Overnight No-Knead Country Loaf

Name: Overnight No-Knead Country Loaf
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 0.25 tsp Active Dry Yeast; 3.5 cups Bread Flour; 1.5 tsp Salt; 0.5 cup Spelt Flour; 2 cups Water

Breakfast 🍳Side Dish 🥗Snack 🍿 American Low-Sodium Heart-Healthy ❤️Vegetarian 🥦Vegan 🌱Plant-Based 🌻Halal 🕌Kosher ✡️Clean Eating Pescatarian 🐟

Overnight No-Knead Country Loaf bakes up with a shatteringly crisp crust and an airy, tender crumb. The slow, room‑temperature rise builds deep, wheaty character from white bread flour and sprouted spelt, while the minimal handling keeps the interior light. Serve warm with butter alongside soups or salads, or use it for hearty sandwiches.

Prep20 mins
Cook30 mins
Serves12
DifficultyMedium

1

Put the bread flour, spelt flour, and yeast into a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour in the cold water and mix until a very wet, sticky dough forms, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and mix for another 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with foil, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 18 hours.
2

Deflate the bubbly dough with a spatula by scraping down the sides of the bowl and folding the dough over itself, turning the bowl in a circular motion as you go, about 12 times.
3

Scrape the dough onto a heavily floured surface. Generously flour the surface of the dough. With floured hands, roll and fold the dough on the table into a round or oval with a smooth surface for 1 to 2 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky. The exact loaf shape is not important; aim for a smooth surface.
4

Transfer to a Silpat-lined baking sheet and let it rise, uncovered, until doubled in size, about 2 hours. The dough will spread out more than rise upward; this is normal.
5

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Position a rack in the center of the oven.
6

With a very sharp knife or razor, cut a shallow slash down the middle of the dough, taking care not to deflate it too much; the slash is optional. Very lightly spray the surface of the loaf with water to help form a crust.
7

Bake on the center rack in the preheated oven until nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack before slicing.