The EASIEST No-Knead Artisan Bread

This recipe is VERY forgiving and and VERY low maintenance and VERY delicious!  The main trick is to just mix the dough the day or night before you want to eat it.

I usually double or quadruple this recipe.  It doesn't take much additional time, and then I can either share a loaf with a friend or freeze the extra loaves for another meal.  It is best fresh the day of cooking if you like a crispy chewy crust, which around here at our house is the preferred texture!

1 Loaf:
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water

3 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

*Optional:  see version add-in ideas below and just half the amounts

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In large bowl, combine water, flour, salt, and yeast.  Stir and mix until blended with your hand.  You do not need to knead mixture, just mix long enough until dough is blended.

2.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rest at room temperature for 18-24 hours (or longer-see note)

3. After 24 hours, remove dough from bowl.  Shape into a round loaf and place on square of parchment.  Lightly dust with flour and make desired cuts at this time.

4.  Let shaped loaf rise for 1-3 hours.  

5.  30 minutes before cooking, Preheat oven to 475 with 5-6 Quart size Dutch oven pan/lid placed on middle rack.

6.  Once loaf has doubled and pan has been heated, carefully remove hot pan lid.  Lift dough using parchment and place into heated pan.  The dough may loose its shape a little bit, but don't worry, it will still turn out great!

7.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and bake another 15-20 minutes.

8.  Remove cooked bread from dutch oven and let it cool on rack for at least an hour before slicing.

2 Loaves
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3 cups warm water
6 cups all purpose flour
1 TBS salt

Add In Versions:
Cheese/Onion: 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup dried onion
Rosemary: 4 TBS dried rosemary
Onion Herb: 2 TBS Herb blend such and 1/2 cup dried onion
Herb:  4 TBS Herbs de Provance, dill, or Italian Seasoning
white chocolate: 2 cups white chocolate chips
Craisin/Pecan: 1 cup craisins and 1 cup chopped pecans

Follow cooking directions as listed above under 1 loaf.

Notes:  
1. I've let this sit up to three days if I'm not able to get to cooking.  After 24 hours, just place bowl in Fridge and then pull it out on day of cooking, shape into loaves, and let rise as the directions say (usually closer to 2 hours).
2.  Have fun experimenting with cuts on the top of the bread.  Ideas include circle shaped dashes, three slices, scissor cuts, X shape cut.  If you dust the cuts with a little extra flour, they turn out extra pretty.
3.  If you want the bread to taste like it is fresh from the oven after being frozen, defrost the loaf and then just pop it into the over at  300 for 15 minutes.

3 cups all purpose flour

4.  If you want to use wheat flour you can.  It will be denser.  It works quite well to do 2 parts white flour to 1 part wheat.

5.  You can also use a stone to cook the bread, or a cookie sheet, or a glass pyrex pan.  It does taste best using a ceramic dutch oven pan, but it will still taste really good if you don't have that tool.  Same cooking time applies.

Pizza Rolls

These were a special treat growing up.  

My sister learned to make them at a bread making class.  

To assemble, they are just like making cinnamon rolls, but with a savory filling.

FIRST:  Make one Batch of Homemade sandwich bread dough (enough for 6 loaves).  (I use my whole wheat recipe, but use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white wheat.  You can also use all white if you'd prefer).

Pizza Roll Filling
In a food processor, chop the following:
2  5oz pkgs. turkey pepperoni
1 small yellow onion
1 can 2-4 oz black olives (depending on preference)
1 large green pepper

1.  Cut bread dough into approximately 4 equal balls.  Roll out 1 of the 4 balls into a rectangle.  Spread with a few tablespoons of cream cheese.  Then spread 1/4th of the pizza roll filling and then sprinkle with shredded cheddar/mozzerella cheese.  Roll up just like a cinnamon roll and cut into slices about 1.5" thick.  Place rolls onto a cooking sheet (I fit 12-15 rolls on  1  11x17 pan).

2. Let Rise until double.

3. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until tops are golden brown.

4. Serve warm or at room temperature with your favorite marinara sauce.

**These are great to take in a school lunch!  They also freeze well.

Homemade Chewy Pretzels (or pretzel bites)

 

These are always a hit when we make them at our home.  Our children love to make their own dipping sauces (honey mustard, cheese/oil/herb, marinara sauce, cinnamon butter, etc).  You can either make them in the traditional pretzel shape of roll out dough into a snake shape and cut them in bite size pieces.  I prefer the later because it gives you extra chewiness!

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

TOPPING:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

 

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn’t, it will make your pretzels splotchy. Sometimes I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (anywhere from 14 to 22 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7 to 9 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

Honey Mustard Sauce:  I don't usually follow an exact recipe...feel free to play around with the ratios to get the flavor you like!  Start with 1/2 c. mayonnaise, 3 TBS prepared yellow mustard (or other mustard), and 1 TBS honey.

