Don’t have the energy or ability to commit to sourdough? Need a solution for the days you can’t make five pounds of challah? You can still have fresh bread in a minimal amount of time.
This is the recipe you need when you want to have freshly baked bread/challah for Shabbos, but don’t want the work (or the mess!). It’s one bowl, no knead, no braiding, no babysitting a starter and totally delicious!
If you are away for the summer and don’t have a bread mixer – this is also for you.
It’s technically only 3 ingredients: flour, yeast, and salt. No sugar, no oil, no eggs!
In the summer, I take 5 minutes on Thursdays to mix it together.
I do like to ‘complicate’ mine by adding in seeds and changing up the grains.
But technically, this recipe works with any flour–white, whole wheat, or multigrain flour (sorry I never tried spelt) and doesn’t ‘need’ the add-ins. Though I do highly recommend them!
The add-ins, amount of time to let it rise, and flour types are all very forgiving… so just throw it all together and don’t think too much about it.
I take my dough out on Friday morning and leave it out most of the day.
Then, I separate it into two loaves.
Form them into two balls, tucking in the bottoms. Use flour to help with the stickiness.
Score the tops.
Add a baking sheet with water to the bottom rack. The steam helps the bread form a crispy crust.
Then quickly throw the bread in the oven for 30 minutes in the afternoon. My family is big on sweet ‘crumby’ challah, but finally getting them to try this one after a few protests, they all somehow now devour it (pickiest ones included)!
It’s delicious with all your savory dips and confits. Now, I won’t pretend this has the depth of sourdough, but it’s a pretty good alternative for half the time and emotional energy (am I the only one who feels that way?).
The instructions look lengthier than the effort that this bread actually takes to make – so I beseech you not to nix this recipe because it looks too complicated.
Note: It’s highly recommended to eat this warm/reheat if not eating fresh.
The 5 Minute No Knead Artisanal Bread
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp yeast
- 3 cups warm water
- 5 ½ cups any combo of flour I use: 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour 2 ½ cups bread flour ½ cup oats
- 1 ½ tbsp kosher salt
Add-ins [Any Combo:]
- ¼ cup millet
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup flax seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
Optional Add-Ins #2:
- ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 heads roasted garlic [Note: This one is delicious with all white flour]
Instructions
- Proof yeast in water (I add a tsp of sugar just to make sure it blooms, but you don’t need to).
- Mix remaining ingredients just until combined (no need to knead!), it will be very sticky. Let rise 1-2 hours.
- Place in the fridge overnight (this helps with stickiness).
- Remove from fridge and let come to room temp for a few hours. **The dough MUST have time to rise at room temp or it will be too dense and not airy**
- Using enough flour so it’s not sticky, separate dough into 2 round balls, tucking in the bottom. Place on a floured parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Dust the tops with flour. Let rise for at least an additional 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°F.
- Score the tops of the loaves with an X or 4-5 straight lines across.
- Fill a sheet pan with water and place on the bottom rack of oven (the steam makes the outside extra crispy).
- Bake for 30 minutes.
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