Five Minute No Knead Bread

The best things in life are nearest:  Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.  Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

This is most definitely my new favourite bread.

I've used Rhonda's recipe from Down to Earth which is as follows.

It is the old New York Time recipe.

On the day before you'd like to eat your bread

Mix dry ingredients together:

3 cups spelt flour (I mix wholemeal and white)

¼ teaspoon dry yeast

1 teaspoons salt

Mix in 1½ cups water with your hands

The dough will feel sticky and stringy after only a minute.

This is enough.

Allow to rest and rise covered with plastic wrap in a warm place.

(I've been placing mine in the oven after I've turned it off, as our evenings are cool).

The next day place a dutch oven in your oven and

 preheat your oven as high as it will go ~ 250°F.

(I use my Corningware dutch oven with lid).

Place dough onto a floured bench.

Pull it together in a gentle knead for only a minute or so.

Fold the dough under at the bottom to make a smooth top.

Cut into the top with a knife to allow a better rise.

Place in the dutch oven in the preheated oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, before turning the oven down to 200°F and removing the lid for the final 15 minutes.

Rest for a few minutes on a tray before slicing and enjoying.

I'm still amazed at how crusty the crust it, how delicious the loaf tastes and how easy it is to bake.

It begs the question: why has it taken me so long to bake my own bread.

Are you baking your own bread?  What's your favourite method/recipe?


For a larger loaf, use 5 cups of flour, 2½ cups water, 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon dried yeast.
Bake for a few minutes extra.

On my road to sourdough spelt bread.