Recipe: Easy No Knead Peasant Bread - Whole Wheat Variation

WHOLE WHEAT EASY NO KNEAD PEASANT BREAD
(Variation of Jackie Olden's Grandma's Easy No Knead Peasant Bread)



2 cups lukewarm water (100 degrees F)
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg white

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast and molasses. Stir until dissolved. Stir in the salt. Stir in all-purpose flour, then stir in whole wheat flour. Coat a deep bowl or container with nonstick cooking spray. Using a spatula scrape the dough from the bowl into the container. Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray (or oil the top). Cover loosely. Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until double in bulk.

Place it in a 10x5-inch loaf pan* that has been coated with cooking spray. Brush the top with egg white and sprinkle on sesame seeds; cut a shallow slit down the center of the loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce temperature to 375 degrees F and bake 20 minutes more. (It seemed dark enough after the first 10 minutes so I reduced the temperature to 350 for the last 20 minutes and took the loaf out 5 minutes early.) Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

*If you use a 9x5-inch loaf pan you may need to remove about a cup or so of the dough (you can use it to bake a couple of rolls on the side.)

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RECIPE NOTES:
I've continued experimenting with Jackie Olden's Grandma's No Knead Peasant Bread and this is my whole wheat version. For anyone that hasn't tried this recipe yet, it's such an easy way to have a fresh loaf of bread in a few minutes of measuring and mixing and 2 hours total time for rising and baking. If you don't have time to shape and bake the dough you can refrigerate it after the first rise to use later. I like to keep a container of the dough in the refrigerator to pull out and bake as needed, it even makes great pizza and foccacia dough (oil your hands and shape it on oiled parchment paper, top as desired and bake at 500 degrees F). I've kept the dough up to a week in the refrigerator, stirring down when I see it doubled or more in volume - just make sure you cover loosely and use a deep container or divide the dough in half because it can really grow!

Happy Baking!
Betsy