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For anyone anxious about kneading or working with yeast, or just too busy to fit in traditional bread baking, the slow, cold-rise “no-knead” method is a boon. I especially love the convenience of starting a dough quickly and with very little kitchen mess, then coming back hours later to find it ready for me to start its second rise. From hearty whole-wheat bread and puffy Parmesan focaccia to rustic, seed-encrusted boules and aromatic, honey-spice fruit loaves, these easy breads are the best way I know to brighten cold-weather menus and boost my family’s consumption of fiber and whole grains. I serve these breads fresh from the oven withsoups, stews and simple entrees; insandwiches; as breakfast toast; and even as nourishing between-meal treats and snacks.
Here’s how it works: I stir together the ingredients as I would those for a quick bread. I use ice-cold water, which eliminates the risk of overheating (and thus killing) the yeast. Then, after an optional flavor-enhancing cooling period in the refrigerator, the dough simply sits unattended on the counter to rise for 12 to 18 hours.
Want Warm Bread for Dinner?
Here’s a sample no-knead bread timeline to get you started. Remember, you need to start making the recipe the day before you want to eat the bread.
Friday, 8 – 8:30 p.m.: Mix dough.
Friday, 8:30 p.m. – Saturday, 2:30 p.m.: 18-hour first rise.
Saturday, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.: 2-hour second rise.
Saturday, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.: Bake.
Saturday, 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.: Cool.
Saturday, 6:00 p.m.: Slice warm bread for dinner!
(Rising times and baking times may vary according to the recipe or rising method.)
Pictured recipe:Seeded Multigrain Boule
In a Hurry?
5 Tips for Great No-Knead Breads
Use Quality Ingredients
Flour is the foundation for delicious, fine-textured bread and is not the place to skimp. Freshness is crucial with all whole-grain flours and seeds, which contain fat that can develop off flavors quickly. Store whole-grain flours and seeds in the freezer.
Don’t Omit or Substitute
With yeast breads, altering ingredients can not only affect bread taste, but also yeast activity and dough rising. For example, extra seeds, herbs, spices, sugar or salt can inhibit yeast growth, resulting in overly dense loaves. Conversely, omitting or skimping on certain ingredients, such as salt, can result in uncontrolled yeast growth and poor bread structure and flavor. These recipes were developed using table salt; using other salt may change your results. They will work with instant, quick-rising and/or bread-machine yeast. Active dry yeast cannot be used instead.
Give It the Time It “Kneads”
The length of the second rise can vary greatly depending on the temperature of the dough and the room temperature. The second-rise times should be used as guides only. The bread needs to rise until it doubles from its deflated size.
Too Wet or Too Dry?
Doughs bubble and knead themselves best when moist and slightly soft, but they hold their shape and bake best when fairly stiff. If you’re not sure about your dough, it’s best to err on the side of slightly too moist before the first rise; you can always add a little more flour to stiffen the dough before the second rise. Most recipes call for checking dough consistency at several points and adding more water or flour as necessary.
Bake Patiently
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