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So when I first started this journey there were 2 common fears everyone had when it came to cooking – making bread from scratch and making pie crusts. I’ve tackled both numerous times on here. By far my Artisan Crusty No Knead breads, Chocolate No Knead Crusty Bread and Cheddar Ale No Knead Crusty Buns have pretty much taken over as numero uno for bread recipes. They are super, SUPER easy and require no special equipment. A dutch oven is best HOWEVER I show you how to make it without one.
Well those breads are awesome but sometimes you just want plain old fashioned white sandwich bread. Now I love, LOVE white bread as for me that immediately takes me to my childhood and Mom making it every Sunday. I’d sit up on the kitchen table, covered in flour from head to toe playing with a piece of dough for hours while I’d try to mimic her. It’s because of her that I fell in love with baking and not having a fear of making breads. Someone challenged me a while ago to make a No Knead White bread that didn’t require all the steps of a regular white bread but was equally as awesome! I’ll be honest, this one took me for a loop. I kept over thinking it. I forgot the basics and ended up with something so complex in steps and furthermore not that good tasting. So I sat and compared my basic No Knead recipes and my white bread recipes and pretty much took pieces and parts of them both.
As you can see I nailed it! This bread was crusty on the outside but so soft and billowy on the inside. It was just beyond tender and lip smacking good!
Adding those layers of butter in the folds made this bread FanFriggenTastic! Literally it needed no jelly, jam or butter on it! It took everything I had to not rip into it straight out of the oven but bread is one thing that MUST be allowed to cool before cutting.
Do you know why? I mean other than having your Mom smack your hand or getting yelled at (trust me, I learned that lesson years ago!) LOL
Cutting bread while it is still warm can cause the bread to have a gummy texture, and the loaf can collapse. It tears and it’s a big ol mess. It is because of the way starch retrogrades. It needs that cooling time to re-stabilize itself.
But yeah, waiting for this to cool was torture. I mean the SMELL was intoxicating. There is NOTHING that compares to the scent of fresh baked breads. It’s just pure heaven.
This was so good I literally had to slice a piece and leave the room otherwise I truly think I would have sat there and ate the entire thing! LOL
It’s funny as I brought my piece back into the office to try I could hear “sniff sniff sniff” coming from behind me. Now we don’t have a dog but I could hear a ‘puppy whimper’. I turn around and there is Mr. Fantabulous giving me the most pathetic puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen! I could see his little nose twitching and his eyes fixated on my bread. I’d tear off a small piece and put it in my mouth to which I’d hear a ‘grumble’ like our old dog used to do. I immediately started to chuckle and ask if he wanted to try it. He goes “Like WTH? You used to always say ‘Honey try this’ whether I was hungry or not. Now you don’t even offer??? You made at me?” LOL
Ah my baby.. God love him! So I gave him half and waited for a reaction. Now what’s funny is when we first met this man didn’t care about food or the flavor. As long as it wasn’t spoiled he ate it. Food to him was just a requirement that his body needed. It wasn’t for pleasure or for taste.
Now some 16 years later he will analyze every bite like he’s perform some complex analysis on it. Literally, he’s become me. That’s EXACTLY what I do with a new dish and I really like it. I can pick apart each ingredient in the recipe.
Anyway, after he’s done eating his he gives me a look and begins to provide his analysis like Joe Bastianich of Master Chef. So love that show by the way! Normally he has a wise crack and will question me on why I did something making me think it sucks or I missed a step just to mess with me. However this time all he could say was, “I taste butter but don’t see any? How’d you do that? This is so awesome honey. Literally some of the best bread you’ve ever made! I LOVE how the crust is so crusty but the real bread (yes he call the inside ‘real bread’) is so soft!” WOO HOO! Home Run! I just smiled and said “Magic baby, I perform magic in the kitchen!”
Now I know what you’re thinking “just how hard is this? I don’t have a mixer or dutch oven.”
It’s not hard and you don’t need either of those things! Literally you need the ingredients (duh), a big bowl, a wooden spoon, a bread loaf pan and an oven. I’ve made this bread at least 10 times since I finally perfected it. This will be your go-to white bread recipe for no knead breads.
What’s even more awesome is with this bread, any leftovers (if that’s even possible) the leftovers make AWESOME croutons!
I mean seriously, can’t you just smell that warmth and awesomeness? Look at those pockets and flaky layers! Yeah… I bet you’re wishin’ they had Smell-o-Internet now, huh? LOL God wouldn’t that be awesome?!
*Update to apparently my recipe is VERY similar to the one Food 52 has (like just a few ingredients are changed). While I love F52, I don’t ever recall seeing it. I went with my white bread recipe and my first no knead recipe and kind of did a mashup. However since they were to the pass first and ours are so very similar I have to give them credit. I could have seen it but honestly I don’t remember it. Sorry F52, I didn’t know you had one posted a month before mine*
PrintMost Awesomest No Knead Sandwich Bread
- Yield: 2 loaves
Find more fantabulous recipes, tips and tricks at www.thekitchenwhisperer.net. Also, join our TKW Family on Facebook
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups Bread Flour
- 3 1/4 cups All Purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 3 cups water, warmed
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Whisk together flours, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add water and stir together with a wooden spoon to form a shaggy dough. It’ll take about 2-3 minutes to come together.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let proof at room temperature for around 5-6 hours. The dough will double in size and may start to fall. This is OK. It just has to double initially.
