Richard’s Super-Easy ‘No Knead’ Yeast Bread

Method

1. Stir the sugar into the tepid water, then crumble in the yeast. Allow to sit for a few minutes. After about 5 minutes, it will have a creamy, slightly frothy appearance on top.

2. Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl, then add all the liquid. Mix well using a spatula or dough scraper until the mixture is very well combined. The dough will be wet and shaggy looking. Cover with a light cloth and allow to rest for 15–20 minutes.

3. It’s time to start the folding process. With the dough still in the bowl and starting at the 12 o’clock position, lift and pull the dough towards you using a dough scraper or spatula. Repeat this technique at the one o’clock position, 2 o’clock position, and so on until you return to your original starting point, giving it 12 folds in total. Turn the bowl as required to ease the process.

4. Cover and allow to rest again for 30 minutes, then repeat the folding process. Do this process six times, every 30 minutes – this will take 3 hours in total.

5. Shape the dough into two or three loaves or a combination of a loaf, plait and bread rolls. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 1–2 hours, until doubled in size.

6. Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F/gas mark 7.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and bake for a further 15–20 minutes, until fully cooked and the base sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.