In a tale of two loaves, Penny Kazmier explores easy bread making

Have you resisted making homemade bread because you were uncomfortable using yeast or concerned you might not knead the dough enough? If you answered yes, then this recipe is for you. Honestly, even seasoned bread bakers will enjoy this recipe as the final product is a bakery-quality crusty bread with the perfect balance of chew and crunch. And, if you are a fan of an Everything Bagel, you will love the flavor of this No-Knead Everything Bagel Seasoning Bread.

Last night, I measured flour, instant yeast, salt, Everything Bagel Seasoning, olive oil, and cold water into a large plastic container. I stirred it all together with my trusty rubber scraper until it was incorporated. Then I covered the bowl with a shower cap, my favorite reusable plastic cover, and left it on my kitchen counter overnight.

While I slept, the dough doubled in size, so when I woke up, I only had to shape the loaf and put it in a container to rise again for 2 hours. As soon as the timer beeped, I used scissors to cut a pretty pattern into the top of the loaf, put the whole thing in a cold oven, turned the oven on and waited for the bread to bake.

Before I knew it, the house started to smell great, and the bread was done and resting on a wire rack. The hardest part of this recipe is resisting the urge to cut into the loaf while waiting for the bread to cool. That’s it: no kneading, fussing with water that is the “perfect” temperature, or worrying the dough didn’t rise enough.

You may be asking why this recipe differs from the traditional bread-making method. I’m so glad you did.

Most No-Knead bread recipes rely on a Dutch oven or covered heavy pot as a cooking vessel. The cover is the key as it keeps the moisture within the dough trapped for most of the cooking time, resulting in a well-developed crumb and crust with the perfect balance of chew and crispness.

I am fortunate to have a Dutch oven, but I wanted to know if a similar result could be attained by increasing the moisture in the oven itself, so I made two loaves of bread, one in a pot with a lid and the other in an open pan. This is the tale of two loaves.

Loaf number one was made per the recipe in an 8-inch covered pot. I didn’t use my Dutch oven because I wanted oven space to bake two loaves, and I was pleased that my plain old pot did a fantastic job. This loaf is the taller and lighter in color of the two loaves I made. The height is because the pan was an inch smaller than loaf number two, and the lighter color was because the lid is left on the pot until the last 15 minutes of baking when it is removed to help the loaf brown and finish baking.

Loaf number two was made in the same manner until it was time to put it in a baking pan. This time, I opted for a 9-inch-by-1-1/2-inch round cake pan. (The 1-inch difference in the pan size allowed the dough to relax and fill the pan, resulting in a slightly shorter loaf.) To replicate the environment created by the covered pot, I added a rimmed baking sheet containing a layer of ice cubes on the lowest oven shelf. The ice cubes melted while the oven was heating, and the moisture filled the oven the same way it filled the covered pot.

In my photos, this loaf is much darker than number one. This is my fault as I should have laid a piece of aluminum foil over the loaf when I noticed it becoming too brown. If you use this method, keep a closer watch on your loaf than I did.

When finally ready to eat, both loaves had similar crumb or air holes and texture throughout. Despite their very different baking environments, they were equally delicious.

Three key things make this possible: instant yeast mixed with the dry ingredients. The second is the addition of cool water instead of warm. This allows the yeast to activate slowly so the dough doesn’t rise too quickly. Lastly, mix everything 8 to 12 hours before shaping, which helps the development of gluten without kneading and, just as important, flavor. The longer the bread dough sits, the more tasty it gets.

I also included my homemade Everything Bagel Topping recipe, but feel free to purchase it if you don’t have the ingredients. Trader Joe’s makes a good one.

I found this recipe on the King Arthur Baking website, along with several other variations that all employ the No-Knead method, including a crusty white, sourdough, and harvest bread complete with dried cranberries, raisins and pecans. I have made several of these recipes, and they are all good. But this one is my favorite, as I love a good Everything Bagel.

If this variety isn’t for you, check out the other No-Knead recipes. The procedure is just as easy, and you will not be disappointed. Enjoy!

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

No-Knead Everything Bread

5½ cups (660 grams) bread flour

½ teaspoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon (12 grams) table salt

4 tablespoons (27 grams) Everything Bagel Seasoning – separated (see recipe below)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2½ cups (510 grams by weight) cool water

Weigh your flour or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess: Place in large bowl. Add yeast, salt and 3 tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning; stir to combine. Pour water into bowl and stir until there are no dry or wet areas and dough appears “shaggy.” Dough will be sticky.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap, or a clean shower cap, and allow to rest at room temperature overnight, or for at least 8 hours. The dough will become bubbly and rise quite a bit, so make sure it's in a large bowl.

Lightly grease a 9-inch to 10-inch round lidded Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid. (*See instructions below if you don’t have an oven-safe pot.) Cut a disc of parchment to line the bottom of the vessel. **Make a parchment “sling” and place it in the pan.

Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface; the dough will seem wet and wiggly. To shape the loaf, fold the dough over onto itself using well-floured hands. I like to work in a clockwise manner bringing the edges of the dough to the center of the loaf. Form by turning the loaf over and gently coaxing it into a ball. Because the dough is slightly sticky, it's best to work quickly.

Place the dough in the prepared pan, smooth-side up.

Cover the pot with the lid and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until a slight indentation remains when you poke it with your finger.

Just before baking, spray or brush the dough with water and sprinkle an additional 1 tablespoon Everything Bagel Seasoning over the dough. Using kitchen scissors, make several ½-inch deep cuts in a decorative pattern on the top of the dough to allow the bread to expand.

Replace the lid on the pot and place it in a cold oven; set the temperature to 450 degrees.

Bake the bread for 50 minutes (start the timer once the bread goes into the oven), then remove the lid and continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until it's deep brown in color, and a thermometer inserted into the center registers about 205 degrees.

Remove the bread from the oven, turn it onto a rack, and cool before slicing.

* If you do not have an oven-safe pan with a lid, feel free to use a parchment-lined round 8- or 9-inch cake pan. In order to get the chewy-crisp crust achieved with a covered pan, place a baking pan filled with a layer of ice cubes on the bottom shelf of your oven at the same time you add your bread dough. Periodically check on your bread, if you notice it getting too brown, lay a piece of foil over the top, but do not tighten it at the sides of your pan. Check to be sure there is water in the bottom pan at all times during baking.

** To make a parchment sling, cut or fold a piece of parchment into a 5- to 6-inch wide strip long enough to line the bottom of the baking vessel and come up the sides to the top to make handles. Place the sling on top of the parchment liner in the baking vessel. When the bread is done baking, use the “handles” to carefully remove your loaf from the vessel.

Homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning

Makes approximately 2/3 cup

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes

2 tablespoons dried minced garlic flakes, or 1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons Kosher salt or other coarse salt

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

Combine everything in a small jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

— Adapted from King Arthur Baking Company