Bloomin' Onion Bread

I had a recent "Cheese Party" with some couples.  My husband asked me to get this recipe from my friend...two of his favorite things--cheese and bread!

Recipe from changeabletable.blogspto.com

Ingredients:

1 unsliced loaf (round is preferable) sourdough bread - mine was square.

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup finely diced green onion, with tops

2-3 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise - withOUT cutting through the bottom crust.  

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.  

Insert cheese between cuts.  

Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds.  

Drizzle over bread. 

Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  

Unwrap.  Bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Muffins

This is a great muffin recipe if you like cooked raisins! I of course do...so this is probably the muffin recipe I make the most.

In large bowl combine (yes all at once...)
1 c. whole wheat
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 TBS wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. oats
1/3 c. raisins
1/3 c. dried cranberries (craisins)
1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. light olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 c. warm water

-Preheat oven to 375.
-Whisk all ingredients together until well blended. Pour into 12 greased muffin cups. -Bake 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pan and serve with whipped butter.

Pecan Pie Muffins

These are rich and really should be considered a dessert!  Happy Fall Cooking!

Picture credit: Cinnamonandspiceandeverythingnice

1 c packed light brown sugar

1/2 c flour

1 c chopped pecans

1/2 c butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

-Preheat oven to 350.  Grease or line your muffin tin.

-In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, and pecans; in separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together until smooth; stir into the dry ingredients until just combined; spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups; cups should be about 2/3 full; bake for 24 mins; cool in pan for a few mins, then move to wire racks.

-These taste best warm right out of the oven

-Garnish with caramel glaze if desired

Almond Flour Biscuits-Gluten Free

These are NOT as tasty as the original Cheesy Southern Biscuits, but they are tasty for a gluten free option!  One thing I've noticed with coconut flour is you have to eat these SLOWLY.  Coconut flour has a way of getting stuck in your throat if you don't chew enough :)

4 eggs
1 cup almond flour
4 TBS oil (cream, olive oil, avocado oil, etc)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c. sharp cheddar cheese (or mozzarella cheese, grated)
2 tsp thyme (not the ground fine powder thyme, but the little pieces)

-Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Drop by cookie scoop on baking sheet lined with parchment.  Gently pat the biscuit down just a little bit.  Bake at 400 for 12-14 minutes.

Breakfast Bruschetta

No fancy recipe here, just a picture is enough :)  Top some buttered artisan toast with your favorite scrambled eggs (I like to put in some fresh parsley or chives), and top with fresh cherry tomatoes, ground pepper, and some pecorino romano cheese.  BAM!  You have one delicious, simple and yet FANCY meal!

Cheesy Southern Biscuits

These aren't exactly "healthy," but I thought I would share them anyway because they are so amazingly delicious :-) and are definitely worth the indulgence! My sister-in-law was kind enough to share the recipe with me. I added more spices because I like the extra flavor punch. Here's to my husband's favorite Southern food--biscuits!  These are a fun appetizer as well by baking small ones!

1 tsp olive oil

2 c flour

1 TBS baking powder

1 TBS dried parsley

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

1 tsp white sugar

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

5 TBS butter

1 c milk (a little bit more if dough too dry)
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Using olive oil, grease a baking sheet (or use parchment).
-With a fork, mix together the flour, baking powder, parsley, thyme, salt, sugar, and cheese in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture in coarse chunks, then use the fork to further cut the butter into the flour-cheese mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Lightly stir in the milk just until the dough holds together. -Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven until risen and golden brown, 20-25 min. Makes 12 large or 18 medium biscuits.

Whipped Herb Butter

If you want to add a fun twist to this whipped butter recipe, here is a tasty herb rendition.   This is always a hit!  And goes deliciously well with some homemade artisan bread.

1 pound butter (4 sticks), room temperature
1 c. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2-3 medium garlic cloves, minced
-Combine all ingredients in mixer (kitchenmaid, boschmixer, or you can also use a hand-held mixer). Whip for THREE Minutes until butter is white and fluffy.  Spoon into serving dishes.  Put in fridge and store in fridge.  Butter is spreadable out of fridge.  You can also freeze extra butter and pull out at your convenience!



This is a version from Ina Garten which is also very good!

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced scallions (white and green parts)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-Combine the butter, garlic, scallions, dill, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until mixed, but do not whip.

At Home PERFECT French Baguettes

Chef John at foodwishes.blogspot.com has some great cooking videos.  He is really entertaining to watch. 

