No-Knead Stealth Bread
Author: Robin Asbell
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups warm (105° to 115° F) water for 100% whole wheat, 2 cups for 75% whole wheat, 1¾ cup for 50%
  • 2½ teaspoons active yeast
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 11/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4¼ cups white whole wheat flour for 100% OR 3½ cups white whole wheat flour and 1 cup unbleached flour for 75% OR 2¼ cups white whole wheat flour and 2¼ cups unbleached flour for 50%
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • Shortening for pan
Instructions
  1. In a large liquid measuring cup, stir the yeast and brown sugar into the water and let stand for about 20 minutes until it starts to bubble.
  2. In a square or rectangular storage tub with a lid (preferably 9 inches wide to line up with your baking pan), measure the salt and flours and stir. When the yeast has bloomed, stir the canola oil into the water and yeast mixture, then into the flour mixture. Stir just until mixed. It will be loose, lumpy, and sticky. Cover with a damp towel or loosely with the lid of the tub. Let stand for 20 minutes, to relax the dough. Then, use a spatula to fold ⅓ of the dough toward the center, and then gently flip the other ⅓ of the dough over that, and with wet hands, gently flatten. Let stand for 10 minutes, then turn the dough and repeat. Do this again in 10 minutes, for a total of three folds. Then let the dough stand, loosely covered, for 2 hours, until the batter rises to double the volume. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 2 days.
  3. To bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let warm on the counter for a few minutes. If it is cooler than 75° F in your kitchen, turn your oven to 250° F for 5 minutes, then turn off., so you can put the cold dough in a warm oven to help it rise. Heavily grease an 81/2 x 41/2 inch metal loaf pan with shortening. Using a rubber spatula, roll the dough gently over itself, forming a cylinder, and gently pinch to seal the seam. Trying not to deflate the dough, roll it out into the loaf pan, seam side down. If the top of the dough looks torn or shaggy, wet your fingers and smooth it gently. It will not change much during rise and baking, so make it pretty. Cover loosely with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let stand for 2 hours, in or on top of the warm oven, or in a warm spot, until the dough has risen to ½ inch or more above the level of the rim of the pan.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Bake the loaf for 35 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped with a finger. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before gently tapping the loaf out onto the rack to finish cooling. Don't slice until completely cool.
  5. Store the cooled loaf, wrapped in a paper towel, in an air tight bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
If you want the loaf to rise a little higher, you can replace 2 tablespoons of the flour with gluten flour for a little more structure. I found gluten flour in the bulk section at my natural foods store.
Recipe by Raisin & Fig at https://www.raisinandfig.com/no-knead-stealth-bread-and-cookbook-giveaway/