There’s no denying that baking bread can be intimidating. We’ve watched enough episodes of The Great British Baking Show to know it’s painfully easy for a loaf to turn out too stodgy or too dry, its crumb structure too tight or too open, and contain a multitude of other defects that’d make Paul Hollywood weep. Luckily, no-knead bread recipes offer a much easier path to homemade bread. Instead of relying on vigorous kneading to develop gluten, they use time, hydration, and a few simple folds to create an airy crumb with remarkably little hands-on work.
Lest you think no-knead bread is any less delicious than its kneaded counterpart, we proffer the following recipes. They’re ideal for beginners, but the results are impressive enough for bakers of any skill level. Full disclosure: Several recipes call for folding the dough, but that process is simple (we promise) and still far less labor-intensive than traditional kneading.
We’ve got no-knead pizza dough. No-knead cheddar-jalapeño bread. A gluten-free loaf that skips kneading, shaping, and scoring. Several iterations of no-knead focaccia, including Sarah Jampel’s “Shockingly Easy” version, which has earned a 4.7-star rating and more than 1,500 comments from enthusiastic BA readers. And here’s another thing: You don’t have to tell the people you serve that the bread is no-knead. When they ooh and ahh over its perfectly formed air pockets, just smile politely and soak up the adoration. We won’t tell.