- When you’re ready to bake, turn the dough out on a floured surface and lightly knead 3–4 times. The dough will be slightly sticky but resist from putting too much flour on it. A Bench Scraper works PERFECTLY here! Cut the dough in 2 equal sized pieces. Shape the dough into a rectangle approximately 8×12″. Place 1 1/2 tablespoon butter across the middle.
- Fold one third of the dough into the center, place 1 1/2 tablespoon butter on top of the fold followed by the other third. Place seam side-down in a buttered 9×5″ Bread Loaf Pan.
- Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise for approximately 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. The dough will not rise above the pan; you just want it to double in the pan.
- Preheat your oven to 450F with the rack in the middle. In a bowl beat the egg and water until well combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the bread with the egg wash. (See note if you do not want to use the egg). Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the top of the loaf has just begun to brown. Remove from the oven and turn out on to cooling racks.
- Let cool for at least an hour before slicing.
Notes
The only special piece of equipment you need is a
9×5″ Bread Loaf Pan. These truly are the BEST pans out there!
Another item I highly recommend is a Bench Scraper. This will make your life SO MUCH easier when it comes to working with doughs!
If you do not want to use the egg wash, before you preheat your oven place a metal pan on the bottom rack. Let the oven come to temperature. Right before putting the bread in the oven, lightly mist the top with water. Place the pan on the rack and immediately (WORK FAST!) pour 1 cup of hot water into the baking pan on the bottom. Close the oven door and do NOT open it until the bread is done!
Leslie Myers says
Oooooh, and no sugar in the bread? How interesting! I’m trying the recipe now….
TKWAdmin says
No, no sugar Leslie. It won’t hurt to add it but I prefer my white bread without it. Let me know what you think!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Leslie Myers says
I used between roughly 30 oz flour, plus a little bit more as I was shaping the dough to put in the pan. I followed the recipe exactly, except I used about a cup of ice in the bottom of the oven rather than the egg wash or pan of water. I baked at 425 to an internal temperature of 190 degrees. I have a gas oven, and when I bake at higher temperature my bread browns too quickly. It is delicious! Looks and tastes great. Thank you!!
TKWAdmin says
When’s the last time you checked your oven temp to ensure that 425 is truly 425? My oven started to ‘burn’ stuff which didn’t make sense. Here my thermostat went bad. A quick $10 part saved me a ton of headaches and burnt food!
So thrilled though that you loved it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Leslie Myers says
Hello,
I was wondering about the weight of your “cup” measurement. Is it 4.5 oz? 5 oz? People measure differently, so I like to have the actual weight in oz or grams.
Thanks!
TKWAdmin says
Hi Leslie!
It’s 4.5 ounces for bread flour. I do the spoon scoop method into the cup then weigh it.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Audrey says
I am looking for a no knead whole wheat bread recipe that is softer than the dense stuff I’ve been producing. Has anyone tried this by subbing half the flour with whole wheat? Most of the other soft sandwich WW recipes involve a bunch of extra ingredients and kneading. I’m hoping to avoid some of that.
TKWAdmin says
Hi Audrey!
As for the substitution of 1/2 wheat flour, you can replace white flour with whole-wheat flour cup for cup. For every cup you exchange, add five teaspoons of water. Add additional flour only when needed while shaping. HOWEVER if you are going with all whole wheat you need to add at least 2 Tbl of vital wheat gluten.
If you are making bread with 100 percent whole-wheat flour, add two teaspoons of vital wheat gluten per cup to create a stronger structure and higher rise. For each teaspoon of wheat gluten you use, add another one and a quarter teaspoons of water. If using 100 percent whole-wheat flour, allow the dough to rise in volume by just one and a half times, as opposed to the typical two times.
Give that a shot!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Rebecca says
OMG… I have to tell you this is the first time I tried a Sandwich bread…. and I am so GRATEFUL I chose yours…it came out absolutely delicious….
I did not have the right size pans as all of my dishes, glassware & bakeware are all Pyrex from the 50/60’s so my pans are much smaller than you call for. I was able to make 4 loaves but probably could of gotten away with just 3. I also have a convection oven and have YET to learn to properly cook in it (was in the house when we moved in).
My crust was a bit harder than we like for a sandwich bread, but OH SO DELICIOUS for a jam on fresh bread crust.
I also did not have ‘bread’ flour, I just used plain AP Flour, not sure if that makes a difference either.
My family is just CRAZED about this bread and it has only been out of the over 90 minutes and 1 loaf is already gone…
I used the ‘active dry yeast’ to do mine and did the 7 hr rise as you had explained that the active just needs more time to rise.
