Easy Honey Sesame Bread

It is no secret that I am a bread fiend. And I try to make bread at home as often as I can. Homemade bread just can't be beat. I'm sure all of you agree... But it is work! There's all the mixing, kneading (especially hard if you don't have a stand mixer - I don't!), waiting, knocking back, waiting and waiting some more, shaping, and waiting... you get the idea! So when I heard about No-Knead Bread, I knew it was the thing for me.

Now I am not partial to a particular kind of bread. I like chewy bread, crusty bread, salty bread, sweet bread... well, I like bread. Period. And there are some times I crave warm soft, billowy, slightly sweet white bread with generous lashings of butter.

I read the NY Times recipe (Mark Bittman and Jim Lahey) on the NY Times website, and realized that it seemed to be the best no-knead bread recipe out there. And from reading the reviews I discovered that it was a light, chewy bread. Correct me if I'm wrong. But today I wanted soft bread. So using this recipe for inspiration, I decided to wing it. I've done a lot of 'winging it' with bread recipes before, and sometimes it has paid off, and sometimes - not so much! With this recipe, for one thing, I don't have instant yeast or a 'heavy ceramic pot'. So the substitutions began there. I was surprised at how little yeast this recipe uses, so I just added the normal amount of yeast I would add for the amount of flour used.

The whole thing was a risk, but this risk totally paid off!

And the best part - from the point of "I feel like baking bread" to you sitting on the couch going "Oh my word! This bread is SO good" - this bread is done in under 2 hours. That's often the time taken for just one rise for regular bread.

Easy Honey Sesame Loaf
Inspired by No-Knead Bread, NY Times
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 cup water 
1 tbsp sugar

1/8 cup honey 
1/8 cup melted butter
small handful of sesame seeds (black, white or mixed)
1 small egg (or half a large one)
1 tbsp melted butter, for brushing the top of the baked loaf (I used salted butter for this)

Method
1. In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, yeast and salt.
2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, water, honey and melted butter until just lukewarm.
3. Pour this mixture into the bowl containing the flour. Whisk 1 egg lightly and add it to the bowl. Set aside the remaining egg for brushing the top of the loaf.
4. Using a regular whisk or an electric handheld mixer, whisk or mix on low speed for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add the remaining flour and stir well to combine. You will have a sticky, icky dough.
6. Cover the bowl with greased clingfilm and set aside to rise for about 45 minutes in a warm place. It will double in volume during this time.
7. When the rising time is over, set the oven to preheat. Grease and flour the bread tin.
8. Using floured hands just ease the dough out of the bowl into the baking tin. No punching down or shaping at this point. Just press down slightly to spread the dough into the corners of the tin.
9. Brush the top of the loaf with the leftover egg, and sprinkle the top of the loaf generously with the sesame seeds.
10. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and feels springy to the touch. Remove from oven, and immediately brush with the melted butter. Use ALL of it!
11. Let cool for about 5 minutes and ease the sides out of the pan using a palette knife, and transfer to a rack to cool.

Eat warm with generous amounts of butter.

And more honey if that's your thing.

Bliss!


I added egg in this recipe because I find I have better results with bread recipes that contain egg. Also, the browning is usually gorgeous on eggy breads. If you want to omit the egg, substitute it with 1/8 cup of water.

I was very particular to write down this recipe as I was making it, because the last time I made up my own recipe for burger buns, I forgot to write it down, and the recipe turned out great! :( Now I'll never know what I did right! Thankfully, I didn't miss writing this one down.

On a completely different note, I am so glad February is here. February is going to be a fun month here at The Harried Cook. Here's what's happening -

1. First, my birthday is next week. Apart from spending the day growing another year older, I have a special friend guest posting for me on my birthday! Cannot wait to share that with you all! I'm SO excited! :)
2. Then comes Valentine's Day, and I am planning a 5-day Red Velvet Fest from the 8th - 12th of February. Red is perfect for valentine's day! And I love Red Velvet. Red Velvet ANYTHING. This is going to be so much fun for me!!!
3. Finally, later this February, The Harried Cook turns one! I have a few ideas on how to celebrate, and here's hoping they work out!

Have a wonderful weekend... and to all my American readers, Happy Superbowl Sunday!!! See you all next week! :)