Originally published on February 23, 2017
The people in my house love bread. Me? Sure I like it. Ya know, sandwiches are one of my favourite things, and for those, you need bread (that’s right I said sandwiches, not wraps.) But I can certainly go a meal without it, while the others would prefer not to. Luckily for them, while snacking on bread might not be my favourite, baking it certainly is. And man, I have a recipe that will wow you.
It’s Overnight Bread, and it’s just as easy as it sounds. There’s no kneading at all, and all you have to do is mix the ingredients before you go to bed, and then walk into your kitchen the next morning to find beautifully risen homemade bread. After that, it’s just a matter of shaping and baking. Yep, it’s that easy.
Once it’s done and ready to be cooked, you can even pop it in the slow cooker on high for a couple of hours if you’d like. I’ve done it both ways, and I prefer the way it comes out in the oven better. But we all have days when we don’t want to focus on making bread (even if we love to do it), and this is one way in which you really don’t need to think about this bread recipe at all.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 package (about 1 tablespoon) dry active yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm (not hot) water
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1.) Add the flour, yeast, and water together in a large bowl and mix. It will be very stringy at this point and will not be able to be shaped into a ball or loaf; that’s okay.
2.) Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 8 – 13 hours, or overnight.
3.) When ready to bake, dust hands and a work surface with flour. Dump the dough out onto the floured work surface and divide into two. Shape each piece of dough into a loaf. Cover with the towel again and let rise for another hour.
4.) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place each loaf of bread on a separate baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix the beaten egg with a tablespoon of water and then using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over top of each loaf. Sprinkle each with about half a teaspoon of salt.
5.) Place the bread in the preheated oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until it’s browned and sounds slightly hollow when tapped.
6.) Slice, and enjoy!