Stress-baking has always been one of my favorite activities, as my wife’s office mates knew (4 dozen salted chocolate cupcakes for six workers? Sure!). Since I’m convinced bread is more nutritious than cupcakes, I’ve been trying out new bread recipes and this one is my absolute favorite. Easy mix-up, no kneading, and you can keep it in the fridge for two weeks, tearing off hunks every few days to bake something fresh - like focaccia, pizza, or cinnamon rolls. The original recipe is from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, modified by the Voraciously chefs at The Washington Post. The full batch makes about 4 pounds of dough, which takes a lot of flour but will pretty much cover your piping-hot fresh out of the oven baking needs for at least a week or two. Oddly, using this dough for cinnamon rolls turned out to be my favorite, because it’s soft and airy and lofty, and that’s how I like my rolls.
No-Knead Olive Oil Dough (Big Batch)
7 1/2 cups (36 oz, 1022 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
4 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp instant yeast
1/4 cup (60 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/4 cups (770 milliliters) lukewarm water
1. Use a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to mix together the ingredients in a large (5 or 6 quart) bowl, forming a rough dough. Transfer to a large container with a lid or divide between 2 smaller containers as the dough will significantly expand.
2. Partially cover and let rest for about 2 hours on the counter.
3. Store in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours and up to two weeks.
Here’s a link with ideas for using the dough: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/04/19/one-no-knead-dough-will-give-you-focaccia-pizza-and-cinnamon-rolls-for-days/
YUM!!!