No-Knead Artisan Bread

I love my Demarle molds! I've been trying for a long time to get a crispy crust on my artisan loaves; steam trays, spraying the sides of the oven, ice cubes, etc... This recipe comes from the Demarle website and I tried it out in my large round mold + octagonal silpat. Success!! I do find the longer you can leave your loaf in the oven, the deeper the crust will be and the more likely it won't soften on you. Plan ahead - this takes awhile!

-Demarle at Home

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ tsp. active dry yeast

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 ½ cups water

Flour, Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

Yields one 1 ½ pound loaf.

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 18 hours, at warm room temperature. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. (Optional: at this point fold in any add-ins; Kalamata olives, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, nuts and dried fruit, etc)

Place Large Round Mold on your perforated baking sheet. Flour Roul 'Pat and pour "dough" on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself and press. Repeat 3 times, rotating dough on Roul'Pat each time. This dough is very sticky at first so don't be shy to use extra flour as needed.

Gently pick up dough and place in Large Round Mold, covering with Octagonal Silpat. Let rise for 2 hours. When dough is almost ready: Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake 30 minutes, then remove carefully Octagonal Silpat and bake another 4-6 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. (You can remove the bread at this point, but if you turn off the oven and open the oven door and allow the bread to slowly cool and let the moisture escape, it will produce a more crispy crust.

For Cheese Bread: 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 cup shredded cheese, beaten egg to glaze, 2/3 grated cheese for topping.