Makes: 1 large loaf
Takes: 5 minutes to mix and up to 24hrs to rest!
Bake: 45 mins
Good.. no… great bread that’s easy to make. Not an impossibility!! Read on for the easiest bread recipe ever.
To me, sour dough is the gold standard of bread. It can’t be beaten. But (sad face) I am no good at making it….!! I’m a great cook and do well at baking but I’m just not into all the feeding, nurturing, leavening, stretching, folding and general hand holding that sour dough needs.
So for ages, I’ve been looking for an easy bread recipe that is as good as sour dough but without the effort. And after trying some ‘easy sour dough’ and ‘no knead sour dough’, I can confirm that these are neither easy, nor very good.
After discovering no fail overnight rolls, a ‘life changing’ recipe shared with me by one of our Facebook community, it got me thinking. The rolls are super crusty with a dense, chewy texture, not too dissimilar to sour dough. Why not try this as a loaf…..??
I did more searching for overnight bread, tried a few recipes, played with them and eventually came up with something great. And I can confirm that it does exactly as says on the tin. Makes great bread…. easy.
So here it is. My easy ‘almost sour dough’ bread recipe.
For the sour dough purists among us, this might not hit the mark. But for time poor people who have no patience for starters, leavens or ferments, yet appreciate a good crumb, then this is the recipe for you. The only downside is you need to start it the day before. I know….. big deal!! So start now and you’ll have a fantastic loaf tomorrow 🙂
N.B. You will need a large oven proof casserole or dutch oven with a lid for this recipe!!
Ingredients
450g Bread Flour
225g Wholemeal Flour
1 tsp yeast (the little granules usually labelled Active Dried Yeast)
12g Salt
625ml warm water
Method
1. Measure and Mix
Measure your flours, yeast and salt into a large bowl.
Mix the dry ingredients together and make a well in the centre.
Pour the water into the bowl and stir until everything is combined. Your mixture should be quite sloppy.
2. Leave Your Dough to Rise
Cover your bowl (I use a beeswax wrap) and leave for 24-ish hours at room temperature.
The warmer your house is, the quicker your dough will rise but you need it to have doubled in size (at least). My dough below was left for almost 24 hours.
3. Bake Your Loaf
When you’re ready to bake, put your casserole and lid in your oven to preheat and set the oven temperature to 230°c (fan oven).
Scrape your dough onto a floured work bench. It’s a loose dough so be gentle and try not to knock out any of those air bubbles!!
Gently shape it into a round that will fit inside your pot. It’s quite sticky and loose so just do the best you can – no perfect loaf shapes here!!
When your oven is hot, lift out your casserole and with floured hands, carefully transfer your dough into the pot and replace the lid.
Bake for 30 minutes then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes.
Your loaf should have a dark crust and sound hollow when you tap the underside.
Leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Well…your ‘almost sour dough’ is done. I told you it was easy right…??!! I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe. Did you try it and if so how did you get on…?? Post your pics and comments to our Facebook page – let’s see some #notsourdough loaves!!
