No Knead Bread

I love baking bread. It has saved me a ton of money, and it's unbelievably easy to do. If you're frugal like me, baking bread is one of the best money saving tips I can suggest. Each loaf costs me under a $1 and requires minimal effort.

I've adapted this recipe from Budget Bytes many different ways.

Some of my favorites:

- 0.5 cup raisins and 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp Italian seasoning and 0.5 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tbsp orange zest with 0.5 cups dried cranberries and 1 tsp cinnamon 

This particular loaf is just plain, but it still tastes delicious

Ingredients:

makes one loaf

1 cup whole wheat flour

2.25 cups bread flour

1.25 tsp salt

.75 Tbsp active dry or instant yeast

1.25 cups warm water

STEP 1: In a large pot or bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours, yeast, salt, and seasoning if you're using some). Stir until everything is evenly combined.

STEP 2: Add the warm water (or cranberries if you're using them) to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is moistened. If the mixture does not form a cohesive ball of dough (no dry flour left on the bottom of the bowl), add more water 2 Tbsp at a time until there are no more dry bits.

STEP 3: Loosely cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for two hours. 

STEP 4: After two hours, sprinkle a little flour on the dough and your hands and form the dough into a smooth ball. Prepare a baking sheet with either parchment paper or foil and a generous sprinkle of cornmeal. Place shaped dough ball on the baking sheet and let rise for 1 to 1.5 hours or until double in size.

STEP 5: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. With a very sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes across the dough from one side to the other. Brush the dough with water and then bake for 30 minutes. Let the bread cool on a wire rack before slicing.