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Multigrain No-Knead Bread

From the Ellen Jackson collection

Yield

1 loaf

Introduction

Seasoned baker Ellen Jackson combined whole-grain flours and seeds with the principles of No-Knead Bread to come up with this loaf. Though the famous Sullivan Street Bakery bread calls for instant yeast, Jackson recommends blooming, or proofing, active dry yeast for her loaf.

Ingredients

	2	cups lukewarm water
	½	tsp. active dry yeast
	2	Tbsp. barley-malt syrup, honey, or molasses (see Note)
	2	cups all-purpose or bread flour
	1	cup light rye flour
	1	cup whole-wheat flour
	1	Tbsp. salt
	2	Tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted
	¼	cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
	2	Tbsp. flaxseeds
	~	Wheat bran or cornmeal

Steps

Combine the water, yeast, and sweetener in a large bowl. Allow the yeast to bloom (proof) while, in another bowl, you combine the flours with the salt and the seeds.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the yeast mixture and stir until blended with a wooden spoon; the dough will be extremely sticky and shaggy. Cover the bowl with a cloth or piece of plastic wrap and let it rest between 12 and 20 hours at room temperature. The dough is ready when its surface is speckled with air bubbles.
Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it. Dust the top of the dough with some more flour and fold it over on itself a couple of times. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a large bowl or colander with a cotton kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and generously coat it with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour.
Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers, pick up the dough and gently and quickly shape it into a ball. Put the ball into the prepared kitchen towel, seam-side up. (It’s OK if it looks messy and/or misshapen.) Cover the dough with another flour-dusted towel and let it rise for 1½ hours.
After 1½ hours, place a 6-to-8-quart heavy pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) in the oven and preheat to 475 degrees. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes while the oven is preheating.
The dough is ready to bake when it has more than doubled in size and springs back lazily when poked. Carefully remove the hot pot from the oven. Slip your hand under the kitchen towel holding the dough, so that you are cradling the loaf in your palm. In one sure, confident motion, flip the dough into the pot, with the seam side headed for the bottom.
Using potholders — remember, the pan is hot — shake the pot to straighten out or redistribute the dough if necessary. Cover the pot with a lid, return it to the oven, and reduce the heat to 450 degrees.
Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and rotate the pan. Bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is deeply browned. If you’re uncertain whether the bread is done or not, carefully turn the loaf out of the pan; if the bottom is quite dark (just short of burned) and sounds hollow when you thump or knock it, it’s ready.
Cool on a rack before slicing.

Notes

Look for barley-malt syrup in the baking or health-food section of the store, near the molasses and honey. With a color somewhere between honey and molasses, it has greater depth of flavor and less sweetness, enhancing the yeasty, malty flavor of bread.

Store whole-grain flours in the freezer unless you use them within four to six weeks. Like nuts, seeds should be refrigerated to prevent them from becoming rancid.

Read more about Ellen Jackson’s bread experiments in “All you knead.”

This content is from the Ellen Jackson collection.

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There are 13 comments on this item

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38% recommend this recipe

1. by Pauline Kenny on Jun 20, 2008 at 4:18 PM PDT

Thank you for this great recipe. I tried it today and got a great loaf of bread. I have been looking for a whole wheat bread recipe that was not as “dense” as it sometimes can be. This one is perfect!

2. by Caroline Cummins on Nov 10, 2008 at 12:02 PM PST

I find that I like this bread cooked a little less — after removing the lid, I cook it just 15 to 20 minutes more. I appreciate the fact that this recipe uses a greater amount of flour than the original Lahey recipe, resulting in a bigger loaf. And the flavor is great.

3. by anonymous on Dec 12, 2008 at 7:49 PM PST

I have 2 questions:
1) I don’t understand how it is possible to use an extra cup of flour, compared to the Lahey recipe, but the same amount of water and have things turn out okay?
2) Is it possible to substitute or add millet? I like millet in multi-grain bread but don’t know whether to add it raw or cooked and in what quantity?

