No-Knead Mini Loaves are crusty on the outside, soft on the inside and use only 4 ingredients! Makes enough for 5 small artisan bread loaves!
Place the 100°F. water in a very large bowl or food-safe container (about 2 gallons), and whisk or stir in the active dry yeast until combined. Now add flour and salt to the liquid mixture and stir WELL to combine. This dough will be very thick and sticky, but just keep stirring until all the ingredients have been successfully combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then top the bowl with a kitchen dish towel. Place the bowl on the counter, in a warm place in your kitchen. Let the dough sit at room temperature, undisturbed for 2 hours.
After the dough has rested at room temperature for 2 hours, place the covered bowl into the refrigerator. Let the bread dough chill in the refrigerator overnight OR until 1½ hours before you want the baked bread to be ready! It should have doubled in size.
Flour a banneton proofing basket (for each loaf) generously with flour; set aside. NOTE: If not using a banneton, place a large piece of parchment paper on the counter; sprinkle with flour.
Pull out a grapefruit-sized amount of dough from bowl (return remaining dough to fridge). With floured hands, shape it into a ball, by stretching out dough and tucking edges under the bottom. You want it smooth on top, and outer edges tucked under, forming a tight, round dough ball. Pinch dough edges together on the bottom to seal edges as much as possible. Place dough ball, top-side DOWN, into prepared banneton. NOTE: If using parchment paper (no banneton), place dough ball, top side UP onto prepared parchment paper.
Cover bread with a dish towel. Set banneton or parchment on counter; let it sit/rise at room temp. for 40 minutes. Halfway through rising time (20 minutes), preheat oven to 425°. Place Dutch oven into the oven, so it will preheat, as well.
Once dough has sat for 40 minutes, if using a banneton, carefully turn the banneton over onto a large sheet of parchment paper. TIP: Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet, then turn it over on top of the banneton (paper onto banneton with baking sheet on top). Securely hold baking sheet and banneton with both hands; carefully flip it over to release and invert the dough ball from banneton onto parchment.
Remove Dutch oven from the preheated oven (it's HOT). Lift parchment paper with dough ball; lower loaf carefully into pan. Put the lid on Dutch oven; place back in oven; bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid; continue baking uncovered for about 5 minutes, until loaf is light golden brown in color.
Remove pan from oven. Carefully lift paper/bread loaf out; transfer bread to wire rack to cool 4-5 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife. Enjoy!
NOTE: Dough will keep, (covered in fridge) up to 2 weeks. Each time you want a fresh loaf, follow instructions above for making a new loaf!
No-Knead Mini Loaves https://www.thegratefulgirlcooks.com/no-knead-mini-loaves/