8 Grain No-Knead Bread

My family can eat bread like there’s no tomorrow. We easily go through a loaf in a day. So for me, baking bread is about flavor but also about economy. I can make a loaf of hearty, flavorful, preservative-free bread for far less than it costs to buy a similar loaf at the store.

Usually we eat Country White or Honey Whole Wheat but I recently discovered a new recipe in my bread book (My No-Knead Bread Cookbook by Steve Gamelin) that we are loving: 8 Grain Bread.

It calls for King Arthur Harvest Grains Blend. My mother-in-law made up her own version of this blend which is worth mixing up if you think you’ll be making this bread often.

Harvest Grain Blend for Bread

1 cup rye flakes
1 cup wheat flakes
1 cup whole oat groats
1 cup millet
1 cup barley flakes
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup poppy seed
1/2 cup sesame seed
1/2 cup sunflower seed

Mix all ingredients together and store in a tightly sealed container.

8 Grain No-Knead Bread

13 ounces warm water
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
2/3 cup King Arthur Harvest Grains Blend
3 cups bread flour

Pour water into a large bowl. Add salt, yeast and Harvest Blend.
Add flour and stir to combine.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 8-24 hours.
Uncover. Scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle with flour and roll to coat the dough.
Turn dough into a pan about the shape of what you will bake the bread in. I use a long ceramic covered baker so I do this second rise in a glass loaf pan. If you want to bake your loaf in a 2-1/2 quart ceramic dutch oven then let it rise in an 8-inch skillet. Cover with a clean, moist dish towel and let rise 1-2 hours.
Place baking dish in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
Remove hot baking dish and turn dough into it. Cover and bake 30 minutes.
Remove lid and let bake 3-10 minutes longer depending on how crusty you want the outside to be. We usually do ours 3-5 minutes.
Turn bread out onto a cooling rack to let cool. When it has reached room temperature, store in a plastic bag.