No-Knead Dill Gouda Artisan Bread
Made with nutty, buttery gouda, citrusy dill and freshly cracked pepper, this simple overnight loaf is packed with fresh flavours. This recipe builds on my simple 4-ingredient, no-knead Everyday Artisan Bread. It’s still super easy to make and requires just a handful of extra ingredients!NOTE: This recipe has been updated to include an additional step in which the dough is cold proofed in the refrigerator prior to baking.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups water, room temperature (at or near 70°F/21°C)
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 3½ cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cubed Gouda cheese (see note below if baking with alternative flours)
Instructions
- Add the yeast to the water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper and fresh dill until evenly distributed. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add yeast mixture to the bowl and stir together using a rubber spatula just until combined. The dough should look a little sticky and shaggy and there should still be a little flour around the edges of the bowl.
- Cover and let rise somewhere warm (see note below) until it has doubled in size, about 8-10 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in volume, use your hands (or a dough scraper if you have one) to pull the dough out onto a floured surface. With floured hands, gently fold the dough into itself several times just until it holds together. Next, carefully stretch and smooth out dough into a rectangular shape and press Gouda cubes into the dough. Roll up dough into a log shape, adding bits of flour as needed to prevent sticking, and fold the ends underneath. Sprinkle with a little more flour and continue to gently shape the dough just until a flour-covered ball is formed. Lift and place the dough into a flour dusted proofing bowl like this one.
- Dust with flour, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or as long as 24 hours. You can even leave it for as long as 48 hours at this point if you’re not able to bake it right away.
- When you're ready to bake your bread, preheat oven to 450ºF (232ºC) with a Dutch oven or covered baking vessel inside the oven.
- Uncover then turn the dough out onto parchment paper seam side down. If needed, gently turn it with your hands and nudge it into the shape of a loaf. Score the top with a razor blade or the tip of a sharp knife with a design of your choosing. This will allow steam to escape while it’s baking.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the Dutch oven from the oven and transfer the dough, still on the parchment, into the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for 15-20 minutes more. Your bread will be done once the top is browned, and it sounds hollow when you tap the top.
- Using parchment edges, lift bread from Dutch oven and transfer it to a wire cooling rack to let cool for up to an hour before slicing.
Notes
Flour: If using all-purpose flour or a gluten free blend rather than a high-protein bread flour, reduce the amount of Gouda called for by half and cut it into smaller cubes. Alternative flours are lower in protein and lack the structure to hold up to heavier add-ins.
Dill: While I LOVE dill and think it’s the perfect complement to the Gouda, this loaf would also be delicious made with fresh or dried chives, rosemary or sage, or with just the cracked pepper, too!
Rise time and temperature: An ambient rise temperature somewhere between ~70º-75º/20º-23ºC is ideal but even high 60's/18º-19ºC should work if the dough is kept away from drafts. Note that rise times can vary based on temperature, environment and ingredients used. You will know your loaf is ready to bake when it has doubled in size, and this can take a minimum of 2-3 hours or as long as a full day. With a little experimentation, you will find the time frame that works best for you.
Storage: This bread is best served on the day it’s made. Leftovers can be toasted, re-heated on a baking sheet at 350ºF (177ºC) for 5 minutes until warmed through or served at room temperature. This loaf will store well in a plastic bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or sliced and frozen in a well-sealed plastic bag for up to 1 month.