This easy, no-knead artisan bread recipe only has seven ingredients. It has a soft and fluffy inside and perfectly crunchy crust!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ½ cups water lukewarm (about 120 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons Himalayan Sea salt
- 6 ½ cups spelt flour or organic whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (to sprinkle on top of the dough)
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast, honey, and warm water. Allow to sit for 6 to 8 minutes until water is foamy.
1. Add salt and coconut oil. Mix in flour a cupful at a time until it’s all incorporated. Dough will be slightly wet.
2. Cover your dough with a damp towel and set it in a warm place to rise for about 3 hours, or until the dough has at least doubled in size.
3. Cover dough (make sure it can still breathe, don’t seal completely) and place in fridge for 8 hours. It is great to do this overnight and bake next morning also.
4. Take 1/2 of the dough (or 1/3 for a smaller loaf) out of the bowl, it’s very wet, so lightly flour your hands, and pull it into the shape of your loaf. Dust the top with flour and slash it with a sharp knife (flour keeps your blade from sticking) and leave it to rise for 30 to 40 minutes. Store the rest of the dough in the refrigerator (will keep well for 10 days) to make fresh bread later in the week.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your dough on a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. Use your knife to put a cross on top of the dough and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
NOTES
1. This is intended to be a wet dough! Don’t keep adding flour expecting a loaf to form. We call this a “free-form” loaf of bread. Because it’s “no-knead”, it needs to be wet in order for the gluten to form properly.
2. Using well-floured hands and work-surface will help tremendously in keeping the dough from being too sticky. You don’t want to go crazy with the flour, but a well-coated surface is helpful.
3. Wait at least 20 minutes before slicing into your loaf! If you slice into a hot loaf, you’ll end up with a gummy center that will seem underbaked.
4. For a softer crust—if you’re not a fan of the crispy crunchy crust, you can immediately brush your loaf with coconut oil when it comes out of the oven. This will soften the crust just a bit so it’s not so crunchy.
