Winter means more time spent indoors and more time to experiment with new recipes. For me, this colder season is a time to “up” my bread game. By regular standards, the following recipes are for complex yeast breads. But this no-knead method takes the complexity and work out of bread-making.

Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
GREEK RUSTIC VILLAGE BREAD (HORIATIKO PSOMI)
Makes one loaf
4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
12 ounces water
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a large bowl, add flour, yeast, salt and sugar and whisk to combine ingredients. Make a well in the flour and add water and olive oil. Stir, using the handle of a wooden spoon, until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky but will pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic film and let dough rest 12 to 18 hours at room temperature, about 70 degrees. If your kitchen is cooler than normal, put bowl in the microwave to rest. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and pour dough onto it. Sprinkle the dough with a little more flour, pat the dough down slightly, and fold the dough over onto itself two to three times. Cover loosely with plastic film and let it rest for another 15 minutes. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to the surface or your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a large piece of parchment paper with flour or cornmeal. Place dough, seam side down, on the parchment and cover with a cotton tea towel. Let rise another 2 hours. Dough will double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. Score the top of dough in desired pattern using a lame or a sharp knife.
At least 30 minutes before dough is finished proofing, preheat oven to 450 F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot—Dutch oven or deep cast-iron pot—into oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven and place dough on parchment into the pot. Replace the lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 minutes until loaf is golden brown. Remove from pot and cool, right side up, on a cooling rack.
Walnut bread

Photo by Karen Hermann
Makes one loaf
2 ½ cups bread flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 ¾ cups water
1 cup walnut halves, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 350 F. On a small baking sheet, roast nuts for 15–20 minutes, stirring halfway through until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, add flours, yeast and salt and whisk to combine ingredients. Make a well in the flour and add water and stir, using the handle of a wooden spoon, until blended. Fold in the walnuts until well distributed. The dough will be shaggy and sticky but will pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic film and let dough rest 12 to 18 hours at room temperature, about 70 degrees. If your kitchen is cooler than normal, put bowl in the microwave to rest. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and pour dough onto it. Sprinkle the dough and your fingers with a little more flour; pat the dough down slightly. Using a bench scraper, fold the dough over onto itself several times until it starts to form a ball. Generously coat a large piece of parchment paper with flour or cornmeal. Place dough, seam side down, on the parchment and sprinkle with a little more flour. Cover with a cotton tea towel. Let rise another 2 hours. Dough will double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. Score the top of dough in desired pattern using a lame or a sharp knife.
At least 30 minutes before dough is finishing proofing, preheat oven to 450 F. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot—Dutch oven or deep cast-iron pot—into oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven and place dough on parchment into the pot. Replace the lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 minutes until loaf is golden brown. Remove from pot and cool, right side up, on a cooling rack.
Irish soda bread

Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
Makes one loaf
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups buttermilk
Softened unsalted butter, optional
Honey, optional
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the flours, baking soda and salt and blend. Gradually add the buttermilk and thoroughly combine. Dough will be extremely sticky. Scrape the dough onto a baking sheet and, with lightly floured hands, shape into a round, about 2 inches tall. Score the top of dough with a big “X” about an inch deep using a lame or a sharp knife.
Bake in preheated oven 45–55 minutes until golden brown. The bread will have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom crust. Transfer bread to a cooling rack and cool completely. Slice and serve smeared with butter and drizzled with honey, if desired.
Stout beer bread

Photo by Gina Moore
Makes one loaf
12 ounces stout beer, or ale or lager
2 ounces water, or 2 more ounces beer
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 ½ cups bread flour
In a large bowl add the beer, water and yeast and stir. Add salt and stir once more (mixture will foam, but that is a natural occurrence). Add flour and, using the handle of a wooden spoon, stir mixture until blended and pulling away from the sides. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the flour is incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rest for 12–18 hours at room temperature, about 70 degrees. If your kitchen is cooler than normal, put bowl in the microwave to rest.
Lightly flour a clean work surface and pour dough onto it. Sprinkle the dough and fingers with a little more flour and pat the dough down slightly. Roll and shape the dough into a ball or oblong loaf, depending on shape of the baking vessel being used. Generously spray vessel and place dough inside, seam side down. Cover dough and let proof 30–60 minutes until doubled in size and it does not readily spring back when poked with a finger. Score the top of dough in desired pattern using a lame or a sharp knife.
While dough is proofing, preheat oven to 400 F and place rack in lower third of the oven. When dough is finished proofing, bake for 40 minutes with lid on; remove lid and bake an additional 10–15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
TIPS/TECHNIQUES
Bread flour versus all-purpose flour. The difference between bread flour and all-purpose is the amount of protein. Bread flour has a higher protein content, which means the gluten will be more developed, thus you will get a higher rise in your finished bread. All-purpose flour is interchangeable in all these recipes.
Instant yeast versus active dry yeast. Instant yeast does not require hydration and can be added directly to the flour and salt ingredients. Active dry yeast must be activated in water before adding to the other dry ingredients. Instant yeast requires fewer steps and is virtually foolproof.
What is a lame? A blade used to score or slash the top of dough before it goes into the oven. The purpose of scoring the dough is to control the expansion and to prevent the dough from cracking.
Bread-baking vessels. There are a variety of bread-baking vessels on the market, including those in enamel, cast iron and clay. Choose your favorite. If you bake bread several times a week, you may choose to have a variety of shapes. The techniques are the same, no matter the shape or size.
- Round or oval enamel-covered cast-iron Dutch oven
- Cast-iron deep skillet or pot with cast-iron lid
- Oblong baker in clay or enamel
- Round bread cloche in clay
- Baking sheet
- Baguette divided bakers
Variety of uses. All these bread dough recipes can be used to make whole bread loaves, rolls, breadsticks and baguettes.