"No need to knead" is the goal here. It's really one of the most life changing recipes I've ever come across. It is a really simple recipe once you have got the hang of it.
The lack of kneading is a major bonus because I’m terrible at that and it takes ages. Also, just look at how few ingredients there are!
The steps aren't hard either, I just put a lot of detail in as they can be hard to explain but don't take that long! I make the initial dough early in the morning before I go to work (only takes about 10-15 minutes) and then return after work to do the cooking part.
It is the easiest bread recipe I have ever made! Artisan bread at a fraction of the price of a bakery!
Ingredients
Instructions
Add dry ingredients to a large bowl
Use a whisk to completely mix together the dry ingredients (to get the yeast evenly distributed throughout the dough)
Add the water to the bowl (making sure it is not too cold or hot)
Stir vigorously - (the end of a wooden spoon or spatula works great as it doesn't have too much surface area for dough to stick to.)
Stop mixing when you have a ball of dough in the bowl
Cover with cling wrap and leave for 8-12 hours (shorter than 8 hours just won't give you the desired result however I think you can leave it for a bit longer than 12 without any negative effects)
Oil a bread tin. Then remove cling wrap and dust flour onto a clean surface
Flour your hands. Then carefully scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the sprinkled flour -- (FROM THIS POINT YOU WANT TO AVOID SQUASHING THE DOUGH - no knead remember? ;) be gentle with it)
Fold each side of the dough towards the middle to make a rough ball (you can use a baking spatula for this), then carefully pick it up and flip it over so the fold side is on the table
Pick up the dough ball and rotate it in your hands, folding a bit underneath each time you turn it. If it feels too stretchy and threatens to fall out of your hands, flip it over again onto the floured surface (adding flour if necessary) and back over again before trying again. Keep doing this until the dough feels mostly contained in a ball but still be gentle with it. If you do this step for too long you will split the dough and it loses its elasticity.
Put the dough ball carefully into the bread tin, ensuring the fold side is facing down
Cover with a damp (clean) towel/dishcloth and leave for 1 hour and 15 minutes
After this time, turn your oven on to fan bake at 220 degrees Celsius and heat it for another 15 mins
Remove the damp cloth and sprinkle the top of the loaf with flour to stop the knife from sticking (sifting it looks the nicest!)
Using a sharp knife, make 3-4 scores width-ways along the top of the bread. This gives it room to expand and stops it from cracking
Carefully put the pan in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 45 minutes.
When cooked, take it out of the pan and leave on a rack to cool. Don't cut it until it has mostly cooled or it can go doughy!
Enjoy your delicious homemade bread!