No-Knead Buttermilk Bread

Makes 3 (1 ½ lb.) loaves (This recipe can be doubled or halved.)

Recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is a great tasting bread that takes just 5 minutes of prep!  After mixing the ingredients, just let the dough rise a couple of hours and stick it in the fridge for up to a week.  Dust the dough with a bit of flour on baking day, pull out a portion of the dough and shape it into a loaf.  Let it rise in the pan for a bit and then bake!  This makes a fabulous sandwich loaf for your lunchbox as well as wonderful toast for breakfast.  (You can also use this dough to make a fabulous No-Knead Buttermilk Cinnamon Raisin Bread.) 

2 cups lukewarm water (About 100°F)

1 cup buttermilk

1 ½ Tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)

1 ½ Tablespoons Kosher salt

1 ½ Tablespoons sugar

6 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Butter or neutral-tasting oil for greasing the pan

Mixing the Dough:

Mix the yeast, salt, and sugar with the water and buttermilk in a large lidded (not airtight) food container.  (See photo and note.)**

I use a Rubbermaid 8-quart plastic container with a lid 

for all my no-knead breads.  To make the container NOT AIRTIGHT, 

just drill four holes in the plastic lid.

Mix in the flour without kneading using immaculately clean wet hands, incorporating the last bit of flour.

Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it will be easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days.

On Baking Day:

Lightly grease a 9x4x3-inch nonstick loaf pan.  Dust the surface of the chilled dough with flour and cut off a 1½ pound (cantaloupe-size) piece.  Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.  Elongate the ball into an oval.  Drop the dough into the prepared pan.  Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour and 40 minutes (or just 40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough.)  Dust the loaf with flour and slash the top, using the tip of a sharp knife.  Brush the top surface with melted butter.  Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake the bread near the center of the oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the pan.  Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing or it will be nearly impossible to achieve reasonable sandwich slices.

Rice and Roasted Corn Pilaf served with

No-Knead Buttermilk Bread