (see his book, My Bread). It changed my entire way of baking bread. It also seems that this revolutionary approach (slow, no knead) has been adopted by every serious bread baker, whether using yeast or sour dough. Did Jim Lahey start this method or has it been around for hundreds or thousands of years? In any case, he does not add any sugar to his recipes (unless a sweet loaf) and neither have I. My breads rise wonderfully every time and the sugar is not needed. The simplicity of his approach and explanations, and the simplicity of his equipment, makes bread baking approachable and affordable for everyone who loves bread.

Hi Ali....good morning from Broadstairs in Kent, UK.  I sent a message yesterday about the wetness of the cinnamon brioche dough but baked it this morning.  Wow!  How fantastic!  We loved every last crumb though we didn't finish it all as it was too much for us.  I take back the 3 stars and give it a definite 5, likewise this recipe for Jim Lahey's bread which I'm about to put in the oven (second time around. the first time I made half quantity just to be sure and that's all gone!)  Love your website and have tried most of your bread recipes, all have been great! So just wanted to say thank you and keep up the good work.  All the best, Jackie

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