This recipe is amazing and easy!  No special equipment needed really.  And it really does turn out even better than a baguette from the store.  So watch this short video and then make some fantastic baguettes!  Note, if you use bread flour or wheat flour, it will not turn out quite as airy or crunchy, but it will still be very tasty!

For 4 smaller or 2 large baguette:

1/4 tsp dry active yeast

1 1/2 cups water (325 grams)

1 3/4 tsp salt

18 oz by weight all-purpose flour (500 grams), about 4 cups

- Mix dough just until combined.  Cover bowl with plastic and let rise 12-14 hours or until doubled.

- Punch down and shape loaves, let rise covered with floured plastic 1 to 1 1/2 hr or until almost doubled.  Snip or cut into bread for your baguette look.

- Bake at 550 F. about 15 minutes (spraying with water before baking, at 5 minutes and 10 minutes during cooking time) or until well-browned

Artisan Multigrain Bread

La Brea Bakery has the BEST multigrain bread. This bread is pretty wide spread now. You should be able to get it from Costo, or even your local grocery store in the bakery section. This stuff makes delicious toast. It's also great for sandwiches such as the Garden Tomato Sandwich!

Pumpkin Bread OR Muffins

Pumpkin season is here (although I'm always in the mood for some of these)! Here's my favorite pumpkin bread/muffin recipe (pictured are mini muffins using "fall" festive muffin cups. This recipe is great for buffet entertaining. Feel free to add some chocolate chips to make it like a dessert!

Whisk or mix together:
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
¾ cup light olive oil
1-2 cups brown sugar (1 is enough for me)
3 1/3 cup flour, (can use half or all wheat)
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Bread: Line two large loaf pans with waxed paper (or grease well), and fill with batter. Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Once removed from the oven, shake loose from pan and place on cooling rack. You can also make 4 small loaves, Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.
Muffins: Bake 350 for 20 minutes.
Mini Muffins: Bake 350 for 15 minutes.

Whole Grain Bread

Lately I've been adding some additional grains to my usual whole wheat recipe (link below). I like the additional crunch and variety. Just make the normal bread recipe with 4-5 cups oats, 1 cup buckwheat, and 1 cup millet (none of them cooked).

http://halehealthyrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/11/whole-wheat-bread.html

Whole Grain Pita Chips

Quick, easy, and delicious! Serve them with a pizza fondue, favorite dips, or as a bread side dish to your dinner.

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut whole grain flatbread (pocketless pita bread) into triangle pieces. In a single layer place cut wedges on large baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes until crisp (time varies depending on bread thickness.)
-May need to briefly recrisp on baking sheet at 350 for a few minutes if storing for more than one day.
-Get creative by topping them with spices, oil, cheese, etc. before baking.

Mini Wheat Banana Muffins

Why is it that small things are cute? I love mini muffins (great for entertaining)--so if you don't have a mini muffin pan, put it on your wish list! This recipe came from a sister-in-law's friend. I liked it!

4 T butter, softened

¼ cup applesauce

2 eggs

2 T milk

¾ Cup packed light brown sugar (could cut down to 1/2 cup)

1 Cup mashed banana (2-3 medium bananas)

1 ¾ C Whole Wheat Flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp all spice (optional)

¼ Cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1/2 cup homemade granola

-Beat butter, applesauce, eggs, milk, banana, and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, (and other optional ingredients); mix into batter.

-Pour batter into mini muffin pan, . Bake at 350º F for 12-14 minutes. ENJOY!

Whole Wheat Bread

Combine:

6 cups warm water

2 1/2 TBS SAF Yeast

2/3 cup light olive oil

2/3 cup honey

12-15 cups whole wheat (red or white) flour

2 TBS salt

2 TBS gluten (not required, but it does make the bread more similar to "grocery-store" consistency and less crumbly)

-Combine above ingredients (12 cups flour), and mix until combined. Let dough sit 5 minutes in mixing bowl to let flour absorb moisture. This prevents over-dry bread! Then knead five minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until desired tackiness (you want it to be just a bit sticky to your finger)

-Oil 5-6 bread pans. Divide bread dough and form into loaves. Let rise 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.

-Bake 350 for 25 minutes. Shake loaves loose and cool on wire rack.

Notes:

-I also like to add 3-4 cups whole oats (you'll add less flour)
-add 3/4 cup millet as well to add another grain and for a bit of crunch

-White Wheat makes for a lighter "less wheaty" tasting bread. You can also do part white flour part wheat flour. Freshly ground wheat flour tastes the best!

Country Garden Muffins

Combine and Whisk together:
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (for even less sugar omit this altogether)
2/3 cup light olive oil
1 TBS vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini, apple, or carrot

Add and Stir:
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup oatmeal
3 cups white wheat flour
1 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

-Preheat Oven to 350. Fill 2 muffin pans and bake 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.