Why you are cooking this tonight
The no-knead sourdough is the bread that turned every Australian home baker into a serious baker during the 2020 lockdowns. It uses an active starter, four ingredients, and a cast iron pot. No kneading, no standing mixer, no scoring lessons. Fold four times over a three-hour stretch, then forget about it overnight in the fridge. In the morning it bakes at 240 in a covered pot for twenty minutes, then uncovered for another twenty-five. You end up with a loaf that looks like it came from a Melbourne bakery.
The starter is the commitment. Buy one from a bakery, borrow one from a friend, or make your own with flour and water over five days. Keep it in the fridge. Feed it the day before you bake. This recipe assumes you already have an active one.
Notes on method
Strong bread flour. Filtered water. A real Dutch oven or cast-iron casserole that holds the heat. Hot oven, lid on for the first half of the bake. The dough should sound hollow when you tap the bottom.
What to pour with it
Warm with butter, a poached egg, and a coffee. With dinner: a roast chicken and a McLaren Vale shiraz. With olives and a glass of Dal Zotto prosecco.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Combine starter, water, flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix with your hand until no dry flour remains, 2 minutes. Cover, rest 30 min.
- First fold: wet your hand, grab an edge of the dough, stretch it up and fold over. Rotate bowl a quarter turn. Repeat 3 times. Cover, rest 30 min.
- Do 3 more rounds of folds, 30 min apart. The dough should feel stronger each time.
- Bulk ferment another 2-3 hours at room temp (total 4-5h from mixing). Dough should be puffy and jiggly but not doubled.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured bench. Fold top down, bottom up, sides in. Flip seam-down. Shape into a tight round by rotating with the sides of your hands.
- Place seam-up in a floured banneton or a bowl lined with a floured tea towel. Cover. Refrigerate 12-18 hours.
- Put a cast-iron Dutch oven in the oven. Preheat to 240°C fan-forced for at least 45 min.
- Turn dough out onto baking paper. Score the top with a blade or sharp knife. Carefully lift paper and dough into the hot pot.
- Cover, bake 20 min. Remove lid, reduce to 220°C, bake another 20-25 min until deep brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- Cool on a wire rack at least 45 min before slicing.