No Knead Bread
I am not a bread baker. I'm assuming that you aren't either. In the spirit of National Homemade Bread Day, I've made a bread recipe that ANYONE can make. I promise! As long as you can read a recipe, measure ingredients, and mix it together, you will make bread!
My family has a long history in bread-making. Growing up, my family made their own bread in our bread machine. I love the smell of baking bread! When it was done, we would cut the top of the bread off, slather it in butter, and eat it in pure happiness!!!
No-Knead Bread
Makes 1 medium loaf
3 cups bread flour (can substitute up to 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour)
1 5/8 cups warm water
1 envelope of active dry yeast
- Place yeast in warm (NOT hot!) water; this is called blooming the yeast. Since the yeast is in a dry form, it works best to rehydrate it before using it. Just let it sit for 3-5 minutes or until the yeast looks like super soggy cereal.
- Add yeast and water to flour.
- Mix to create a sticky dough.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap (or lid) and let sit for at least 12 hours, preferably 18 hours, at a warm room temperature. Dough is ready when the surface is dotted with bubbles.
- Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
- Heavily flour the work surface with flour; form dough into a ball shape.
- Heavily flour the top of the dough and cover with a cotton towel. Let it rise for two hours or until double in size.
- About 30 minutes before the dough is done doubling, preheat an oven to 450. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats.
- When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under the dough, and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but don't worry.
- Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
- Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.
- Cool on a rack.
How easy is that? Mix it up; leave it. Play with it a bit; leave it. Bake it; DONE! Fresh, homemade bread with no stress or worries!
For more easy recipes, head to a girl eats world!