4. by Ellen on Dec 13, 2008 at 8:25 AM PST

Anonymous,

In answer to your questions:
1) Actually, the ratio of wet to dry is the same in both recipes. My version calls for 2 cups of water and 4 cups of flour, while Lahey’s contains 1 1/2 cups water and 3 cups flour--both represent a 1:2 ratio. In fact, it’s interesting that they work similarly since the flours I’ve substituted tend to absorb more liquid.

2) As far as using millet, I’d begin with millet flour. Rather than adding it to the existing recipe, swap equal amounts with either the whole wheat or rye. For instance, take out 1/2 cup rye flour and substitute 1/2 cup millet flour. Try a greater proportion if the flavor isn’t pronounced enough.

If you want to add whole millet, experiment with cooked, well-drained millet treating it as an addition (like the seed mixture) rather than a substitution. And do keep in mind that it contains additional moisture in its cooked state. Add in small increments (up to 1/4 cup to start) and increase slowly until you’re pleased with the flavor and texture.

Good luck.

Ellen Jackson

5. by anonymous on Dec 14, 2008 at 9:50 AM PST

What a great recipe! I lot of good ingredients - if you don’t have that many things around and still want to try the no-knead method, I created a website at www.aresrocket.com/bread complete with pictures that illustrate each step. I also have metric equivalents.

6. by Ingrid @ The Grandma Blog on Feb 18, 2009 at 3:00 PM PST

This sounds fabulous! I love that it’s no knead!

My arthritis makes it more difficult to knead bread all the time!

Ingrid :)

7. by Angie on Apr 1, 2009 at 10:52 AM PDT

Does the pan require greasing/oiling? Also, is it possible to use only whole wheat flour (no white)?

8. by Ellen on Apr 17, 2009 at 3:29 PM PDT

It isn’t necessary to grease the pan since it is incredibly hot; the crust begins to form almost immediately on hitting the pan.

If you want to replace white wheat flour with whole wheat, the single most important thing to remember is that the flour must be as fresh as possible to give it a sweet nutty flavor. If you can mill it and use it the same day, you’re set!

Replace white wheat for whole wheat flour cup for cup. Whole wheat is slightly lighter, so add 1 cup + 1 tablespoon for every cup of white wheat flour you are replacing. And for every cup of whole wheat flour used, add 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons water.

These guidelines come from Rose Levy Berenbaum, whom I trust implicitly. Good luck!

9. by Rebeca Torres Rose on Apr 19, 2009 at 7:45 AM PDT

I don’t have barley malt syrup and, while I do have molasses, I haven’t been crazy about the flavor they impart to other dishes. Would it be possible to use agave syrup as the sweetener?

10. by Ellen on Apr 19, 2009 at 9:06 AM PDT

Agave would be fine, though the idea isn’t necessarily to sweeten the loaf; the barley malt adds to the nutty flavor of the grains and seeds. If you’re game, I’d recommend trying 1 tablespoon of agave and 1 tablespoon of molasses. Or try all agave, to see if you like the overall flavor. If it’s too sweet, or difficult to detect, the recipe won’t be affected by leaving the ingredient out.

11. by Lara Adler on Apr 23, 2009 at 6:15 PM PDT

This looks amazing! I’ll just have to fit the 20 hour resting time into my weekend plans. This sounds like a perfect way to start a Saturday AND a Sunday. I have sorghum syrup on hand, and am going to give that a try... similar taste to molasses, minus the slightly bitter taste.

12. by Jean Gogolin on May 13, 2009 at 5:33 PM PDT

I’ve begun putting the dough for no-knead bread on parchment paper for its second rise, which works beautifully. When it’s ready to bake, just pick up the parchment paper and dough together and put them in the hot pot.

13. by Ellen on May 14, 2009 at 8:54 AM PDT

What a great idea! That’s how I get my pizza dough from counter to baking stone (I shape and top it on the parchment), but it hadn’t occurred to me to use the trick for no-knead. Thanks!

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