No-Knead Rosemary Loaf

Jump to Recipe

A simple, rustic homemade loaf without the effort

I know, when a bread says no-knead, it is too good to be true! Don’t worry, this one does not even have any stretch and folds. You simply mix everything in a bowl the night before and let time do all the work. There is probably 20 to 30 seconds of “kneading” just to develop the gluten before you actually shape it into a ball and rest again.

Whilst I love baking, I do find bread-making the least interesting, if I am being honest! Firstly, I can just pop over to Woolworths and grab myself an artisanal loaf! Secondly, all that kneading and proofing feels like more effort than it is worth sometimes – I need to be in the right headspace of wanting to commit to baking a loaf, in order for me to enjoy it.

It is probably for the reason above that I have not taken much to sourdough baking. Linsen dabbled a bit when everyone was doing it during COVID – sure it was fun to pass time and have something to nurture, like a starter, but wanting to embark on making a loaf felt like a three day voyage. If you were not skilled enough at this, it may have taken even more effort and anxiety as you were not sure if it is going to turn out perfect! (And what we did learn was it took about 4 attempts before we got a good “feel” for sourdough).

I also want to say that this no-knead bread recipe is flop-proof, but feel like that may be a bit irresponsible. I can however, say that the base recipe, on which I adapted said to let it proof for an hour after shaping – I went out for lunch and it ended up proofing for 4 hours in total. I was going to throw it out, as I was convinced it was over-proofed but Linsen convinced me to bake it. To my surprise, it turned out great and was not visibly impacted by the extra proofing time. The crumb may have been a bit chewier than I would have wanted, but it was still perfect with a bit of butter and my homemade blood orange and brandy marmalade. I got home the next day wanting to tuck into another slice, only to realise that Linsen finished the half loaf that was lying around the house.

So the next time you want to bake bread without the additional effort, this is a very handy recipe to reach for! This recipe was adapted from “The Great British Bakeoff – A Bake for All Seasons“.

RECIPE TIMELINE

Where recipes have a few components or a few steps, spaced apart, I try and include a recipe timeline to help you with your planning. As I always say, many steps do not make the recipe hard, you just need to plan well and follow the steps carefully.

8PM – Mix All the ingredient together, shape into a ball and leave to proof overnight

8AM – Knead the dough and shape into a ball again – leave to rise for the second time.

8:30AM – Turn on your oven and get you Dutch oven heating for 30 minutes.

9AM – Score the bread and pop it into the oven.

9:40AM – Remove the lid from the pot and allow to brown for a further five minutes.

9:45AM -Remove the bread from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool

10:30AM – The bread should be cool enough to slice into and enjoy warm.

If you make this recipe, please share it with me by tagging me on Instagram @adventureswithsugar or on Facebook at Adventures with Sugar. Please also leave a comment below to let me know how you got on with the recipe.

FOR THE ROSEMARY LOAF

500g white bread flour (please do not use cake flour, you need the gluten)
2 tsp fine salt
2 tsp honey
2g fast action dry yeast (1/2 tsp)
375ml lukewarm water
A sprig or two of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped and stalk discarded

METHOD

Combine all your ingredients: Begin the loaf the evening before you plan on baking it. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Then add in the chopped rosemary sprigs.
Add in the liquid and mix: Mix the honey and the water together, then make a well in the middle and pour in the lukewarm water. Mix the dough well with a wooden spoon until it is smooth – you may need to use your hands. You are not kneading it but just mixing with your hands.
Shape and Rest: Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl. Cover with cling wrap and place in a cool space to proof overnight for 12 hours. It would have doubled in size and bubbles would have formed on the top.
Shape and Rest again: Lightly flour the work surface and tip the dough onto a work surface. Knead the dough for 20 seconds and shape into a tight boule. Place the dough on a lined baking sheet, and dust the top with flour. Loosely cover the dough and leave it to prove at room temperature for a further hour to an hour and a half.
Prepare the oven: Heat the oven to 220 degrees celcius. Place a dutch oven in the oven at the same time to heat up – it will need about 30 minutes to heat.
Prepare the bread for baking: When the oven is hot, use a lame or sharp razor blade to cut three to four slashes on top of the dough. Carefully transfer it to the hot dutch oven.
Bake the bread: Cover the pot with the lid and continue to bake the loaf for 40 minutes, until the bread is well risen, crisp and golden.
Colour the bread: Remove the lid from the pot and continue to bake the loaf for a further 5 minutes to darken the crust. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool, before slicing.