Though I like making kneaded bread the traditional way,it is handy to know how to make bread on the spur of the moment — especially one that doesn’t need a long kneading process to work up the gluten in the flour.
The first time I saw a no-knead bread dough was many years ago, when I was chef at the Metropole restaurant in Parnell and we hosted guest chef, Tony Papas from the Bayswater Brasserie in Sydney. My clever friend Mark, however, gave me a more refined version which I have adopted. This is a sticky dough so you need to work with it on a well-floured surface. Like scones, handle it as little as possible and if it springs back when you try to roll it out, stop, wait and let it relax before proceeding.
The basic dough can be kept overnight or for a few days, covered, in the fridge and used after bringing back to room temperature.
Use this dough simply pressed out evenly in a shallow tray, very well oiled with extra virgin olive oil, its top brushed with more oil and sprinkled with flaky sea salt. Bake in a hot 200C oven for about 40 minutes or until well cooked like foccacia.
See here for how to use this dough to make my Stuffed bread pie with butternut and feta, Turkish-style lamb pies and Sugar rolls.
Ingredients
| 3 cups | Warm water, you want it lukewarm |
| 1 Tbsp | Dried yeast (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Sugar |
| 5 cups | Flour (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Salt |
Directions
- Put the water, yeast and sugar into a large bowl. Wait until the yeast melts, then stir and place in a draught-free warm place (a sunny deck works well) until the mixture is very frothy.
- Whisk in 2 cups of flour so you have a lump-free slurry. Set aside, covered, in a draught-free, warm place until doubled in bulk.
- Add the remaining flour and salt and mix well. Cover, put back in the warm place and allow to double in bulk.
