Easy No-Knead Homemade Bread
This is an easy to make, no-knead bread recipe that works great for sandwiches.
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water around 85° F
- 4 ½ tsp yeast 2 pkgs
- 4 cups milk
- 2 ½ tsp butter
- 1 ½ Tbs salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 1300 g all-purpose flour or bread flour
Instructions
Preparing the Bread Dough
- In a small bowl add ½ cup of warm water (approx. 85° F) and a pinch of sugar. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy.
- Sprinkle 4 ½ tsp of yeast into the bowl and then stir the yeast into the water.
- Set this aside to activate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a large microwave safe bowl combine the 4 cups of milk and 2 ½ tsps. of butter. Warm in the microwave until butter is just melted. The milk/butter mixture should be warm but not hot.
- To a mixer add 1 ½ Tb salt.
- Add ½ cup of sugar.
- Add warmed milk and butter.
- Add the water and yeast mixture.
- Using the dough hook attachment, combine these ingredients for a few seconds.
- With mixer on low, start adding the 1300 g. of flour one cup at a time.
- Once all of the flour has been added, leave the mixer on a medium/low speed for 8-10 minutes to work the dough.
First Rise
- Coat a large bowl with nonstick spray and transfer the dough from the mixer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to double in size. Approx. 1 hour.
Forming the loaves
- Brush the bottom and sides of four 8"x 4" bread tins with shortening or coconut oil.
- Onto a pastry mat or a lightly floured counter dump out the bread dough and divide into four equal pieces. Allow the pieces of dough to rest for 5 minutes.
- Take one of the divided pieces of dough. Using your fingers begin to flatten out the dough into a rectangle approximately as wide as your bread tins are. Press out any bubbles in the dough.
- Begin rolling the dough up. I like to roll the dough about a quarter turn and then press the seam together where the flat dough and the rolled dough meet, tucking the ends in as you go.
- Put dough in prepared bread tins with seam side down. Push the dough into the corners and check for any visible bubbles in the dough that will create holes in the baked bread.
- Cover with a dish towel and set in a warm place. Allow the loaves time to double in size and start heating up your oven to 475°.
Baking
- On the middle rack bake for 14 minutes at 475°.
- Then turn down the oven to 400° and bake for another 14 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and carefully remove the bread from the tins. Place the fresh bread on a cooling rack.
- Brush the top of each loaf with butter or coconut oil.