The Best No Knead Bread Recipe

This post originally appeared on Cooking for Seven on March 29, 2012.

So I saw lots of people raving about how awesome no-knead bread is. Super easy and delicious.

“Yeah, right,” I thought. “You have to knead bread for ages to get a good crumb.” Boy, was I wrong.

Faced with having to knead bread by hand (horrors!) since we can’t afford a stand mixer just yet, I decided to give no-knead bread a try. After all, Hannah had made it and loved it. It had to be okay.

It’s more than okay. WAY more than okay. The crust is crunchy and the inside is soft, light and flavorful. And it takes about 5 minutes to mix up. In all honesty, I would make bread much less often if it weren’t for this recipe. Downside? Well, there’s no more excuse for buying store-bought bread when you can make it so easily.

Think you can’t possibly tackle making bread at home? Give this recipe a try. You’ll be so happy you did.

Notes:
Not only is this bread so quick & easy to throw together (you literally just dump all the ingredients in a bowl & mix it a bit with a big spoon), but it’s also very versatile. I have made this with sour milk in place of water and whole wheat flour in place of some of the white with awesome results.

If you must, you can skip the steaming step. The last couple of times I made this bread I forgot that part with no ill effects. But I highly recommend steaming for the best crust.

I really like shaping the dough into a boule, but you can also shape it into logs or braids.

No Knead French Bread | Printable Page | Makes 2 large loaves

From Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day via Honey & Jam

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1) Place the water, yeast and salt in a very large mixing bowl. Dump in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is nice and moist. And you’re done mixing!

2) Cover the bowl loosely and let sit until it has risen and deflated a little. Now your dough is ready to be baked or stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3) To bake the bread: (If the dough is coming from the refrigerator, let it come to room temp before continuing) Wet your hands with water to prevent your hands from sticking and grab a piece of dough (I usually make half a recipe and use all the dough for one loaf, but you can make smaller loaves if you wish). Form it into a boule by pulling the sides of the dough towards the underside of the dough ball and rotating the dough until you get a roundish shape with a smooth surface. You can also shape the dough into logs or braids.

4) Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper (recommended) or a cornmeal-dusted cutting board. Let the dough rest and rise for about 40 minutes.

5) About 20 minutes before you’re ready to bake the bread, put a cast iron skillet or pizza stone on the center rack of the oven and place a roasting pan (I use a 13×9-inch pan) on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450° F.

6) Dust some flour over the top of your risen loaf and cut a few slashes into the top about 1/4-inch deep. Transfer dough onto the skillet or pizza stone, quickly pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler pan and shut the oven door to keep the steam inside. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is nice and brown. Cool completely before cutting. You may manage to wait that long…I never have.

Blood Orange Lemonade + The Winner

I must admit that I don't really care for blood oranges. We picked up a bag at the supermarket and were very disappointed at the taste. Maybe we got a bad batch, but I was quite underwhelmed. 

And so I decided to juice them and turn them into a delicious drink. I also had some lemon juice leftover from making lemon curd, so I had the brilliant idea of combining them. A quick search on Pinterest (does anyone else use Pinterest like Google?) revealed that it was already a thing. I settled on a reliable-looking recipe and got crack-a-lackin'. 

Reuben loved the juice. I had to limit how much he drank so I would have enough to take pictures the next day.

And so something mediocre was rescued and turned into a yummy beverage.

This juice is quite intense: it kind of tastes like a grown-up Kool-Aid. You can use sparkling water in place of the water for a more punch-like effect, or you can add more water to make it less biting/sweet. Whatever you fancy!

NOTE: I didn't have full cup of lemon juice, so I reduced the amount of sugar to compensate and used a bit less water. You can always taste and adjust the sweetness if need be!

Blood Orange Lemonade

recipe from food network | makes about 4 servings | printable page

Ingredients:

For the Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

For the Juice:

• 1 cup blood orange juice
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 3 cups water (sparkling or regular)

Directions:

For the syrup:

In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

To assemble:

Pour the juices and water into a pitcher. Add the syrup and stir to combine. Refrigerate into well chilled. Serve over ice, if desired.

And Now For the Winner of the Sucre Macarons! 

I asked y'all to tell me what dessert you were wishing for to enter the giveaway. Seriously, you guys have some awesome cravings.

Using random.org, I selected a winner. And that person is...

Commented #69: Erica (hey, hey!) who was craving chocolate with caramel. Nom nom. 

I have emailed Erica with details.

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway.

Have a lovely day!

xoxo

Erica

Sucre Macarons Review + Giveaway

Back in May, the folks over at Sucre sent me a lovely box of macarons. I must admit that I was more than a little skeptical. You see, I'm not a big fan of overly sweet treats. What I imagined store-bought macarons to be was a sickly sweet meringue filled with a super-sweet filling. Not that appealing.

My first bite changed my mind.

They were not overly sweet and actually had a lovely flavor. I shared a few with my husband's grandparents who also enjoyed them. 

My favorite flavors were the strawberry and pistachio.

Sucre also carries chocolates, coffee, nuts, gift sets and more. Their King Cake intrigues me.

If you're looking to impress someone with a delicious gift, I highly recommend the Signature Macarons. 

Would you like to get your hands on a box of these scrumptious macarons?

Here's how to enter for a chance to win a box for yourself (or someone you love, or want to impress):

Mandatory: Leave a comment on this post telling me what dessert you're craving at the moment. Make sure to leave a way of reaching you in the event you win the giveaway (email, twitter, blog, etc.). If you don't leave a way for me to reach you, I'll have to choose another winner.


Rules:
Giveaway will end on Sunday, February 9 at 11:59 PM. No comments will be considered for the giveaway after that time.
Only one comment per person, please!
Only residents of the continental US are eligible. If you have a friend/family member in the continental US you'd like to send the box to, that's fine.
I will choose the winner using random.org.

That's it.
Good luck!