Easy No Knead Bread

Working from home doesn't necessarily mean you have more time. But I do get to manage my time better around the kitchen. Key ingredient to making good bread is patience. I for one have not enough most of the time. So, I often look for easier recipes to make. 

Since I first started baking, I think I've gone through at least 50 different recipes and ways of making bread. Some worked for me and some didn't. This recipe I've put together seems to work for me. I find that baking bread is the most difficult as I can never get it to come out perfect everytime. I have come to appoint that when I bake, I just want it to be soft on the inside and crisp on the out. Also, as long as the whole bread doesn't harden up after a day old, I would be very happy. 

So, here is a recipe I've come up with that I think will stand the test of time. I've combined a few ideas into this batch and lets see if it stays as fluffed and soft tomorrow. If you'd like to try and experiment, please do. Then let me know your outcome!

No Knead Bread

Time: 12 hours - approximately. I started at 9PM and continued to prep before baking when I woke up at 6AM.

STEP 1

Take 3 cups of bread flour

2 tbsp of bread softener

pinch of salt

3/4 cup of warm milk

2 tsp of sugar

11g of dry yeast

2 tbsp of olive oil or coconut oil

Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the middle. 
In a separate bowl put in 1/2 of the warm milk. To this you add the dry yeast and sugar. Let it froth for about 5 minutes. 

Now, to your dry ingredients, you add the frothy yeast mixture and oil. You can use a wooden spoon or your hands to bring the dough together. If too dry, gradually add more warm milk to the mixture and bring the dough together till everything is incorporated. If it is still to sticky, just dust flour as you go till it doesn't stick to your hand or spoon. 

Next, oil the bowl and put a clear wrap over it, let the bundle of joy rise over night.

STEP 2

In the morning the dough would have flatten out with little air bubbles on the surface. Just dust your hands and some over the dough and massage the dough for about a minute. Then let it rise for about an hour. You can leave it for 2 hours if you'd like. But I gauge by looking at the volume, as long as it has double in size you are goo to go.

Preheat the oven at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Half way through, line your baking pot or pan with grease paper or butter and powder with flour for easy lifting. Place the pan into the preheated oven just to heat up the pot or pan you are using. 

Place the risen dough into the vessel, cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Then take the top off, bump up your heat to  200C/400F/Gas Mark 6, let it bake till brown for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Done! let cool on wire rack. :-)

REMINDER

Always make sure you grease your paper or your pan, or else the bread will stick to the bottom and the sides of your baking utensil. Such a waste on good home baked bread. I should know, I did it once and cried over spilled milk. 

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(article as published on latitudes.nu)