No-Knead Bread with Olives, Rosemary and Parmesan

A rustic artisan-style bread with a crisp, deeply browned crust and a flavorful interior filled with Parmesan, rosemary and olives. A small amount of lager and vinegar gives the long-rising dough additional depth of flavor, while baking in a preheated Dutch oven creates a beautifully crisp crust and tender, chewy crumb.

No-Knead Bread

Yield: 1 large round loaf
Prep Time: About 20 minutes, plus 10–20 hours rising and cooling
Bake Time: 50–60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
• ¼ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1½ teaspoons table salt
• 4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese, about 2 cups
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) room-temperature water
• ½ cup chopped pitted olives — Kalamata olives work especially well
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 ounces) mild-flavored lager
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, salt, Parmesan and rosemary.
2. Add the water, olives, lager and vinegar. Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture together, scraping up any dry flour from the bottom of the bowl, until a shaggy ball forms.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough sit at room temperature for 8–18 hours.
4. Place a 12 x 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside a 10-inch skillet and lightly coat the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead 10–15 times. Shape into a ball by pulling the edges toward the center.
6. Place the dough seam-side down on the parchment-lined skillet. Lightly spray the surface with nonstick cooking spray and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
7. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size and the dough does not readily spring back when gently pressed with a finger, about 2 hours.
8. About 30 minutes before baking, position an oven rack at the lowest level. Place a 6–8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with its lid on the rack and preheat the oven to 500°F.
9. Lightly flour the top of the risen dough. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, cut one 6-inch-long, ½-inch-deep slit across the top.
10. Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Using the parchment paper as a sling, lift the dough from the skillet and lower it into the Dutch oven. Leave the dough on the parchment.
11. Cover the Dutch oven and return it to the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 425°F.
12. Bake covered for 30 minutes.
13. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 20–30 minutes, until the loaf is deeply browned and the center registers 210°F on an instant-read thermometer.
14. Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.

Denver High-Altitude Adjustments (5,280 feet):

• Reduce the yeast slightly, from ¼ teaspoon to a scant ¼ teaspoon. The long fermentation can move a little faster at altitude.
• Begin checking the dough after about 8 hours during the first rise rather than automatically allowing it to go much longer. Once it is well risen and bubbly, proceed with the recipe.
• During the second rise, watch the dough rather than the clock. It may be ready in about 1–1½ hours instead of 2 hours. It should be noticeably expanded and should not spring back readily when gently pressed.
• Keep the water, lager and vinegar quantities unchanged initially. Denver's dry climate can make bread dough slightly drier, so if the mixed dough seems unusually stiff rather than shaggy and sticky, add 1 tablespoon water.
• Keep the oven temperatures at 500°F for preheating and 425°F for baking. The preheated Dutch oven is important for good oven spring and crust development.
• Use the recipe's internal temperature rather than baking time alone. The finished loaf should reach approximately 210°F in the center.

Denver Note: For this recipe, I would not make the usual high-altitude adjustments to flour, sugar or baking temperature that we might make for cakes or muffins. Yeast bread behaves differently, and the long fermentation means the most important Denver adjustment is simply preventing the dough from over-rising.

Tip: The parchment paper acts as a sling, making it much easier—and safer—to lower the risen dough into the extremely hot Dutch oven without disturbing its shape. The bread is best the day it is baked but can be wrapped in foil and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated