One of the most searched terms on Google last year was “no-knead doughs.” It seems you can stir together a dough, largely ignore it, and the next day have bread—some richly flavored, handsomely bubbled and crusted bread out there.

According to Food52’s Executive Editor Kristen Miglore, “this is all because there’s more than one way to build the strands of gluten that bread needs to trap air bubbles and form beautiful honeycombed networks of delicious carbohydrates and air.”  The first way is by agitating and working the dough (traditionally: kneading); the second is simply with time.

The following recipe utilized time, and said to be delish.

Deborah Cohen’s No Knead Challah

(yields 4 medium-sized challot)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients:

1 envelope yeast (If using quick-rise yeast, the rising time will be much shorter.)

1 c. warm water

1 stick melted margarine

3 eggs, beaten

4+ c bread flour

½ c. sugar or honey

1 t. salt

1 egg + a few drops of water for egg wash

Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, other toppings as desired

Procedure:

Soften yeast in water.

Add honey or sugar

Combine with margarine and eggs.

Mix salt into the flour and stir into yeast mixture.

Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 8 hours or so. (If left to rise for a shorter amount of time, it’s okay to not refrigerate the dough).  If using quick-rise yeast, the rising will be just a few hours.

Remove from refrigerator and let stand for 15 minutes.

If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour to the dough and flour your hands to handle the dough. (The moisture in the atmosphere will affect that of the dough.)

Braid on lined or floured cookie sheet and let rise for 1 hour.

Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds.

Bake 17 – 20 minutes at 425 degrees or a few minutes longer at 375 degrees.  Loaves are finished when they sound hollow when tapped.