Can I replace 1/2 the flour for ‘wheat’ next time… We typically are not ‘white’ bread eaters, we usually eat more whole grain or soft wheats.
I AM SO GRATEFUL I FOUND YOUR SITE….
THANK YOU for helping us become MORE self sustainable on our small hobby farm with your breads….
Rebecca
MisFitsFarms
TKWAdmin says
Hi Rebecca!
Thank you so very much!!! Yes the bread flour in the difference in bread making. If you don’t have it on hand you can make your own with ap flour and vital wheat gluten. (http://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2013/05/04/how-to-make-bread-flour/)
I love that they already went through a loaf! One of my best friends made bread for the first time the other day using this recipe and she went nuts over it! She couldn’t believe how easy it was.
As for the substitution of 1/2 wheat flour, you can replace white flour with whole-wheat flour cup for cup. For every cup you exchange, add five teaspoons of water. Add additional flour only when needed while shaping. HOWEVER if you are going with all whole wheat you need to add at least 2 Tbl of vital wheat gluten.
If you are making bread with 100 percent whole-wheat flour, add two teaspoons of vital wheat gluten per cup to create a stronger structure and higher rise. For each teaspoon of wheat gluten you use, add another one and a quarter teaspoons of water. If using 100 percent whole-wheat flour, allow the dough to rise in volume by just one and a half times, as opposed to the typical two times.
Please share some pictures on twitter (@TKWhisperer) or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thekitchenwhisperer) or shoot me an email with them at lori@thekitchenwhisperer.net I’d love to see them!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Cindy says
Great blog! I’m curious how well this bread toasts? Can’t wait to try it.
TKWAdmin says
Thank you Cindy! I LOVE this toasted! It’s gets kinda crunchy on the outside but the inside stays soft and almost melts when you eat it.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Tisch says
From what I understand, bread machine yeast IS instant yeast. I have used it for lot of no-knead bread recipes and it always works perfectly. I had the same type of yeast as mentioned above (Red Star bread machine Quick Rise) and used it for this recipe and it turned out fine. So if you’ve got it on hand it is fine.
Along with that, WOW on the recipe. How much the butter makes the difference with making a soft sandwich bread! I never thought of it before. I spread my homemade jam on it and I just wanted to eat the whole loaf. I did have the willpower and resisted though, thankfully. I’m not a huge butter fan, as I try to go a little healthier usually so I used Smart Balance Flax Oil butter. I used a little less and since it’s spreadable I just spread a thin layer along each fold I made. Thank you lots for this recipe. It will be my go-to for my bread loaves from now on.
Anyone interested, do give it a try. I would like to put this recipe on my blog next time I make it, if that is alright with you. 🙂
TKWAdmin says
Hi Tisch!
Thank you SO much for your comments. I have the BIGGEST smile on my face 🙂 Yes the trick to super soft bread is the butter.
You are welcome to link back to this recipe or repost it but please cite the source. Also shoot me a link when you post it and I’ll be sure to send folks your way!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Angela says
This worked great. I made both loaves and they came out wonderful. I was so excited to try it I made both loaves, which left is with a lot of bread. There was a 1/2 loaf this morning going stale, so i made french toast. The best we have ever eaten thanks to the bread. So now I’m told I always have to make 2 loaves so we have french toast leftovers. :).
TKWAdmin says
That’s awesome Angela! There is never too much bread 😉 This bread makes awesome croutons as well! Great thought about the french toast!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Angela says
Thanks!! Trying round 2 with the new yeast tonight. Fingers crossed!!
TKWAdmin says
You got this girlfriend! Let me know how it turns out!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Angela says
Hi kitchen whisperer! I tried to makes this bread but I think I ran into an eb-kao (error between kitchen and oven) aka me. I think I’m using the wrong yeast I was at the grocery store and only saw 2 yeasts. Both red star. Quick rise yeast for bread machines and traditional baking (instant dry yeast) and another (that I didn’t buy) that said something like dry active yeast. I saw instant yeast on the quick rise jar so I bought it but I’m starting to think I chose poorly :). I read some of the comments on the artisan bread (which I have proofing). So my question is….is the “other yeast” the one that’s said “active dry yeast” the one I should be using? I think I was confused because the “quick rise” jar said “instant”. And is the correct yeast for this bread the same one I should use for the artisan?? Thanks!
TKWAdmin says
Hi Angela!
For this recipe I use either instant (http://astore.amazon.com/thekitcwhis-20/detail/B00BGBXO6E) or active dry (http://astore.amazon.com/thekitcwhis-20/detail/B003Z7UR2Q). Unfortunately the yeast you bought is the wrong type. You needed either the instant (not bread machine) or the active dry.
Yeast can be confusing at times. I really should write a post explaining the differences between all of them as they aren’t interchangeable.
For the artisan breads (no knead ones) go with the active dry or the instant like I have in the links above).
Best Kitchen Wishes!