No-Knead Bread with Seasalt and Sesame Seeds

There cannot be an easier bread than this. You mix up the dough, let it rise, shape it into loaves and then bake.  Because you do not knead the dough, the consistency of this bread is chewy, with airy big holes like a ciabatta rather than evenly grained.  The yogurt, salt and honey make the bread more flavorful, without being overpowering. Unlike some homemade bread, it also tastes great the next day, perhaps in the French manner spread thickly with butter and a slice of ham.

2 loaves

25 grams fresh yeast

4 dl water

1 dl filmjölk, buttermilk or yogurt

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

10 to 12 deciliters flour

Flaked sea-salt and Sesame seeds for sprinkling on top.

In a large bowl, pour in the water, which you have run from the tap

Crumbled yeast and water

to feel warm but not hot with your fingers.  If the water is too hot, it will kill your yeast.  Crumble in the yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved.  Add in the filmjölk, salt, and honey. Stir to combine.

Add the flour, a bit at a time until the dough starts to form a

Adding the flour

ball. Give it a good stir to make sure that all the flour is well mixed in. The dough will still be quite loose and sticky, so don’t worry.  Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let stand in a warm and draft-free place for 1 ½ to 2 hours.  The dough should more than

Finished dough

double.

Pre-heat an oven to 225 degrees C.  Pour the dough out onto a well floured board or smooth counter-top.  Divide the dough into two pieces.  Lay each piece onto a baking sheet covered with parchment

Let it rest with a cloth over

or baking paper.  Don’t worry if the pieces are knobbly and funny looking, they will look charming when baked.  Brush some water over the top of each loaf and sprinkle with sea-salt and sesame seeds.  You could also substitute chopped nuts, caraway seeds,

More than doubled in size

or poppy seeds for the sesame.  You do not need to let the bread rise a second time; it will rise further in the oven.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20

Loaf ready for baking

minutes until nicely golden on top.  Take out and let cool.

The finished bread!