This homemade bread is no knead! How to curate a ‘bread box,’ and the family recipe too

You’ll make this homemade bread ALL the time!

No stand mixer, no starter, no special tools, and no kneading! You’ll have this homemade bread recipe on repeat all fall long. This recipe comes straight from the family cookbook of our friend Elena Davis.

Elena shared her mom’s secret to consistently making homemade bread: her “Bread Box.” This clever idea helps her streamline the bread-making process. She keeps all the ingredients and equipment needed for her mom’s bread recipe in one place, so it’s easy to pull out anytime.

Here’s how you can create your own Bread Box:

• Start by gathering all the ingredients you need for Elena’s no-knead bread recipe.
• Next, get a small kitchen scale. Weighing your ingredients can make a big difference in baking!
• Elena also recommended labeling each ingredient with the exact measurement you need for one recipe. This way, when you’re ready to bake, everything is organized and easy to grab. No more searching through the pantry for that one bag of flour!

If you want to see more of Elena’s delicious recipes and her Bread Box in action, check out this post on Instagram.

Mom’s No-Knead Bread

Total Time: 12 hrs 45 min
Yield: 12 servings

 “The softest and most delicious homemade no-knead bread recipe. This bread has a few unique ingredients that separate it from hundreds of others. This will soon be your tried and true bread recipe!” -Elena

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups (500 ml) of warm water (might need a little more)
• 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/4 cup of steel-cut oats
• 1/4 cup ground golden flax meal
• 4 cups (500grams) organic all-purpose flour, Italian 00 flour, or Kamut flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt

METHOD

1. In a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
2. Add the steel-cut oats and the flax meal and mix well (I use a fork to mix). Add flour and salt to the mix and incorporate well. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook for about 2-3 minutes.
3. The dough will be sticky and slightly wet. If it seems dry, you may need to add a little more water.
4. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and let it rise on the kitchen counter for at least 8 hours—up to overnight. The dough will double in size.
5. After the first rise, transfer the sticky dough to a floured surface and shape it into one large boule or two baguette-shaped logs. Transfer onto floured parchment paper. Sprinkle with additional flour on top. Cover with a kitchen towel. If using mix-ins, see *notes. Also, see the **notes if you bake the bread in a single loaf pan without a lid.
6. Let rise again for 50-60 min (on the parchment paper covered with a towel).
7. With a sharp knife score the dough with 2 longitudinal cuts for each baguette OR 2 scores on top of the large round boule.
8. Preheat oven to 450 F. Meanwhile, place a 6-quart Dutch oven (or heavy cooking pot with oven-safe lid) in the oven as it preheats.
9. When the oven is preheated to 450 F, take out the Dutch oven and place the baguettes or the large boule inside (with parchment paper). Place back in the oven to bake for 33 minutes with the lid ON. After 33 minutes, check if the top of the bread is golden brown. If you like it darker brown, remove the lid and cook an additional 6-10 minutes.
10. Put the bread on a cooling rack and let cool completely. Or, take a slice when still warm and enjoy  :).

Notes

* Mix-Ins: If using mix ins 1) divide the dough in half  2) roll each dough on a floured surface into a rectangle. Sprinkle desired toppings evenly on the dough 3) fold the dough over on itself about four times (as pictured) 4) this will create two baguettes 4) Continue to Step 7 in instructions.

**If you are baking your bread in a traditional single-loaf bread pan, Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place your dough directly into your greased bread pan (or bread pan lined with parchment paper) for the last rise. Once the dough is double in size (about 1 hour), bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Elena Davis is a true Italian cook with true Italian flair! Her website is one to bookmark come dinner time. You can check out all of her recipes at cucinabyelena.com, or on Instagram, @cucinabyelena.