I love me some no-knead bread. And Stecca, a No-Knead Artisan Baguette is no exception! I mean, really, kneading is what makes bread work to make. So take away the kneading? Well darn, you've just taken away the work. This may be one of the most impressive yet low effort breads I make. Simply stir together the flour, water, salt, sugar, yeast, then let sit. 6 hours? Sure. 18 hours? Why not. It's a lose time frame that works either way! Jim Lahey, of course, master of the dutch oven bread is where this recipe is from! Of course I've bastardized his recipe from My Bread in a few ways but whatevs, it works for me!
Dough Options for Stecca Bread
1.) Dump dough out onto floured counter, turn once so it's all floured, and then divide it into four.
2.) Dump your dough out onto an olive oiled counter, turn to coat so all covered in oil, and then cut it into four.
Once you've got it cut, you turn the oven on, the dough needs to rest for 20 minutes minimum, up to 1 ½ hours. (Really, don't skip this.) When your oven beeps, get your pan ready. It needs to be 18 inches long and however wide those pans usually are. I cover it in parchment paper because it's easier. You could just grease it, although I don't have experience with that.
Of course I didn't take a picture, but you take one end in each hand of the dough, stretching it to 18 inches long, and putting down on the pan.
Toppings for Stecca Bread
From here, you can leave it how it is and bake, OR we can talk toppings. You have loads of options so lissen-here-fellah.
1) Sprinkle with salt (Not best on plain floured as it doesn't stick)
2) Press garlic cloves, sliced sweet onion, olives, slices of tomatoes/cherry tomato halves or dried herbs into the top
3) Add extra olive oil with a pastry brush for a crisper crust.
4) Salt and Pepper
Then bake!
And if you REALLY want to wow people, take it out of the oven, put fresh basil and mozzarella on, then broil for a minute or two until nice and bubbly! Sea salt and fresh ground pepper on top of the cheese please!
Stecca No-Knead Baguette
Ingredients
- 3 cups (400 grams) flour (half and half white and fresh ground is my favourite. Less white=more dense but still tasty. All white=good too but I like nuttyness of whole wheat)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon instant yeast or other active dry yeast; If you want closer to 6 hour rise, add ½ teaspoon yeast instead.
- 1 ½ cups (350 grams) cool water 55-65F
- additional flour for dusting
Instructions
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Add in the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Cover bowl with a plate or wet tea towel and let rise. This can rise 6-18 or even 24 if you have a cooler house.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto an oiled or floured surface. (See options in the post.)
- Push the dough into a loose 4x6 rectangle, then cut into 4 chunks.
- Preheat the oven to 500F.
- Let bread rest 20 minutes while oven heats up.
- Oil a baking sheet, or line it with parchment. Take each chunk of dough and stretch it to 18 inches on the baking sheet.
- Top as desired (See options in the post. )
- Bake for 15-25 minutes until golden. Enjoy!
Notes
- Adapted from from Jim Lahey's Book, My Bread
- Yields 4 baguettes
Nutrition
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