Friday, March 25, 2011

No Knead Wheat Bread



I stumbled upon this amazing bread recipe.  At first I was a little skeptical to try it out since it said there was no kneading involved  but then decided to give it a try.  Oh my, this is one of the best no knead bread recipes that I think everyone should do.  The loaf is super moist and tender.  And the wonderful aroma of wheat just lingers in your mouth.  It tastes even better toasted and spread with butter and blackberry preserves.

 The bread also does all of its rising right in the loaf pan that it is baked in. You don’t need to knead the dough before putting it into the pan, just stir it very vigorously when you are incorporating all of the ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, you can mix your dough with a dough hook and transfer it directly to the loaf pan. If you don’t mind a little kneading, you can turn the bread onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for just 1 minute to smooth it out even more before putting it into the loaf pan. I usually do the little bit of extra kneading,



The finished bread is a great sandwich loaf. It has a good whole wheat flavor to it and just a hint of sweetness from the honey. It slices easily, toasts well and makes fantastic sandwiches. You can eat it while it is still warm, if you want to serve it for dinner, but it is best after it has cooled completely. 

Ingredients 
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups bread flour (or all purpose)
1 3/4 cups water / milk, warmed
5 tsp active dry yeast (2 packages/ .5-oz)
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt

Method

  • In a large, microwave-safe bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour and bread flour. Microwave for 30-40 seconds, until flour is very warm to the touch.
  • In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 cup of the water with the yeast and honey. Stir and let stand for 5-10 minutes, until yeast is foamy. Add in the remaining water, vegetable oil, salt and about half of the warm flour mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon to combine.
  • If using a stand mixer, attach a dough hook and continue adding flour with the mixer on medium. Add flour gradually until dough comes together into a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides. A small amount of flour might be left over. Turn speed up to medium and mix for 1 minute.
  • If mixing by hand, gradually add in the remaining flour, mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon with each addition. Mix until until dough comes together into a smooth ball and pulls away from the sides. A small amount of flour might be left over. Continue to push dough around with the wooden spoon for 1 additional minute after dough comes together smoothly.
  • Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Turn dough into the loaf pan and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 30-35 minutes, until dough rises 1-inch above the sides of the pan.
  • Preheat oven to 400F.
  • Once bread has risen, remove plastic wrap and place loaf pan in the oven.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, until bread is dark golden brown.
  • Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.



1 comment:

  1. Can't wait to try this once my store bought bread is finished!

    ReplyDelete