Easy No Knead Bread Recipe

Here is a pretty easy recipe for homemade bread

Gather your ingredients first

I warm my mixing bowl with warm to hot tap water so that when I put

the water for the bread in the bowl it won't cool it too much.

I put the hot tap water for the bread in the bowl, add the sugar

and then put in the packet of yeast.

I let the yeast, water, sugar mixture sit for

about 10 minutes so that the yeast will proof,

and then I know that the yeast is still good.

This is what it looks like when it has proofed.

When I make this bread, I make half the recipe

which is two loaves. So I put in 3 cups of flour

and beat on high for about 3 minutes, as it

calls for in the recipe. You can use white or

whole wheat flour. I use whole wheat bread

flour that is coarse ground because I like to have

the texture of the flour in the bread.

It makes it a little chewy.

Then I add the rest of the flour, which is about 3 cups

and beat till it comes together nicely and pulls

a little away from the sides, and I can see the

gluten strands in the dough. It will be a very

moist dough at this point, and that's the way  you want it.

I spoon the dough into a greased bread bowl for its first rising.

Before I spoon the dough into the bread bowl, and before

I grease the bowl, I will run some hot water into the bowl

and let it sit a little bit to take the chill off of the bowl

to make the environment optimal for the dough to rise.

And cover it with a flour sack cotton towel.

I let it rise for about 2 hours or so, until it looks

like it's doubled in bulk. I have a hard time getting

a good rise when I use all whole wheat flour,

but I like the whole wheat taste and texture.

Here, I've gotten the two loaf pans ready, and wiped

them with an oiled papertowel on the inside so

that the bread won't stick when baking.

This is the dough divided up between the pans. I just use

a spoon to divide it up evenly between the two until

they look even.

Then cover again with the flour sack towel

and let sit until double in bulk, or about 2 hours.

You can check it periodically to see how it's doing.

This is how it looked after about 2 hours or so,

almost double in bulk. But I don't get a good rise

usually, and maybe these bread pans are too

big for the recipe, and I should try smaller pans.

I put them in a preheated 375 degree oven in the center

of the oven, and bake for 30 minutes or so until

the loaves are nice and brown on top, and when you

tap the tops of the loaves, it sounds kinda hollow inside.

One note - be careful when transfering the bread pans

with the unbaked dough into the oven. The dough is very

wet and spongy, and if you bump the pans it will fall,

and you will have to let it sit and rise again before baking.

I speak from experience! LOL

Take the bread from the pans immediately, and cool on a

wire rack, and cover them with the flour sack towel.

The bread is very airy and light. It makes good toast in the

toaster. And I've also used it for french toast.

You can vary the recipe, and use honey or molasses

for the sweetening agent. You can add raisins

and cinnamon, and sometimes I've added

chopped walnuts or pecans.

And if you use a white flour mixed with the whole

wheat, you may get a pretty good rise on the dough.

Here is the recipe

Easy No Knead Bread - makes 4 loaves

from Beverly Nye's A Family Raised on Sunshine

In large bowl, pour 5 cups warm water. Add 2 pkgs. dry yeast.

When yeast is dissolved, add:

8 tbsp sugar or honey

8 tbsp shortening - I use butter, but any type of shortening or oil would work

8 tsp salt

6 cups flour

Beat on high speed with a mixer for 3 minutes.

Add:

6 more cups of flour

Stir in with spoon. (cover with a clean towel) Let rise. Spoon into pans. (cover with a clean towel) Let rise again. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes in large pans. (I just bake mine for 30 min, check to see how it's doing at 30 min, and go from there), or 30 minutes in small pans. Take from pans immediately, brush with butter, and let cool on racks. Makes 4 large 9 x 5 loaves or 7 small loaves.

I have a Kitchenaid mixer, so I use it to mix the dough after the first cups of flour are added, and when the second round of flour is added rather than stirring it in with a spoon. Do whatever works best for you. I hope you will try this recipe. I know from the photos it looks a little complicated, but it really isn't, and it's a good go-to recipe when you don't have the time to do a lot of kneading of the dough.

Happy Baking. Take care, All - from KY